AUSTRALIA. Dufry yesterday celebrated the Grand Opening of its extensively refurbished walk-through store at Melbourne Airport Terminal 2. The store has been rebranded ‘Melbourne Duty Free by Dufry’ and boasts 2,743sq m of retail space, some +30% larger than its predecessor.
This is the second of what Dufry has dubbed its ‘New Generation’ stores (the first was at Madrid–Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport). The concept brings together an extensive use of digital media in-store, with a high-class, often personalised approach.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday was attended by Dufry CEO Julián Díaz; COO José Antonio Gea; CEO Asia, Middle East and Australia Andrea Belardini and General Manager Australia Ken Tse. They were joined by Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi and Chief of Retail Andrew Gardiner.
The highlight is an enormous digital screen that wraps around much of the store. This platform is used to enable targeted brand messages. Its content is adapted hourly to match the passenger profile and different products are showcased throughout the day. This means that the most relevant ranges are shown to the particular passenger demographic at any given time, Dufry said.
Other enhanced in-store experiences such as bottle engraving are designed to deliver a more personalised element to the shopper’s experience.
Dufry said that it is committed to conveying a true ‘Sense of Place’. Three different screen visuals – played sequentially in the morning, daytime and evening – have been developed specifically for the store’s giant digital wrap-around screen.
The product range has been extended to include new names such as the new Tiffany Eau de Parfum, Jo Malone London, Tom Ford cosmetics and Urban Decay in beauty; and Emporio Armani, Longines, Skagen and Daniel Wellington in watches. An extensive range of Australian brands includes Emu Australia, Catherine Manuell Design, Rosien skincare and a broad destination merchandise offer.
Underlining the importance of Chinese passengers at Melbourne Airport, Dufry invited five Chinese Key Opinion Leaders to the store opening and the launch of the Alipay platform.
Díaz said: “I am very pleased about delivering for Melbourne Airport what we believe is a new step in the development of airport retail. In collaboration with the airport authority, we tried to clearly understand the needs and expectations of our customers. How to engage with the customer and to understand the consumer changes that are happening very quickly today? Nothing is done in our company without focusing on the customer.
“We are very proud to be in Melbourne and to support Melbourne Airport in this development. Congratulations to Melbourne Airport for what you have done in this airport which is both remarkable and relevant.”
“It is a huge day for us. It really is the progression of a journey that we have been on for a while now,” Strambi told The Moodie Davitt Report (see Podcast below for full interview). “The big themes here are making it a really great experience for our customers; making it more entertaining and enjoyable; but also focusing on the aesthetic value of the environment; and making sure that the airport processes work really well.
“It really is a big step forward and I think a lot of people can be truly proud of what they have brought to the airport of Melbourne.
[Click on the arrow to view Martin Moodie’s whistle-stop tour of the store]
Do these two pictures paint the future of travel retail? |
“The digital presentation here creates a bit of drama and some real warmth. It’s a great way of presenting excitement about the products and the experiences as you go through the airport,” added Strambi.
Gardiner said: “It can’t get much better than this, it’s wonderful. In terms of digitalisation, I don’t think I’ve seen another retailer worldwide, not even off-airport, with this level of interaction with customers.”
Gardiner promised even more to come. An adjacent luxury zone will be fully opened by 12 December, he said. “It’s going to wow everyone.”
Belardini told The Moodie Davitt Report: “It’s a very important day for us. This new generation store… is a very strong witnessing of our commitment to developing this region. There’s also another reason to cheer, which is seeing the change in how we are approaching the overall customer experience.
“This is comprised of the digital interaction as well as the human interaction. We talk very often about how the consumer is changing and about how we need to change (accordingly).”
Commenting on the store redevelopment, Ken Tse said: “We are extremely proud of this larger and fully refurbished store which incorporates key elements of the next generation stores of Dufry. It delivers an exciting, contemporary, engaging and diverse retail offer to customers, that is very much aligned with Melbourne’s reputation as the retail capital of Australia.
“Melbourne airport has invested significantly in the transformation of the terminal and as part of this, we have worked in close partnership with them to create and deliver a truly world class duty free experience to the airport’s domestic and international passengers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the airport management and the teams involved for their trust and support and we’re delighted to be here together to celebrate all that has been achieved.”
Reiterating his sentiments at the recent Trinity Forum in Bangkok, Gardiner said: “We have a vision to build an airport that Melbourne can be proud of.” He concluded: “This magnificently refurbished store, only the second of its kind anywhere in the world, is a great example of how our retail partners are buying into that vision in a meaningful way that will enhance the experience of every traveller through our international terminal. Our commitment is to bring Melbourne to life at the airport, and Melbourne Duty Free by Dufry really encapsulates the city’s reputation as an iconic shopping destination. We thank Dufry for the work they’ve done to understand and help bring to life our vision, which is really about creating that perfect lasting impression of the city we call home.”
[Note: We’ll bring you a more detailed report on this important store opening soon]
BEAUTY: EXTENDED IN BOTH RANGE AND SPACE
JEWELLERY, WATCHES, SUNGLASSES
LIQUOR: STRONG WINES & CHAMPAGNE OFFER LEADS INTO DEEP AND EXPANSIVE SPIRITS DEPARTMENT
DESTINATION MERCHANDISE/HEALTH & WELLBEING/CONFECTIONERY & FOODS: STRONG FOCUS ON LOCAL PROVENANCE AND EMERGING CATEGORIES
