AUSTRALIA. Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) and JR/Duty Free have joined to mark the official opening of the 1,600sq m Departures store at the airport’s International Terminal. The Moodie Report was the sole travel retail media present at the event last week.
JR/Duty Free has a seven-year contract for the Departures and is also managing an 800sq m Arrivals store, where renovations are nearing completion.
As reported, the stores opened for trading on 1 September.
BAC CEO and Managing Director Julieanne Alroe reflected that the opening is the one of the most important milestones in the A$45 million (US$37.5 million) redevelopment of the airport’s Departures and Arrivals space.
“This is the jewel in the crown of the project,” she said. “We have set out to create a world-class terminal that is memorable and one that Brisbane people can proud of, and today puts that in place in the retail space.”
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Brisbane Airport Corporation, CEO and Managing Director Julieanne Alroe |
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Julieanne Alroe, CEO and Managing Director of Brisbane Airport Corporation, and Andrew Brodie, BAC’s General Manager Airlines and Retail Management, celebrated the opening of the store |
Alroe congratulated the JR/Duty Free team for the standard of the store that they have delivered.
“The store plays into the sophisticated yet informal feel that we are trying to cultivate in our terminal,” she said.
Evelyn Danos, Chairman of JR/Duty Free parent company James Richardson Pty Ltd, expressed her pleasure at opening the store.
“After a rigorous but collaborative tender process, and a vigorous but exciting implementation, we stand here together in our newest store.”
Brisbane is special to the James Richardson, Danos revealed, because it was the first airport concession gained by her father and company founder, the late David Mandie, in 1972.
“We plan on making the traveller delighted and overwhelmed by the shopping experience in JR/Duty Free at Brisbane Airport,” she added.
James Richardson Pty Ltd Chairman Evelyn Danos & CEO Milton Lasnitzki on Brisbane Airport |
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Evelyn Danos, Chairman of the James Richardson Group, gave sincere acknowledgement to the BAC and JR/Duty Free teams for what they have achieved |
BAC General Manager Airline and Retail Management Andrew Brodie praised the “magnificent store” implemented by JR/Duty Free.
“From when we started the International Terminal Building redevelopment over three years ago, a big element was to create something that is uniquely Brisbane,” Brodie said.
“Today, JR/Duty Free has achieved just that, and this store showcases many, many Brisbane elements.”
Alroe and Danos together unveiled a plaque to mark the store’s official opening.
The 100% walkthrough store offers a full array of duty free goods with an accent on local materials in the design and local products in the offer, complementing the airport’s drive for a sense of place in the terminal redevelopment.
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Some of the teams involved in delivering the new Departures store on time |
A key design element is a large parasol structure that echoes the outdoor living theme being implemented across the airside precinct.
Travel retail exclusives from Queensland rum distiller Bundaberg are a feature at the store’s entry, while there are extensive destination merchandise offerings close to the tills.
To the left of the store’s main exit, a JR/Watch Co boutique showcases high-end watch brands in a luxurious environment.
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Julieanne Alroe and Evelyn Danos unveil the plaque to commemorate the store’s official opening |
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From left: Milton Lasnitzki, CEO of James Richardson Pty Ltd; Toby Innes, BAC’s Head of Terminal Retail and Commercial; Julieanne Alroe; Evelyn Danos; Andrew Brodie |
“This is the latest evolution of what has been a very successful luxury watch concept,” James Richardson CEO Milton Lasnitzki told The Moodie Report.
Brisbane Airport’s redevelopment project began construction in February 2014, and is scheduled for completion in July 2015.
With the duty free retail largely in place, focus is moving to completion of the terminal’s retail high street and village square zones, and fitouts of a reinvigorated mix of food & beverage outlets.
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The Departures store is 100% walkthrough and designed to enable easy re-entry from the main dwell space around the precinct’s ‘village square’ |
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Setting the luxury bar high: the new JR/Watch Co store at Brisbane Airport |
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The terminal matches local materials, like Brisbane Tuff stone and ecologically sustainable Spotted Gum wood ,with water and abundant natural light to evoke the outdoor living for which Queensland is famous |
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BAC CEO and Managing Director Julieanne Alroe in conversation with The Moodie Report’s Senior Editor Peter Dowling |
