LS travel retail pilots new Aelia Duty Free concept at Marseille Airport

FRANCE. LS travel retail has opened its “˜next generation’ Aelia Duty Free store with a pilot outlet at Marseille Airport’s low-cost mp2 terminal.

The company said it aimed to deliver “a memorable duty free experience” with the new concept under the slogan “˜The art of the gift’. LS travel retail has also rebranded the store and created a new logo for Aelia Duty Free.

Brand new look: The ‘next generation’ Aelia Duty Free store at mp2

The concept is based on four pillars:

Facilitation: Duty free shopping needs to be made easier and more convenient, said the retailer. This comes through understanding of customs allowances, price benefits against the High Street and product knowledge, making the shopping experience “seamless and unforgettable”, it added.

Care: Leveraging Aelia’s ISO certified OSCAR training programme, a new standard of service has been created for Aelia Duty Free, which has partnered with a specialist in creating strong service environments.

Here and Nowhere else: The experience at Aelia Duty free must be “unique”, said the retailer, with an emphasis on the features, products and sensations of each location. For the pilot store in Marseille, the focus is on the region of Provence. This is achieved for example with the brand L’Occitane, which has helped created a zone inspired by the Old Port of Marseille, with furniture recreating the idea of a typical fishing boat.

Sense of Place: The Provence region is a major focus of this first store

The art of the gift: Aelia Duty Free aims to highlight the importance of gifting through signature services such as gift wrapping, product merchandising and selection. “The Art of The Gift” is the store’s major theme.

The four pillars are revealed through the offer, said the retailer, with a focus on impulse purchases. The strategy, it added, relies on partnership with brands across the core categories.

Social and digital media is also central to the new retail concept. This includes the website (www.aeliadutyfree.com, in-store tablets and ibeacons, which push promotional messages to the traveller – and which appear for the first time at an airport served by the retailer.

The new design and branding will be rolled out across the Aelia Duty Free network
Food & Beverage The Magazine eZine