AUSTRALIA. Fast-growing specialist travel retailer Airport Pharmacy this week opened its largest Health & Beauty store – a flagship store at Melbourne Airport Terminal 3, home to Virgin Australia domestic services.
Airport Pharmacy Director Rajiv Bhindi told The Moodie Davitt Report: “The store showcases our updated Health & Beauty design concept, with approximately 160sq m of retail space, a full prestige fragrance and beauty offer, large-format digital screens, illuminated brand displays throughout and a stunning mirrored feature entry.
“The ranging brings our strongest luxury line-up yet to the domestic terminal, including Tom Ford, Jo Malone London, YSL, Giorgio Armani and many more. This is in addition to our large range of derma skincare, suncare, haircare and travel essentials offer.”
True to the company’s pharmacy heritage, the store also carries a comprehensive range of over the counter medicines, vitamins and supplements, so travellers can pick up both a luxury fragrance and their travel health essentials in the one stop.
“I have always believed domestic travellers deserve a beauty experience on par with the best duty-free environments, and this store is our clearest statement of that yet,” Bhindi said.
The T3 store unveiling follows the company’s dual debut at the Victorian gateway last November with an Airport Pharmacy concept at T4 and a Health & Beauty offer in the Qantas-dedicated domestic T1.
“With T3 now open, we operate eight airport stores across Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne and Singapore Changi,” Bhindi commented.
“From our humble beginnings at Adelaide Airport almost two decades ago, it is incredibly rewarding to see the brands grow to this point, and we now have a presence in five cities across two countries.
“The flagship reflects the same airport-first philosophy we have built the business on. Rather than replicating a downtown store and shrinking it to fit, everything from the ranging to the layout to the digital displays is designed around how travellers shop and what they value most while in transit.”
Bhindi promised more to come later in the year. A rereshed Airport Pharmacy format will launch at Brisbane Airport and Changi Airport T4, plus further upgrades and new locations are in the pipeline across Australia and Singapore, he noted.
“It is an exciting time for the health, wellness and beauty category in travel retail, and we are proud to keep building on this momentum,” Bhindi concluded. ✈
