BULGARIA. Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD, operator of Burgas and Varna airports, has awarded the duty free concessions for both locations to The Nuance Group in association with local partner Bulgaria Airways Group.
The selected concessionaire will replace Gebr Heinemann SE and operate at the new passenger terminals that are scheduled to come into operation this summer.
The airports are the gateways to the popular Bulgarian Black Sea tourist region. With the new terminals coming on stream, the concessions represent a major gain for The Nuance Group’s thriving European operation under regional CEO Andrea Belardini (a speaker at next week’s Trinity Forum in Abu Dhabi).
The selection procedure took place in the second half of 2012. “In the end three companies (including LS travel retail) were shortlisted and handed in very competitive bids and after a very detailed evaluation The Nuance Group with local partner Bulgaria Airways Group EAD prevailed with high commercial value and optimal design solutions for the available space,” Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD told The Moodie Report.
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An artist’s impressions of the new terminal at Burgas Airport, the bigger of the two facilities due to its heavier traffic of over 2.2 million passengers. The distinguishing design element is the red rose, symbolic of the Rose Valley near Burgas where rose oil is produced |
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The airport operator thanked the existing operator Gebr Heinemann SE and their “highly professional team for the many years of working together and delivering an excellent commercial experience to our passengers”.
It added: “The Burgas and Varna airports’ travel retail team is looking forward to building a powerful partnership with the Nuance team of duty free experts and ensure a diverse high-class retail mix to its customers in the new facilities.
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Varna Airport’s new terminal will come alive with the bright yellow of sunflowers, associated closely with the Dobrudja valley where sunflowers are grown, not far from Varna |
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BACKGROUND: At the end of 2006 a German-Bulgarian consortium comprising Fraport AG and Bulgarian logistics company BM Star was awarded the concession to run Varna and Burgas airports. During the 35-year concession period Fraport Twin Star Airport Management will operate and invest in the development of both coastal airports.
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Burgas (above) and Varna (below) are the gateways to Bulgaria’s Black Sea region |
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