UK. Avolta today (3 June) showcased newly opened and forthcoming retail and food & beverage concepts at Manchester Airport, highlighting its continued investment in the airport’s transformed Terminal 2 and wider partnership with the northern England gateway.
The airport tour was attended by key executives, including Avolta Chief Executive Officer Xavier Rossinyol and Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe, alongside media representatives, including The Moodie Davitt Report.
Highlights include a Chanel boutique which opened two weeks ago, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) beauty concept unveiled today, and forthcoming Coach and Reiss stores scheduled to open later this summer.
As part of its food & beverage partnership, Avolta also highlighted the revamped Amber Alehouse music bar in Terminal 2 and the Sporting Chance sports bar in Terminal 3, which is set to expand with a lower-level area in September.
At the event, Rossinyol paid tribute to frontline employees, “A big thanks to the people who work day-to-day in the shops and restaurants, the warehouses and security, because that’s where the magic happens.”
He also stressed the importance of the Trinity in delivering stronger passenger experiences.
“We cannot do what we need to relying on customer experience alone,” he said. “The backbone has to be a solid partnership with the airport, as well as with the brands.”
Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe echoed those sentiments, reflecting on the airport’s long-running Terminal 2 redevelopment programme.
“A number of people have been here through the construction of Terminal 2 East, and I’ll be the first to admit there were one or two challenges along the way,” he said.
“The important thing is partnership. Those partnerships see you through the more challenging times.
“When you get here today, the difficulty has faded into the background. What we remember instead is the incredible product we now collectively have here in Manchester.”
Woodroofe added, “We’re proud to connect the North to the world.
“In 2022 it was quite difficult to be proud of Manchester Airport. There was a lot of ongoing construction, and the operation wasn’t in great shape. Now, as we stand here in June 2026, we really can be proud.
“We can be proud of the product, proud of the experience passengers have and proud of the destinations we connect to.”
The showcase comes as Manchester Airport’s £1.3 billion (US$1.76 billion) Terminal 2 transformation reaches maturity, bringing together an expanded retail, dining and passenger experience offer.
As reported, the transformed terminal now features an extensive line-up of retail and F&B concepts centred around a significantly upgraded passenger journey.
Retail that surprises
The walkthrough duty-free store in Terminal 2 – created in collaboration with airport planning and retail design specialist The Design Solution – places a strong emphasis on discovery and engagement, with activation points positioned throughout the passenger journey.
Avolta UK Commercial Director Eve Fifer said the objective was to create a more memorable start to passengers’ holidays.
“Once you’ve got through security, retail should be all about surprises,” she said. “Your holiday starts here because this is where formalities are out of the way and you’re safely on the way to boarding.”
That approach is reflected in the store’s extensive use of digital experiences, promotional displays and brand activations.
“The expectations are really high when it comes to digital,” Fifer noted during the tour. “You’ve really got to back it up with activity across categories.”
A curved promotional screen in the perfumes & cosmetics zone, currently featuring Creed, is refreshed every four weeks.
The Discovery Bar is another central element, featuring a Liquor Finder tool that guides passengers towards personalised drink recommendations.
Further along the store, local products help create sense of place without relying heavily on traditional merchandising. Among the featured brands is Salford Rum, produced just four miles from the airport.
Avolta emphasised that the challenge was to create local relevance without “in-your-face souvenirs”, weaving Manchester’s identity into the assortment through regional brands and store aesthetics. Design references include the Manchester Bee and red-brick detailing rooted in the city’s industrial heritage.
The luxury beauty offer is also expanding rapidly. A dedicated Dior shop-in-shop represents the brand’s first permanent duty-free presence of its kind at Manchester Airport.
The new ELC concept brings together brands including Jo Malone London, Tom Ford Beauty and Le Labo. According to Fifer, the project took almost two-and-a-half years to bring to life.
Digital engagement also features prominently in the beauty environment, with virtual try-on technology and other interactive tools designed to support product discovery.
A fresh approach to airport hospitality
Amber Alehouse, first opened in 2019, has been extensively refreshed as part of the terminal redevelopment works.
Spanning 479sq m, the concept celebrates Manchester’s musical heritage through curated playlists, live performances and a virtual jukebox experience.
“Amber is built around music and is proud to be the noisiest bar in Terminal 2,” said Avolta Head of Business Development F&B Heidi Barlow.
The venue occasionally hosts live DJs, while day-to-day music is supplied through playlists curated by students from The Manchester College and focused exclusively on local artists.
Sporting Chance in Terminal 3 was opened on 17 March to coincide with St Patrick’s Day. The bar-and-grill concept has already emerged as the highest-performing F&B location in Terminal 3, according to Avolta.
The venue combines food, drink and live sport across a large-format environment featuring 67 television screens and sweeping runway views.
The sports theme is reinforced through references to Manchester sporting legends and a dedicated promotional activation area that allows brand partners to engage directly with passengers. ✈
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