GERMANY. Setur Duty Free, Türkiye’s longest-established travel retailer, opened its new duty free store at Cologne-Bonn Airport on 1 June, having completed an ambitious investment.
As reported, Setur Duty Free, owned by Koç Group, Türkiye’s biggest conglomerate, will manage the German airport’s duty free and duty paid operations for 7.5 years.
The retailer is pledging a unique shopping experience underpinned by committed sustainability practices, digital solutions, sustainable architectural design and a local touch.
The combined duty free and duty paid operation embraces approximately 1,500sq m of sales space across two terminals.
Cologne-Bonn Airport hosts thousands of flights to 150 different destinations – mainly Turkey, Spain and Italy – serving some 12.4 million passengers in pre-pandemic 2019.
Setur Duty Free opened its first store in Terminal 1’ s 900sq m shopping space and will open further sections in T2 during the second phase of development.
The store, designed with what the retailer described as a ‘premium duty free’ concept and ‘open market space’ architectural style, offers sales areas that focus on the customer experience.
These zones attract attention with their modern architecture and reflect the cultural and colorful lifestyle of Cologne and Bonn, Setur Duty Free said.
Sustainable and recyclable surface materials are used inside the store, and innovative solutions to improve the consumer experience are integrated. An array of digital solutions is designed to enhance the customer experience and leverage data analysis.
Setur CEO Ahmet Sönmez stated that Setur Duty Free is entering a new era in which the company focuses on expanding and enriching its stores in Türkiye, while evaluating opportunities on a global scale.
“Setur Duty Free, a pioneer and the most widespread duty-free company in Türkiye, has successfully completed the tender process and launched its first investment abroad as of June 1, 2023,” he commented.
“Our company has entered a new era where we will manage the duty free operations of Cologne-Bonn Airport for 7.5 years. Our approach combining sustainability and digitalisation brought us to the fore during the tender process.
“In line with this approach, we used sustainable materials to design our stores. In addition to this approach that will contribute to Cologne-Bonn Airport’s goal of being climate-neutral by 2050, we have also integrated digital applications in our sales areas, which will bring convenience to our guests from all over the world.
“With the strength we derive from our goal to make a difference at Cologne-Bonn Airport, we will continue to follow up closely new opportunities worldwide and turn Setur Duty Free to a global player.”
Flughafen Köln/Bonn President and CEO Thilo Schmid said: “The newly designed duty free area is an absolute highlight in the terminal and another milestone on our way to further improving the travel experience and the welcoming qualities in the terminals for our guests.
“We are delighted that in Setur we have found an international partner which has implemented this innovative concept excellently with our team.”
CFO Torsten Schrank added: “We are proud of the fact that Setur decided on Cologne Bonn as its first European location. The opening of the new shop areas signals the start of our new welcoming concept in the terminals and fits perfectly into our ideas of a modern shopping experience.” ✈
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report is the industry’s most popular channel for launching commercial proposals and for publishing the results. If you wish to promote an Expression of Interest, Request for Proposals or full tender process for any sector of airport or other travel-related infrastructure revenues, simply e-mail Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com.
We have a variety of options that will ensure you reach the widest, most high-quality concessionaire/retailer/operator base in the industry – globally and immediately.
The Moodie Davitt Report is the only international business media to cover all airport or other travel-related consumer services, revenue-generating and otherwise. Our reporting includes duty free and other retail, food & beverage, property, passenger lounges, art and culture, hotels, car parking, medical facilities, the Internet, advertising and related revenue streams.
Please send relevant material, including images, to Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com for instant, quality global coverage.
