US. The Lee County Board of Port Commissioners – the Fort Myers, Florida airport authority – have approved contracts with a subsidiary of The Paradies Shops and with HMSHost to develop retail and food and beverage concessions at Southwest Florida International’s new Midfield Terminal scheduled to open in 2005.
At its meeting, the board also extended an air-service incentive programme for another two years, and agreed to add eight western US cities to the programme.
Plans call for 15 newsstands and other shops to occupy roughly 13,000sq ft (1,208 sq m) in the new terminal, scheduled to open in spring 2005. Fifteen food outlets will occupy more than 18,000sq ft (1,673 sq m).
Based on airport passenger projections, the contract with the Paradies-Shell Factory venture will bring in US$2.4 million in income for the airport in 2006 – the first full calendar year in which the new terminal will be open. Over a ten-year period, Paradies projects fees and rents will exceed US$31 million.
Paradies-Shell Factory plans to include a CNBC News store, PGA Tour Shop, Books and the Bean of Sanibel, Chico’s and Brighton Collectibles, as well as The Shell Factory, Lee Island Coast TravelMart and other gift outlets.
HMSHost, meanwhile, has projected its food & beverage concession-related payments to the airport will top US$1.75 million in 2006, with the ten-year total surpassing US$20 million.
HMS Host plans to operate current concessions Chili’s, Starbucks, Burger King and Cinnabon in the new terminal and to add Maggie Moo’s, Sbarro, Palm City Market, Beaches Café, First Round Café and Casa Bacardi.
“Retail concessions are an important component in making the new terminal as passenger-friendly as possible,” said Robert Ball executive director at the Lee County Port Authority. “Our goal is a variety of shopping options that offer what is typically expected in an airport as well as merchandise that is representative of the Southwest Florida region.”
The new 28-gate Midfield Terminal will replace the existing 17-gate terminal, which opened in 1983. Southwest Florida International Airport served nearly 6 million passengers during 2003 and ranks among the fastest growing airports in the US.
