BAHRAIN. In our special series to close out 2020, we focus on the heroes and heroines who stood up as a global pandemic raged and ensured that airport, travel retail store and restaurant environments were safe and hygienic, that shelves were stocked and that customers – though few in number – could still enjoy a reassuring shopping, dining or general airport experience.
With the assistance and input of our industry partners, we present the stories of some of those individuals and teams who ensured that a pulse still beat through travel retail this year. As reported in The Moodie Davitt eZine, we salute these front line workers as our People of the Year, with our online coverage building on the pictorial in our year-end edition.
With traffic severely limited (though never halted) at Bahrain International Airport due to the pandemic, the Aer Rianta International Middle East (ARIME) team that manages Bahrain Duty Free pressed on with a major retail project that brought the role of front line workers to the fore.
Retail space is set to increase to around 4,800sq m at a soon-to-open ambitious new terminal, a significant enhancement from the existing 1,500sq m of shopping space. More than 150 units have been designed and built by Bahrain Duty Free’s brand partners for the new facility, varying in size from a 1m gondola to a 60sq m boutique.
With travel and other COVID restrictions standing in the way, ARIME worked closely with Bahrain Airport Company to gain exceptional approvals from numerous government entities in both Bahrain and the UAE to permit teams to travel from outside Bahrain to complete the necessary work.
Many other hurdles had to be overcome as a result of the pandemic, including a full site shutdown for ten days, delays in delivery with materials stuck in various ports plus huge numbers of contractors under quarantine arrangements at different times.
Once the lockdown was lifted, all of the installation teams returned to site and continued working under new stringent safety measures to complete the retail project in full, with ARIME describing the individuals involved as heroes “who toiled day in and day out to ensure construction continued”.
ARIME added: “The entire BDF Project Team – under the strong leadership of Bassam Alwardi – from top management to support and sales staff, all the way down to site workers and cleaners, are our local super-heroes. We praise them for their tireless efforts, despite all the challenges they faced, they did not stop soldiering on, while keeping the existing terminal operational for evacuation and repatriation flights.”
BDF’s IT & Marketing Team was also singled out for praise as “website heroes”, working tirelessly – often up to 18 hours a day – earlier this year to complete the task of creating a new website (www.bdutyfreeshop.com) in just four weeks. It was designed to bring in vital income during the travel restriction period and give BDF a robust online presence for the future.
Described by ARIME as “an incredible achievement by everyone involved”, working alongside a local partner, the team gathered, created and managed all content for the new site, including promotional campaigns, which have proven to be hugely successful, generating home delivery sales from May to September in excess of US$2.3 million.
During 2020, Bahrain Duty Free was also active in supporting the local community, including the donation of confectionery stocks to the value of BD95,000 (US$252,000) to organisations such as the Bahrain Red Crescent Society and the Bahrain Philanthropic Society during the period June-November. Also during this time, toys worth BD7,000 (US$18,600) were donated to Sanabel Orphan Care Society.
Bahrain Duty Free also supported organisations with sponsorships during 2020, including BD20,000 (US$53,000) to the Shaikh Ebrahim Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center in Muharraq, and becoming the platinum sponsor of the newly-launched Bahrain’s Forsati programme, which assists Bahraini graduates to be ready for the jobs market.
