US. Miami International Airport (MIA) is set to open 19 new, name-brand retail stores with bright lighting and stylish décor on 15 May. But the outlets are such bold departures from the airport’s self-proclaimed “generic, non-descript offerings” of the past that its management decided it could not have a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony for the stores’ Grand Opening event.
The solution? An “˜orange-peeling’ ceremony, in keeping with the airport’s “˜100% Pure Miami Shopping’ MIA Concession Programme theme and logo.
MIA officials and local dignitaries, who will be on hand for the opening, won’t be peeling real oranges, but rather an enlarged, simulated one at the entrance to the retail area.
“When people think about Florida, one thing they think about is fresh Florida orange juice, so our logo is a bar code with a sliced orange on top, a la 100% pure orange juice. And internationally, when people think of Miami, they think of the refreshing sunshine, the beaches, and the trendy shopping areas,” said Dr Patricia Ryan, Miami-Dade Aviation Department Commercial Operations Division Director.
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Each store is adding its own unique touch to the grand opening, including: book signings by published authors at Hudson News and Borders; massage chair demonstrations at Brookstone; toy demonstrations at Mindworks; cigar rolling and live Latin music at Havana Shirt Store and many more | |
“As the primary gateway for Miami-Dade County, we thought we could capture all of those characteristics by describing our retail programme with the theme “˜100% Pure Miami Shopping’ – a refreshing, satisfying, Miami-style shopping experience.”
Westfield Concessions Management Inc manages the majority of MIA’s Central Terminal Retail Programme and has developed the stores to back up the theme. The opening of the following stores will be celebrated on Monday:
• Brookstone, which offers an assortment of distinctive, specialty products;
• Mindworks, which carries nostalgic and modern toys, games and electronics;
• $10 Boutique, a marble-floored accessories shop for men and women, with all items priced at $10;
• Prestige Signature, which features Montblanc and other fine writing instruments, watches, and leather goods;
• Airport Wireless, which carries Palm products and other high-tech electronics;
• Ron Jon Surf Shop, internationally recognized for its beach-themed merchandise, including surf boards;
• Bayside Brush, which offers more than 400 styles of hard-to-find brushes and hair accessories, many made in France;
• Borders, a worldwide retailer of reading material, music, travel guides and maps;
• The Havana Shirt Store, which features clothing from Tommy Bahamas, Nat Nast, and Lacoste, as well as Miami-style guayabera shirts for men and women;
• and sundries stores Hudson News, Newslink and Mercado Miami.
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“The new stores have brought a fresh, exciting atmosphere and image to our Terminal, and we want to reflect that new spirit with a lot of fun-filled events at our grand opening,” – Dr Ryan, Miami-Dade Aviation Department Commercial Operations Division Director | |
Additional stores scheduled to open this summer are: Dunkin’ Donuts, where passengers can get the store’s world famous coffee and baked goods to go with a good book from the connecting Borders location; and Jetsetter Mini Spa, where weary passengers can pamper themselves with manicures, pedicures, sleep pods and relaxation products. MIA will be the first US airport to offer sleep pods [the concept has proved popular at Vancouver International Airport – Ed].
Each store is adding its own unique touch to the grand opening, including: book signings by published authors at Hudson News and Borders; massage chair demonstrations at Brookstone; toy demonstrations at Mindworks; cigar rolling and live Latin music at Havana Shirt Store; Product tastings at Mercado Miami; live classical music at Prestige Signature; hair styling at Bayside Brush; food samples at Newslink; Special promotions and ukulele playing at Ron Jon Surf Shop; and cellular phone and handheld computer demonstrations at Airport Wireless.
Employees and airport users can also be eligible for a surprise grand prize when they visit the stores and get their contest passport punched at the Central Terminal retail stores.
“The new stores have brought a fresh, exciting atmosphere and image to our Terminal, and we want to reflect that new spirit with a lot of fun-filled events at our grand opening,” said Dr Ryan.
“Because MIA is a hub airport with many connecting flights, passengers find themselves with a great deal of down-time. So we’ve done our best to provide a wide variety of places where they can shop without having to leave the airport. They may not be able to get out and visit Miami in between their flights, but they can still get a taste of the Miami shopping experience right here.”
