DENMARK. Travel Retail Denmark, the Gebr Heinemann subsidiary that operates the tax and duty free concession at Copenhagen Airport, opened its 2,500sq m anchor store on Friday 1 June. Gebr Heinemann Co-owner Gunnar Heinemann and other senior company figures were on hand to witness the opening. Also there were newly appointed Travel Retail Denmark General Manager Palle Petersen and Deputy General Manager Johannes Sammann.
Gunnar Heinemann told The Moodie Report: “It’s a great day. It all looks to be running smoothly, the customers look happy and there are many of them. It’s a new experience for the travellers, but it’s just as new for our staff, who are doing a great job.”
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(Left-right) Registration begins at Suntec; TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen gets the first session under way | |
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(Clockwise from top left) Gebr Heinemann Co-owner Gunnar Heinemann (centre) celebrates the opening with Travel Retail Denmark General Manager Palle Petersen (right) and Deputy General Manager Johannes Sammann; the walk-through Tax Free Shop draws passengers directly through from security; simple but effective ‘landmarks’ such as an area for new products are a feature of the store; much interest centred around the prize draw for a new Saab 9-3 Turbo on opening day | |
The new walk-through store takes passengers in from the new centralised security point, which also opened on Friday. Some of the key features of the store are a Heart of Scandinavia area that includes the best local products, several areas like Airport Specials showcasing new and exclusive items, The Beauty Lounge that houses beauty products and treatments, plus strongly branded areas for fragrances and cosmetics (50% of the business), liquor, tobacco confectionery and fashion & accessories.
Speaking to delegates to the Nordic Travel Retail Seminar on the day before the opening, Gebr Heinemann Retail Director Raoul Spanger and Head of Business Development Jens Degner delivered an insight into the thinking behind the new outlet.
Spanger said: “We did a lot of market research into what travellers at Copenhagen thought about the shopping offer, broken into those customers who intend to buy, those who might be tempted and those who are not interested. And we found that the two key barriers for most were lack of time and the lack of an interesting, tempting offer, in other words, it was boring.
“We think we’ve addressed that with the walk-through shop, and we’re creating a long-term acceptance from customers that there is value to be had. To address customer complaints that they find nothing new in airport shopping we have focused not only on offering exclusives, but on making them visible. Previously there was a poor perception of price, but also of communication. Even if there were good offers, or differentiation, it wasn’t clear to the passengers.
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(Left-right) Registration begins at Suntec; TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen gets the first session under way | |
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(Clockwise from top left) High visibility for promotions and special features is essential says Gebr Heinemann; Heart of Scandinavia stars regional star products on a rolling basis: among the first to be featured include Absolut and Anthon Berg; a special treatment area complements the retail offer well; The Beauty Lounge has been re-invented at Copenhagen | |
Spanger added: “We’ve addressed the issue of differentiation with a 40sq m, unmissable bright orange area in the centre of the shop, which will permanently feature new items across all categories. Novelty is a key attraction and new products create a strong buying impulse. We wanted to create what we call “˜landmarks’ around the store as anchor points of interest to lead and attract the passengers. That includes the ‘New’ area, the Airport Specials area and the Heart of Scandinavia, which will always carry four leading brands from the region, beginning with names such as Absolut and Anthon Berg. Uniqueness, novelty and visibility are the keys. And it should all match our definition of duty free in the future, which is this: premium brands at discount prices.”
Finally, Spanger said: “This Copenhagen store is the future. We believe you have to have an anchor store at an airport that carries all of the categories, to tempt the passengers. We’ll differentiate more in the future, through exclusives, through the Beauty Lounge, through the Heart of Scandinavia concepts. Plus we have other ideas that we’ll put into practice too.”
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(Left-right) Registration begins at Suntec; TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen gets the first session under way | |
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(Clockwise from top left) While beauty will account for roughly half of Travel Retail Denmark’s sales, liquor and tobacco have sizeable sections in the new store, and the impressive walk-in humidor (top right) boasts floor-to-ceiling glass; Gebr Heinemann has delivered on its pledge to offer strong branding in-store, with high-class merchandising for Toblerone chocolate and Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky among others | |
Comment: Gebr Heinemann has followed through spectacularly on its previously stated pledge to introduce “more events, a bigger showcase for brands and new high-end concepts” to Copenhagen Airport’s vast new walk-through tax and duty free store, its biggest ever investment in airport retailing. There’s temptation wherever you look: from the high-class showcases featuring Elizabeth Arden and a Johnnie Walker Black Label limited edition pack to the Heart of Scandinavia “˜landmark’ and The Beauty Lounge, pioneered so successfully at Frankfurt Airport, and reinvented for this new marketplace.
The opening itself came without hype or fanfare, but was quiet and efficient: typically, getting the offer right on day one was the priority. Judging by the numbers of people lining up to purchase on the first morning, that approach is already paying off.
MORE STORIES ON COPENHAGEN AIRPORT
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Copenhagen Airport shopping centre revenues dip by -12.5% in Q1 amid retail refurbishment – 03/05/07
Copenhagen Airports names Brian Petersen as new President & CEO – 03/04/07
Gebr Heinemann takes over Copenhagen Airport stores in “smooth” transfer – 01/03/07
