GERMANY. Heinemann Duty Free has opened the first six of nine stores at Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt Airport Terminal 1, which came into service on Saturday. The company will ultimately manage 5,400sq m of retail space, with 3,000sq m trading from day one.
“We are delighted to finally be able to get started,” said Gebr Heinemann Chief Operating Officer Raoul Spanger.
He added: “Heinemann Duty Free is counting on BER as an attractive capital city airport. Unfortunately, our joy about the opening is overshadowed by new drastic measures to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Following the decision by the federal and state governments to impose new severe restrictions on public life and mobility, the opening unfortunately falls into a phase that resembles a second hard lockdown in Germany. However, we are convinced that many people will visit our capital by plane in future.”
As noted above, six stores have opened initially, including a 1,660sq m Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value shop in the Schengen area. The retailer is implementing its Local Sense concept here with products and influences from the region, in partnership with Berlin architecture firm Graft. Concrete furniture in the main store is reminiscent of the Berlin Wall. Popular products such as the Berlin Gin ‘Brandstifter’ or Spreewald gherkins complete the feeling of ‘Berliner Luft (Berlin Air) at the airport.
In addition to three other Duty Free & Travel Value shops, two Fashion & Accessories/Watches & Jewellery shops opened across a total of 680sq m. These include multi-brand concepts and personalised brand corners.
Key features include a Boss brand concept, a selection of sunglasses and ready-to-wear collections from brands such as Armani Exchange, Hugo Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein in the premium store area. Brands such as MCM, Ferragamo, Longchamp, Swarovski and Montblanc are present in the affordable luxury area.
In addition, Terminal 5 (the renamed Berlin Schönefeld Airport) houses two Heinemann walk-through Duty Free & Travel Value shops. The opening of Terminal 2, in which another Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value shop will open in 760sq m, is scheduled for April 2021.
Terminals 3 and 4 are yet to be built but will ultimately replace T5 in the future.
Steffen Jopp, Managing Director of Heinemann Duty Free at the airport, said: “It’s great to finally be able to welcome all passengers to our high-quality stores at the new BER. But the joy of the opening is clouded by the measures taken to contain the corona pandemic. We are working in a very cooperative partnership with Berlin Brandenburg Airport to bundle our personnel resources.
“This means, for example, that the gate shops will be kept ready for operations, but sales will not start until the corresponding passenger volume is reached. The opening hours will also be adjusted accordingly; currently the fashion stores are open from 9am to 6pm. The opening hours of the duty free stores will be adapted to the flight schedule.”
“We will probably have to continue short-time work until well into next year. We do not yet know how global mobility will develop, but we are sure that the travel retail market will remain an important part of travel in the future,” said Raoul Spanger. He added that this requires an efficient testing strategy with clear guidelines, which the company said was “more sensible” than a blanket quarantine obligation.
