USA. Los Angeles International Airport’s revamped Terminal 2 has officially opened. An ‘LA in Motion’-inspired design and a focus on local offerings highlight Westfield’s US$78.3 million transformation of the terminal’s 76,000sq ft dining, retail and common areas.
The airport company has added 16 new retail and dining destinations, including seven Southern California brands, in more than 15,000sq ft of new dining and retail space. Additionally, 11 brands are new to the airport, while six have never been in any airport before.
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The design centrepiece of the upgraded T2 is a grand staircase |
Westfield is projecting a +34% increase in sales as a result of the transformation, with an estimated annual total of US$41 million. The number of permanent employees in the terminal is projected to rise by +76%.
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Construction began in May 2014 and was completed on schedule in 20 months, said Westfield |
The terminal has been designed to capture the “energy and on-the-go attitude” of Los Angeles, with ‘LA in Motion’ the design theme. Three distinct shopping and dining districts are highlighted by a grand staircase that offers customers a “luxurious but efficient” travel experience, according to Westfield.
“LA is the centre of international travel, and this spectacular new terminal will help us broaden our
global reach even further,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “With the help of our partners, we have turned this
terminal into a beautiful new space – and an expression of our commitment to building the world‐class
airport our residents and visitors expect and deserve.”
“Fresh facilities with more seating, new services and expanded dining and shopping experiences for today’s travellers are part of our US$332 million investment in T2,” said Los Angeles World Airports Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint. “We applaud Westfield’s partnership with LAWA, their investment in T2 at LAX, and their commitment to developing an experience that truly caters to the modern traveller.”
Westfield Vice President at Los Angeles International Airport Keith Kaplan said: “Los Angeles World Airports had a strong vision. They wanted more than a concessions refresh – they wanted to truly transform the entire customer journey at T2 from the moment you clear security. Thanks to our long-term partnership and collaboration with all the stakeholders, everybody wins – the city of Los Angeles, the airport, the airlines and the customers.”
The redevelopment of T2 took 20 months to complete and was the first upgrade there in nearly 30 years. Westfield is transforming five terminals at the airport, with the Tom Bradley International Terminal already complete.
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Westfield has added more than 15,000sq ft of new dining and retail space at the terminal |
Inviting experience
The customer journey at the revamped T2 begins in the Commercial Hub, a retail and duty free shopping district. Customers then flow into the Dining Terrace, where emphasis has been placed on adding local flavours while offering a “bright, inviting” experience. From there, customers enter The Strand, a dining and shopping district that features the grand staircase.
The dining lineup features SeaLegs Wine Bar which offers a wide selection of wines paired with California share plates, SLAPFISH Modern Seafood Shack which serves ‘boat-to-plate’ American seafood and Chinese cuisine outlet Pick Up Stix.
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SLAPFISH Modern Seafood Shack serves ‘boat-to-plate’ American seafood, said Westfield |
Barney’s Beanery is a classic American roadhouse modelled after Route 66, while Los Angeles-based BUILT (Custom Burgers) gives diners the opportunity to create their own signature burgers.
Other outlets are Fresh Brothers Pizza and Ciabatta Bar, while there are two Starbucks locations.
The retail offering is highlighted by DFS’ duty free store. Clothing outlet SPANX offers a range of “body-shaping innovations”, two CNBC locations stock travel essentials, and electronics goods can be purchased at eSavvy and InMotion. Two Univision stores offer products tailored to the Hispanic traveller base.
“We’re a local, family business and we’ve been serving customers at LAX for more than 20 years,” said
Nick Buford, COO and Managing Partner at Crews, which operates four dining concepts in Terminal 2.
“This is an exciting time for us and for Los Angeles. The city and LAWA had the vision to transform the
entire LAX experience, and we’re helping to make that happen.”
Westfield has also built new gate hold rooms and bathrooms, installed new lighting, gate counters, gate information displays, flight information displays and digital directories and added new IT infrastructure to support all terminal flight operations.
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Pick Up Stix (above) and SPANX (below) are two firsts for Los Angeles International Airport |
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Click on the above to view the enlarged image (then hover over graphs with your cursor and click for full detail) |
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Paradies Lagardere runs the Univision stores (above), while Fresh Brothers Pizza (below) is one of four outlets operated by Crews |
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Westfield has to date invested over US$184 million at LAX (as well as T2, these include terminals 1, 3, 6 and Tom Bradley International Terminal, which opened in 2013).
