JERSEY. Jersey Airport yesterday celebrated the opening of its new airside Departures facilities, led by an ambitious overhaul of its commercial environment.
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‘Ambition is everything,’ says Jersey Airport Director Julian Green |
The Departures area has been opened up to create a bright, airy commercial offer embracing news & books, food & beverage, specialist retail (some stores still to be opened and one under negotiation) and duty free facilities.
The redevelopment is highlighted by a 5,725sq ft walkthrough store from World Duty Free. The store replaces the former “˜walk past’ Alpha Airport Shopping outlet, and features a much larger product selection, including a new focus on upscale beauty items.
Jersey Airport Director Julian Green told The Moodie Report: “It’s a tremendous step forward.
“I think that anyone who is local to Jersey or just passing through would consider it as being a significant milestone in the airport’s development.
“What was here before was fit for purpose but did not really optimise the revenue opportunities that existed for retail in this environment. And it didn’t have the level of amenity or quality of service that we believed was necessary for Jersey to be competitive on the international stage, which it has to be.”
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(Above and below) World Duty Free has brought its now hallmark walkthrough formula to Jersey Airport | |
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The departure gates are just beyond the walkthrough store and well signposted to reassure travellers | |
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What passengers see post-security – specialist stores to the left; F&B to the right, duty free straight ahead | |
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‘A great day for World Duty Free’ – WDF Retail Operations Director Fred Creighton |
Green praised a “true partnership spirit” with the Autogrill companies running the food & beverage (Autogrill Catering UK) and retail (World Duty Free) operations. “We have a great coalition between the airport and its various retailers and their engagement with the local community, which is also very important .” [For the full interview with Julian Green click on The Moodie Podcast icon above].
Once passengers exit security they join a seamless flow through the commercial environment on their way to the gates. A stylishly revamped food & beverage area is on the right of the pre-duty free corridor, with a WHSmith store to the left providing the first shopping choice, followed by some specialist retailers (opening soon) offering local wares, including pottery and wines.
Travellers then pass into the duty free store, which features a core liquor, tobacco, confectionery and perfumes & cosmetics offer, as well as eyewear, handbags, watches and jewellery.
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Johan Schölvinck on Jersey Airport’s transformation |
WDF Retail Operations Director Fred Creighton said: “We were delighted to have this opportunity to work in close partnership with Jersey Airport to help them achieve their vision of improving the customer experience they deliver.
“At WDF we share a very similar vision, as the customer is at the heart of everything we do. This was our chance to bring the recognised World Duty Free brand to Jersey and give our customers a first-class shopping experience, along with exceptional value and choice across all product categories.”
Creighton told The Moodie Report: “We’ve been able to create a really coherent retail approach. And we’ve moved from a traditional duty free offering to a luxury department store feel with a much higher level of service and it is already paying dividends.
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WDF’s Fred Creighton develops a commercial taste for Jersey | |
“So we’ve extended the space for luxury products. Traditional categories are important but we wanted a much broader offer that would appeal to everyone.”
He added: “It’s a great day and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved in terms of the style of the store.”
The creation of a walkthrough store is expected to drive an approximate +20% increase in sales, Creighton reckoned, buoyed by a mature, traditionally high-spending passenger profile.
Johan Schölvinck, Vice President Commercial of InterVistas Consulting Group, who played a major role in helping the airport devise its revamped commercial offer, told The Moodie Report: “We transformed the offer to have double the retail space and six retailers instead of one.
“The liquor & tobacco offer was always good but there were categories not represented – and they have been addressed now. And everyone is happy.” [Hear the full interview on The Moodie Podcast].
“It’s a great place, there’s lot of natural light, the restaurant is fantastic and people are tempted to stay in the area.”
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Autogrill Catering UK has put together a vibrant food & beverage offer that integrates neatly with the retail proposition | |
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The big beauty brands provide a powerful (and highly visible) draw from the moment passengers clear security | |
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The departure gates are just beyond the walkthrough store and well signposted to reassure travellers | |
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Eyewear is one of travel retail’s booming sectors worlwide and World Duty Free gives it full rein | |
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A strong core liquor & tobacco offer draws customers into the store | |
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The photographer shows off his skills in this unusual shot of the duty free store | |
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The wide-angle lens neatly captures both the panorama and elegance of the main duty and tax free outlet | |
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Another World Duty Free trademark, the ‘Contentainment’ concept, is centered in the perfumes & cosmetics area | |
COMMENT: This was The Moodie Report’s first impression of Jersey Airport and the new commercial facilities ensured it was a highly favourable one.
For a small airport the strength, quality and diversity of offer is extremely impressive. We liked Autogrill Catering UK’s bright, airy food & beverage area which offered a nice range of options from “˜grab and go’ to an elegant bar that would not be out of place in a major international gateway.
Most of the specialist stores are yet to open, but they will inject necessary local flavour with the addition of pottery and wine, for example. WHSmith is already doing thriving business, benefitting from a fantastic position immediately post-security.
The Moodie View on location at Jersey Airport |
The centrepiece of the offer, both literally and in terms of customer allure, is the World Duty Free store. Passengers can see the massive signage as they are clearing security and from the time they enter the departures zone the store acts like a beacon, beckoning them towards the shopping opportunity and the gates beyond.
Once there they simply cannot miss the retail offer. Walkthrough is often described as some sort of contemporary cure for airport retail’s historic penetration problems. It isn’t but it helps a lot – if done sympathetically.
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Jersey Airport Director Julian Green saluted a a “true partnership spirit” with the airport’s concessionaires | |
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Clear messages about the duty free offer are articulated at the tidy cash point area | |
Passengers, especially those disinclined to shop, must feel they are not “˜trapped’ in the store, while other amenities – notably seating – must also be close to hand. In Jersey’s case, helped by the fact that it is a small airport, both considerations have been well taken care of. If there’s such a notion as “˜discreet walkthrough’, it has been achieved here.
The product standouts are the spirits area (Jersey is neither part of the UK nor the EU so the offer is fully duty free) and the back beauty walls, anchored by powerhouse brands Estée Lauder, Chanel and Clarins, which are visible from a long way out.
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Johan Schölvinck: “It’s a great place, there’s lot of natural light, the restaurant is fantastic and people are tempted to stay in the area” | |
The sunglasses offer and merchandising is appropriately vibrant but we were less impressed with the jewellery and watches area which, handicapped by small, uninspiring signage, flat merchandising and its positioning next to a rather old-fashioned seating area, felt like an afterthought. Confectionery, too -a good money-spinner for WDF – was only workmanlike.
As a digital media company, The Moodie Report loves innovative use of hi-tech media and WDF’s much talked-about “˜Content-ainment’ (horrible word, great concept) works extremely well here. The combination of split screen advertising visuals and in-store theatre – we were entertained by a singer called Ben Montague – with much emphasis on sampling, is all designed to create retail theatre and, more importantly, drive penetration.
We think it will do just that – and, boosted by a much-enhanced product range, both the average transaction value and overall retail revenue should be boosted considerably.
I asked Jersey Airport Director Julian Green about the balance between operational priorities and commercial aspirations and I thought his answer perfectly summed up the way in which forward-thinking airport companies can manage that tightrope walking exercise.
“A lot of airports are now using the walkthrough process,” he noted, referring to his own personal experience at Sydney Airport, where the concept was founded. “It’s proved its worth… here, working with the airlines, the ground handlers and the retailers combined, we were able to satisfy the very strict operational needs but also add a bit of flavour to the experience the passenger has and, importantly, optimise their spend within the terminal.”
Time will be the judge of that. But the early moments augur well.
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