Lux-Airport today announced the companies that have been selected to run the shopping and catering activities at the Airport as of 1 November 2015, following a bid launched in December 2014.

The leases form a ten year agreement, and were signed today by Lagardère Services for the airport's retail and duty free activities; SSP in partnership with Oberweis for food and beverages; and Valora Luxembourg for the sale of press, book and tobacco items.

Lux-Airport reported that the aim of the bids, which were assessed according to financial criteria, as well as non-economic factors such as the concept, type of shops and their ability to integrate into the airport environment, had been to offer the highest standards of the industry at the site and obtain long-term guarantees of profitability to then apply its own economic model.

The new retail and duty free outlets will include a group of shops under the name 'Aelia Duty Free Next Generation', developed from Lagardère Services' four concepts of The Art of the Gift, Facilitation, Care, and Here and Nowhere Else. LS pledged to provide the best international and regional products at the airport and invest more than €2 million in the project, with LS CEO Michel Pérol promising, "We shall make a point of offering passengers a unique customer experience by capitalising on our 160 years of experience in Travel Retail."

SSP will be working in conjunction with Oberweis to provide new food outlets such as Oberweis Brasserie Comptoir du Bon Pays, an Oberweis branded restaurant and an Oberweis shop and café. There will also be a bar called Lux Brewery, a restaurant called Moselier, a smaller Moselier grab-and-go outlet, a Starbucks and a Panopolis outlet. In total, the food and beverage and retail area operated by SSP will measure 1,110 m2.

"We have positioned our catering offer with innovation and quality in mind, and we are proud to be participating in this renovation project alongside lux-Airport; we both share a goal of excellence and providing an ever-better travel experience," stated Managing Director of SSP France, Belgium and the Netherlands, Gérard d'Onofrio.

General Manager of Valora Luxembourg, Myriam Filali, shared a similar view. "We are delighted to continue our cooperation with lux-Airport and proud to be joining an innovative concept in this changing environment. The new management has apprised us of its determination for change, and has shown dynamism and ambition that are perfectly in line with Valora's strategy."

Valora Luxembourg will be bringing a new modern influences to the press, bookshop and tobacconist domain of the airport. Their surface area of 124 m2 will benefit from the concept Press & Books, tested in Zurich, which incorporates a warm ambiance; ecological materials; ventilated space; and rapid customer orientation. They will open completely onto the terminal, emphasising the visibility of what is on offer to the public.  

The implementation of these new leases will constitute the first real physical transformation inside the terminal since it opened in 2008, and is in accordance with the significant growth in number of passengers that Luxembourg Airport has experienced in the last few years and the 8% passenger increase expected for 2015.    

The location of a certain number of shops will change and entire areas of the terminal will be redesigned completely. The total floor space dedicated to these activities will exceed 2,000 m2, up 20% from the current area.

The main changes and developments will be as follows:

- A sizeable extension of the catering areas;

- A reconfiguration of the mezzanine to showcase the restaurant better;

- The opening of a food and beverage point of sale in non-Schengen boarding area;

- A better location for the bar at arrivals;

- A walkthrough duty free facility to enlarge the point of sale and optimise the space in the boarding area;

- A geographic grouping of the points of sale on the airside part (shops, bar, press) to create a “market square.”

Johan Vanneste, General Manager of lux-Airport, rounded off the comments, saying: “Today, we are taking a major step forward in the development of the airport; we are looking forward to cooperating with such recognised operators, who will invest millions of euros and will bring all their expertise to bear in the service of our airport. The final result will bring about a profound transformation of the airport and constitute a downright innovative and unique experience for the passengers.”

Construction will be carried out mainly during the winter season and the project is due to be completed in Spring 2016.

 

Photo by Geoff Thompson