On Wednesday morning, lux-Airport inaugurated the last nine points of sale and catering at the airport with its partners Lagardère Travel Retail and SSP - House of Delights, Moselier bars, Oberweis restaurant and “Comptoir du bon pays" self-service restaurant the latest additions - with free parking offered to customers.
The different shops and restaurants have been opening their doors in turn since January; the 13 points of sale are now operational for visitors, passengers and customers in the vicinity of the airport.
This event is the culmination of the complete revamping of the terminal. Followign the Call for Tender launched last July, work started in November and has been completed within the scheduled six months.
The new, more modern and more opulent concept was developed in close cooperation with the different partners.
In January 2016, lux-Airport inaugurated the first Starbucks outlet in Luxembourg. Four months later, it was the turn of the other SSP concept brands: Oberweis (shop and restaurant), Lux Brewery, Moselier, Petit Moselier, Panopolis and a self-service restaurant called “Comptoir du bon pays.”
Situated in the public area of the first floor, the brand new Oberweis restaurant is one of the biggest developments of the catering concept. This restaurant affords a marvellous view of the runway and the activities of the airport, and provides premium service to the airport’s customers, to the neighbouring companies and to the general public. The wooden structure and decoration in light and warm tones make for a luxurious, comfortable and friendly backdrop. The same materials and colours adorn the Oberweis shop in the departures hall, in front of the East Entrance to the Terminal. Drenched with light and completely open to the public, the shop serves up a complete and diversified offer of breads, Viennese and other pastries and fast food every day. The shop section also boasts a wide range of chocolates and sweets.
The self-service restaurant “Comptoir du Bon Pays”, likewise on the first floor of the terminal, also affords a stunning view of the runway and the comings and goings of the aeroplanes. Easy to access from the departures hall, it is open 7 days a week to passengers and visitors.
Situated also in the public part of the airport, in the arrivals hall at level -1, the Lux Brewery bar serves snacks and drinks throughout the day in an elegant and modern setting. It is more accessible to people who have come to pick up a friend or relative, now in front of the exit of the baggage claim area.
In the departures lounge, opposite the Press&Books, at the exit of the Walkthrough Aelia Duty Free shop on the Schengen side, the Moselier bar has been welcoming passengers since 21 March. In line with the other restaurants at the airport, the Moselier bar was designed with top quality, modern materials and furniture. Focusing on the wine and vineyards of the Moselle valley, many bottles are featured on the shelves, thereby conferring a touch of a “traditional wine bar” to this interior.
The Panopolis Food & beverage outlet situated in the centre of the Schengen departures lounge is ever so practical for passengers who want a last minute snack or drink before their flight. Drawing inspiration from the diversity of types of breads, their colours and origins, the design of the point of sale capitalises on a variety of natural textures and materials to showcase the different breads set out behind the counter.
A real new development and small revolution in the departure lounges, the Petit Moselier bar delights passengers to non-Schengen destinations and is a big hit. In fact, there was nothing on offer before once passengers crossed passport control.
One last innovation: lux-Airport beer, brewed exclusively for the airport. This beer is available in the Lux Brewery, Moselier, Petit Moselier and Panopolis bars, as well as in the Oberweis restaurant and Le Comptoir du Bon Pays.
Gérard d’Onofrio, General Manager, SSP France, Benelux, stated “We have positioned our catering offer under the sign of innovation and quality and are particularly proud to contribute to this renovation project alongside lux-Airport, with the shared objective of excellence and experience commensurate with the expectations of passengers.”
For its part, Lagardère Travel Retail unveiled the new refurbishment of the Aelia Duty Free Luxembourg shop in the public area, where the works were carried out in several stages to offer visitors and passengers a selection of varied products during the refurbishment period. The choice of products ranges from perfumes and cosmetics of leading brands, to wines and spirits, chocolates, souvenirs, and electronic and fashion accessories.
Once passengers go through security, the new “House of Delights” completes the Aelia Duty Free Luxembourg offer in the departures area. Passengers have since 29 April been spoiled with a premium offer of gastronomy, liqueurs and local and international spirits. This shop focuses on Luxembourgish know-how in delicacies such as Namur chocolates, Luxembourg mustard, Tei vun sei teas, gift ideas with Zakka elephants, Villeroy tableware, souvenirs by the artist Jacques Schneider, but also a wide range of sparkling wines, beers and spirits from Luxembourg. On the gastronomy part, “House of Delights” can be counted on to satisfy the most discriminating palates with a range of foie gras, caviar and French delicatessen specialities, as well as top quality cognac, whisky and champagne.
Michel Pérol, General Manager, LS Travel Retail France, stated “These works were conducted in an atmosphere of flawless cooperation with the teams of the airport, which made it possible to stick scrupulously to the schedule that we had fixed together. Their completion means a new stage in the development of the commercial offer at the airport. Passengers can henceforth avail themselves of a complete range of the finest products of major national and international labels, in totally renovated commercial premises. We are convinced that this fine commercial tool will contribute to the successful development of Luxembourg airport and the satisfaction of its passengers.”
All these sales and catering premises are open seven days a week. The partners Lagardère Travel Retail and SSP offer their customers temporary free parking in all their facilities under certain conditions: 2 hours for the Oberweis restaurant and for every purchase worth more than €50 in the Aelia shop in the public area, and 30 minutes for all consumption in other restaurants in the airport’s public area (Starbucks, Oberweis shop, Lux Brewery and Comptoir du bon pays).
Johan Vanneste, General Manager of lux-Airport, was proud to present the new face of the airport. He stated “These new shops give our airport a brand new dimension, with a new range of high quality products, national and international brands, and modern and dynamic design for shops and restaurants. All initial reactions from our customers have been very positive. I am convinced that all these new shops and restaurants will be a big hit, and I wish to extend my warmest thanks to all the teams and all our subcontractors for the quality of the results.”
While today's official openings conclude this phase of airport renovations, work is already underway for the expansion to the Kiss & Fly car-park, with work yet to commence on linking up Terminal B.
Photos by Geoff Thompson
