Auckland Airport in New Zealand has today (February 20) announced that LS Travel Retail Pacific and Aer Rianta International will be its two new duty-free operators from July 1, 2015. The decision follows an international tender process where the airport received five strong bids to operate the duty free services. The contracts will run for a period of seven years.
Richard Barker, general manager of retail and commercial for Auckland Airport, said, “The selection of these two operators helps ensure that our passengers will be able to choose from a wide range of products and services that represent the best of New Zealand and the world. There will be many new duty free brands and retail concepts, including a number of world firsts.
“Travelers will start to see the positive impact of the two new operators on July 1 this year, however, the biggest changes will come once we have opened our new international departure area.
“The appointment of LS Travel and Aer Rianta will also result in a significant expansion of our online retail channel, including ‘click and collect’ which provides passengers with the option of buying online and collecting their tax-free and duty free purchases when next traveling internationally.
“As a result of the duty free tender, and other changes in specialty stores, we expect our earnings before interest, tax and depreciation in the 2016 financial year to increase by an additional NZ$5m (US$3.8m).”
Matthieu Mercier, CEO for LS Travel Retail Pacific, said, “The win signals an exciting new chapter for both LS Travel Retail Pacific and Auckland Airport. LS will boost the airport’s duty free offer with innovative ideas, and we will leverage our extensive vendor relationships and global experience by offering a wide range of big name brands in perfume and cosmetics, local wine and liquor to name a few. Our goal now is to make it happen and to create a fantastic duty free experiences that exceed passenger expectations, and I believe that our vision for Auckland Airport will achieve this and more.”
