The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) will present a free “How to Open a Concession at O’Hare or Midway Airport” workshop on Friday, October 17, 2014.

 

The workshop will provide an overview of the Request for Proposals (RFP) process, how to operate a business at the airports and a summary of the Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) program.

 

The event will be held from 9:30-11am at the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 805.

 

In April, Chicago O’Hare Airport officially unveiled the new Terminal 5 which underwent a $26 million transformation and now features 24 new retail and dining outlets.

 

The redevelopment is the first since the terminal’s construction in 1993, and sees the shift of retail from pre-security to post. 95% of the retail and F&B units were previously located pre-security.

 

A central element of the new retail portfolio is the new 10,000-square-foot flagship duty-free store, ‘the first of its kind in North America’, with all departing travellers flowing through the European-style design after crossing the new TSA checkpoint.

 

As reported, total concessions’ sales, including food, beverage and retail, at Chicago O’Hare Airport grew by 11.2% in February YOY according to the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA).

 

Total concessions’ sales at O’Hare’s domestic and international terminals totalled more than $28.5m in February 2014 and sales per enplaning passenger grew by more than 7% to $11.72.