LS travel retail Pacific’s Aelia Duty Free retail brand has opened two stores at Queenstown Airport in New Zealand’s South Island.

 

 

Under the retailer’s 10-year concession agreement, Aelia has more than doubled the size of the duty free offer in both the airside departures and arrivals areas, with the new space used to offer debuts to some new international brands at Queenstown for the first time, including Dior, Estée Lauder, L’Occitanne, Jurlique, Clarins and OPI.

 

New product categories not featured at the airport before also include sunglasses, fashion watches and jewellery from brands such as Guess, Nautica, DKNY and Fossil. “Leading technology” accessory brands are also featured under the retailers ‘tech2go’ banner, and there is also an area dedicated to wines from the local Central Otago region.

 

LS travel retail Pacific’s General Manager Duty Free, Ivo Favotto acknowledged “the invaluable support” of the company’s supplier partners in the creation of the new retail experience and at the inauguration event held last Thursday night, guests and VIPs were treated to a selection of wines from local vintners as they inspected the new departures lounge store.

 

 

LEAVING A LASTING IMPRESSION…

Queenstown Airport CEO, Scott Paterson said: “Our vision is to make Queenstown easy to get to, with an airport that leaves a wonderful first and lasting impression. For us this is very much about our terminal experience … and duty free plays an important part in this mission. Thanks to LS travel retail Pacific we now have a beautiful duty free offer to match our new international terminal.”

 

Paterson described the faith shown by the retailer and its vendor partners as being well justified: “Queenstown Airport is experiencing strong growth, with passenger numbers in the last financial year up 24%. We’re convinced this growth in traffic, our investments in the new terminal and our fantastic new duty free offer will have a positive outcome for everyone, especially—and most importantly—our passengers.”

 

In the 12 months to the end of June 2013, total international traffic reached 241,714 passengers, with the busiest months over the period in 2012 registered in the months of July (37,103), August (36,573), September (19,017) and December (22,285).

 

This year (2013), international traffic has grown consistently month by month, as the airport’s data shows: January 24,028 (+27.2%); February 15,716 (+16.7%); March 18,764 (+30.4%); April 18,370 (+59.3%); May 8,755 (+36.8%); and June 16,975 (+47.3%).

 

Aelia Duty Free also operates stores under the Duty Free Stores New Zealand and Duty Free Stores Australia banners, as well as Aelia Duty Free stores in Noumea, New Caledonia.