World Duty Free formally opened Glasgow Airport’s redeveloped store yesterday, reflecting a design inspired by the contemporary side of Glasgow City.

 

The leading DF&TR operator says it worked closely with Glasgow Airport to redesign, relocate and open the store back in July, along with its walk-through format, which it is rightly proud to have originally pioneered [in the airport duty free and travel retail environment-Ed].

 

Commenting on the opening, Fred Creighton, Director of Retail Operations at WDFG said: “For us, the customer is at the heart of everything we do and Glasgow Airport very much share this focus too.

 

“We enjoyed working in close partnership with the airport team to create this superb walk-through store, which began trading in July and we’re proud to deliver an exceptional airport shopping experience to our customers”.

 

 

According to WDFG, the Glasgow Airport store (which opened last July) now consists of a total gross area of 1,555sq m.

 

STORE DESCRIPTION/LAYOUT

In its description of the store layout, WDF said: “A wide and welcoming entrance leads passengers into the store, which at 1,555sq m is a third larger than the original store it replaces. The additional space has enabled a more extensive product range to be introduced, most notably in the beauty and liquor categories.

 

“The liquor area features a ‘shop in shop’ format of WDFG’s highly successful World of Whiskies concept, which showcases over 300 different whiskies, including some that are entirely exclusive to World of Whiskies.

 

“Adjacent to the liquor area is WDFG’s Contentainment space, which now occupies a more prominent position than it did in the previous store format. This innovative marketing concept, with its multi screen digital feature wall, blends state of the art technology with product sampling and engaging events, to draw customers into the store and give them an exciting and ever changing in-store experience.”

 

 

The beauty area with its personalised sections comprises some 590sq m and is the biggest product offering in the store.

 

 

BEAUTY CATEGORY DOMINATES

Not surprisingly, WDF confirms that beauty owns the largest space allocation, with strong personalisations for several ‘tri-axis brands’, including Chanel and Dior, which are featured for the first time in Glasgow.  Examples of other newly-listed brands include Elemis, Smashbox, Biotherm, GlamGlow, L’Occitane and Molton Brown.

 

Luxury also features strongly, with ‘strong personalisations’ from Pandora, Swatch and RayBan and also from Diesel Watches. Michael Kors is a new brand being offered.

 

 

The liquor section consists of 172sq m and also features a World of Whiskies outlet, which at Glasgow is traditionally one of the best in the WDF portfolio, since it has to be, as this is Scotland after all.

 

SPECIAL LOCAL FOCUS

The retailer has also incorporated its local product thematic with ‘Thinking Scotland’, which presents a wide range of premium souvenir items and authentic Scottish foods, ranging from traditional Scottish toffees and fudge, to shortbread and whisky infused haggis.

 

Amanda McMillan, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport said: “World Duty Free Group’s (WDFG) redeveloped store is a fantastic addition to our extensive retail portfolio. We have committed significant investment in recent years to providing passengers with first-class facilities and together with WDFG I believe we’ve delivered a store to proud of.

 

 

The luxury area comprises 113sq sq m and includes personalised presentations such as Pandora and others.

 

 

A MAJOR UK SHOPPING CITY

“Glasgow is the second largest shopping destination in the UK after London and it is only fitting that the airport reflects this. With the increased retail space, WDFG will now be able to offer an even greater choice of products, many of which are sourced from Scotland, and it is no coincidence that its expansion comes at a time when we are welcoming more and more passengers to Glasgow Airport.”

 

The main new tax and duty free store at Glasgow Airport now consists of a total gross area of 1,555sq m and a net area of 1,412. The product areas in terms of space allocation are as follows: beauty 590sq m; liquor 172; luxury 113; confectionery/food 51; souvenirs and tax free 28; and tobacco 53.

 

TOP IMAGE: Amanda McMillan, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport (green jacket) cuts the ribbon with Fred Creighton, Director of Retail Operations at WDFG, as the Glasgow WDF staff lend their support.