ATU Duty Free has upgraded its duty free shops at Georgia’s Tbilisi and Batumi international airports under their respective sole contracts.

 

ATU’s decision to upgrade its airport duty free offer in Georgia comes at a time when international business and leisure passenger numbers are growing at airports across the country.

 

“We operate two shops in Tbilisi Airport. One is a mixed category shop and the other sells traditional wines of Georgia,” said ATU Duty Free Deputy General Manager, Pinar Sener-Harput.

 

Speaking to TRBusiness, she said: “Our mixed category shop has been renovated in an international style. Perfume, confectionery and tobacco are the main selling categories in the shop. We also redesigned our Wines of Georgia store. There are almost 400 grape varieties in Georgia and we sell many wines. We asked our architect to use local interior design taste in preparing the wine shop design.

 

“In Tunisia we also have used local taste in designing one of our airport shops and at Attaturk International Airport in Istanbul we have redesigned our Old Bazaar shop in a Turkish design.”

 

 

ATU Duty Free Deputy General Manager, Pinar Sener-Harput.

 

 

WINE HAS PROVED A BIG SUCCESS

ATU Duty Free opened its Wines of Georgia store in Tbilisi Airport in 2011. The shop offers a wide selection of famous Georgian wines, which passengers buy both for personal consumption as well as gifts for business associates.

 

“Opening the wines of Georgia store has been very successful both in financial and sustainability terms to preserve and promote Georgian wine culture,” Sener-Harput explained. “It is enjoyed by passengers using Tbilisi Airport.

 

“The store offers a selection of the best Georgian wines produced by 12 companies. In our 275sq m shop, which is designed to reflect traditional Georgian architecture, passengers are given the opportunity to taste and purchase an exquisite collection of Georgian wines.”

 

ATU entered Georgia’s airport duty free market in 2006 when the company won concessions to operate two shops in Tbilisi International Airport and one outlet in Batumi International Airport.

 

In addition to upgrading its Tbilisi Airport outlets, ATU also recently completed renovating its mixed category shop at Batumi Airport, where a modern international design theme has been used for the renovated shop interior.

 

ATU now operates a third duty free shop at Kutaisi International Airport in Georgia.

 

ATU NOW HAS A THIRD GEORGIAN AIRPORT

Apart from the Tbilisi and Batumi airport shops, the company also operates a downtown diplomatic store in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. Recently, in January 2014, ATU was awarded the duty free concession for a third Georgian airport at Kutaisi International Airport, where the company operates a mixed category shop.

 

“Our duty free customers in Georgia were businessmen previously, but now there are tourists from Turkey, Europe and Russia as well,” Sener-Harput commented. “When we first opened our shops in Tbilisi Airport in 2006 there were two Turkish Airlines flights a week, now there are four Turkish Airlines flights daily.”

 

ATU Duty Free is a joint venture between TAV Airports Holding and Unifree, in which Gebr Heinemann is the main shareholder and principal supplier.

 

In addition to being the sole duty free concessionaire at Georgia’s Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi airports, ATU Duty Free is the sole duty free operator at Turkey’s Istanbul Attaturk International Airport, Ankara Esenboga International Airport, Izmir Airport and Alanya/Gazipasa Airport. The company also operates airport duty free shops in Tunisia, Latvia and Macedonia.