UK-based convenience retailer, WHSmith, has completed the first phase of store openings at Sydney Airport’s international terminal one, having won the tender in 2015 to operate six news, books and convenience stores. The remaining stores are expected to be ready by September 2016.

The retailer is the airport’s travel essentials partner and has now opened four stores, including a 450sq m landside departures store and three airside stores totalling over 1,000sq m of retail space, all using a new store concept. WHSmith Australia has more than 50 stores trading across the country.

These latest units feature a one-stop ‘Food to Go’ range and are claimed to be “an evolution from traditional ‘books and news’ operations”. WHSmith says: “The retail environment is premium, stylish and contemporary in design and offers the functionality to support high levels of service and excellent product displays.”

Yardley: ‘Design standards to match luxury brands’.

‘STORE-IN-STORE’ CONCEPTS

In its duty free and travel retail locations the company is adding ‘store-in-store’ concepts from big brands such as Lego and Lonely Planet, designed to create shopping destinations. ‘Flight 001’, a luggage concept store from New York, is located adjacent to the main landside store and features a aeroplane cockpit design, offering passengers last-minute options for travel bags and suitcases.

WHSmith Australia CEO, Paul Yardley, says: “We have worked hard to create an enjoyable shopping experience featuring global brands, as well a high standard of design, to match those used by luxury brands in airports around the world (and) we are delighted to have received positive feedback from our customers and passengers.”

Sydney Airport is Australia’s main gateway serving close to 40m passengers a year with connections to a network of around 90 international, domestic and regional destinations.