WHSmith North America, which positions itself as a leading specialty retailer in the airport marketplace, has announced its second round of store openings at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).

Six Points Market and Blvd & Branch have opened their doors in Terminal 5, along with tech and accessory brand, InMotion.

These stores join WHSmith North America’s first concept inside ORD – ChiBoys – which celebrated its grand opening in January of 2024.

Six Points Market

Six Points Market is inspired by the six-pointed stars on the Chicago city flag, and was designed to reflect Chicago’s community pride and the locals’ love for their city.

Six Points Market features an in-store coffee shop, serving  locally roasted coffee from  Metropolis Coffee, which was brought to ORD by father-and-daughter-duo Farhana Rahim of Fresh Creations LLC, and Sulaiman Rahim of Midway Restaurant Development, Ltd.

Farhana Rahim has been recognized as one of the youngest partners in the ACDBE (Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) program, a Department of Transportation (DOT) program designed to level the playing field for small businesses who wish to participate in contracting opportunities at airports.

“When my dad and I opened Metropolis Coffee, we never imagined that it would grow large enough to eventually open a shop at O’Hare Airport,” said Tony Dreyfuss, co-founder of Metropolis Coffee, adding: “As a fellow small, family business, our ACDBE operating partners are close to our heart.

We are equally grateful to our development partner, WH Smith North America, for choosing Metropolis as their local coffee option and for giving our family company an opportunity to showcase the authenticity and quality of our brand to the world.”

Blvd & Branch

The name pays homage to the boulevards dotting Chicago’s neighbourhoods and branches of the ‘L’ public transit system.

It carries a strong focus on local, minority and female-owned businesses, and WHSmith says the selection of products at Blvd & Branch has been curated to connect customers to an authentic Chicago shopping experience.

In particular, Blvd & Brand showcases local brands like: Frango Mint Chocolates; Lettering Works; Dishique Boutique; Chicago Candle Co.; Rep Chi, and ChiBoys.

Building on past success

ChiBoys opened a dedicated retail shop at ORD earlier this year, also in partnership with WHSmith North America.

ChiBoys was created with ACDBE partners Tonja Pastorelle of Pastorelle Marketing Group and Deshawn Murry of Chiboys. Additional stores from WH Smith North America are set to open at ORD later this year.

“We are so pleased to expand our store portfolio inside the Chicago O’Hare International Airport,” said Toby Keir, CEO of WHSmith North America, adding: “We strive to ensure that the local community is well represented in every market we operate in.

We would like to thank the Chicago Department of Aviation and all our local partners for the opportunity to elevate the travel experience and showcase this wonderful city through an authentic shopping journey.”

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