A handful of airport shops across New Zealand and Australia recommence trading this week on a trial basis, Lagardère Travel Retail has announced.

The stores at Christchurch, Auckland, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne will operate on a restricted basis as the travel retailer steps up its recovery response to the coronavirus (Covid-19).

Intelligence will be gathered to assist the plans as passenger volumes build to more sustainable levels, says the company.

‘A BIG MOMENT’

Strict health and safety measures are in place to protect customers and staff.

These include the use of personal protective equipment and personal hygiene protocols, carrying out routine deep cleaning and disinfection of all facilities, and enforcing social distancing.

Przemek Lesniak, CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail Pacific said: “Throughout this crisis, we have stayed positive and strong and focused on providing support to our teams impacted by store closures.

“We have been watching other parts of the world come through the other side, waiting for the right time to start our recovery in the Pacific. To reopen even a handful of our stores in Australia and New Zealand this week is a big moment.

“It will take time, but we are continuing to think positively about the future and hope to see passenger numbers continue to increase to allow more stores to reopen soon.”

Lagardère Travel Retail Pacific runs a network of food service, travel essentials and duty free outlets at 23 airports across New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia.

Dag Rasmussen, Chairman and CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail outlined during a recent Q1 results conference call that the Group is continuing its efforts to mitigate against the operational impacts of Covid-19.

In China, Lagardère Travel Retail expects domestic air traffic to recover followed by regional traffic and then long-haul and intercontinental traffic.

As revealed, the travel retailer re-opened 88 stores at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in April in an important milestone.

For more on Lagardère Travel Retail’s Q1 results, click here.