Senior Dufry management attended yesterday’s grand opening launch for its expanded ’New Generation’ Melbourne Duty Free store at Melbourne Airport’s Terminal 2.

 

The 2,743sq m walk-through outlet is 30% larger than the previous outlet and is the second of its new generation concept stores.

 

Rebranded ‘Melbourne Duty Free by Dufry’ the retailer claims that it offers a new, world-class duty free retail concept.

 

MAJOR NEW INITIATIVE FOR MELBOURNE

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was hosted by Dufry Group CEO Julian Diaz, José Antonio Gea, COO, Dufry, Andrea Belardini, Divisional CEO, Dufry and Ken Tse General Manager, Dufry Australia – in addition with Melbourne Airport’s CEO, Lyell Strambi and the airport’s Retail CEO Andrew Gardiner.

 

 

Describing the outlets, Dufry said: “First and foremost, the store is designed to make the shopping experience a fully immersive one that surprises, delights and adds real excitement to the store visit.

 

“The latest technologies are utilized in an innovative way throughout the store space to enable increasingly targeted and relevant communications to be delivered to customers.

 

“Screen content adapts hourly to match the passenger profile and different products are showcased throughout the day, so that the most relevant ranges are shown to the particular passenger demographic at any given time.

 

IN-STORE PERSONALISATION

“Additional and enhanced in-store experiences such as bottle engraving and product personalisation’s help make shopping experience both special and unique.”

 

The retailer says it remains ‘committed’ to conveying a true sense of place in all of its stores and this is aided by three alternating high-definition screen visuals created specially for the store. Dufry adds that the ‘next generation digital screens’ will run sequentially, morning, day and night conveying images of different locations ‘in around the city’ in an effort to create a fully immersive ambiance.

 

The retailer also points to ‘a vast array of new iconic brands’ and new products at the location which it lists as Tiffany fragrance, Jo Malone London, Tom Ford cosmetics and Urban Decay in beauty; Emporio Armani, Longines, Skagen and Daniel Wellington in watches; and an extensive range of premium Australian brands such as Emu Australia, Catherine Manuell Design and Rosien skincare.

 

Referencing the new store, Ken Tse General Manager, Dufry Australia said that the company is ‘extremely proud’ of the new refurbished retail offering, ‘which incorporates key elements of the next generation stores of Dufry’.

 

 

SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT…

He said: “It delivers an exciting, contemporary, engaging and diverse retail offer to customers, that is very much aligned with Melbourne’s reputation as the retail capital of Australia.

 

“Melbourne Airport has invested significantly in the transformation of the terminal and as part of this, we have worked in close partnership with them to create and deliver a truly world-class duty free experience to the airport’s domestic and international passengers.

 

 

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the airport management and the teams involved for their trust and support and we’re delighted to be here together to celebrate all that has been achieved.”

 

Adding his comments, Melbourne Airport Retail CEO Andrew Gardiner said: “We have a vision to build an airport that Melbourne can be proud of. This magnificently refurbished store – only the second of its kind anywhere in the world – is a great example of how our retail partners are buying into that vision in a meaningful way that will enhance the experience of every traveller through our international terminal.

 

LASTING IMPRESSIONS…

“Our commitment is to bring Melbourne to life at the airport and Melbourne Duty Free by Dufry really encapsulates the city’s reputation as an iconic shopping destination.

 

“We thank Dufry for the work they’ve done to understand and help bring to life our vision, which is really about creating that perfect lasting impression of the city we call home.”

 

 

Meanwhile, Melbourne Airport has also reported that its international passenger traffic is set for a boost with Air Canada having announced a year-round service from Melbourne to Vancouver in addition to the newly-commenced Japan Airlines’ service to Tokyo.

 

In its last traffic report for September, airport management said passenger numbers ‘rose sharply’ during the month, with more than 870,000 international travellers passing through the airport – an increase of 8.8% on the previous year.

 

HEALTHY TRAFFIC LEVELS

Management says Melbourne’s top five outbound international routes – Auckland, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Los Angeles – all contributed to this strong growth, with a combined 9% increase in visitation compared to September 2016.

 

Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi pointed out that the continued growth in international passenger traffic highlighted the importance of the airport’s current renovations.