Flemingo Duty Free is planning to open its new-look Core Category Duty Free departures and arrivals stores at Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport by 1 July, according to a statement by the company today.

 

This follows last week’s formal confirmation of the prime location concession win to TRBusiness on 19 March by Flemingo Group CEO Atul Ahuja, effectively delivering a five-year contract with effect from 15 March, 2017.

 

Flemingo said today: “With the new contract Flemingo will move to prime locations at both the arrival and departure lounges. While departure space has increased to 5,060sq ft which is a 65% increase over the current space, arrival space remains the same.”

 

The company adds that the arrivals hall will shortly benefit from a refit and the space for duty free will also change by the end of this year. A big plus for Flemingo is that its extra space will now allow it to expand all of its product category ranges – especially perfume and cosmetics and confectionery.

 

FLEMINGO SHOP TO HOUSE SMOKING ROOM

In addition, the retailer will also refurbish the smoking lounge and access for this facility will also be available through the departure shop. In the meantime, Flemingo says it will continue to operate from its current space.

 

Commenting on the new win, Atul Ahuja said: “This contract win reiterates our commitment to Sri Lanka. We see great opportunity and growth potential and with our experience in this region we are excited to build the business further.”

 

The retailer also confirms that this important contract win – where it was running head-to-head with Dufry – also coincides with booming tourism in Sri Lanka. The company said: “The Airport in 2016 serviced 9.47m international passengers and registered a tourist growth of 14%, with PRC emerging as the second biggest nationalities after Indians.

 

MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE GROWTH…

“The development programme of the country under the current regime is resulting in massive infrastructure growth with close to 8,000 city apartments being planned. Another aspect is the number of international hotels that have recently opened and further major companies looking to open in the next two years.”

 

Flemingo has been operating duty free stores at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) since November 2011 and has built up a strong loyalty base of 23,000+ members in its privilege programme.

 

Meanwhile, the group operates in 30-plus countries and on board 64 cruise ships, with formats such as airport, seaport, diplomatic service and inflight duty free spread across more than 200 shops worldwide. In the Indian sub-continent alone, Flemingo has a strong presence in 13 international airports, including fashion stores in Delhi airport.

 

For a link to TRBusiness’ original story with financials see the following link: https://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/indian-sub-cont/flemingo-wins-major-duty-free-bid-at-colombo-airport/117194