Increased H1 2019 retail revenue of +1.5% at London Heathrow was driven by a +1.5% rise in retail revenue per passenger.

London Heathrow Airport has reported a 3.4% rise in retail revenue to £339m ($421.4m) during the first half of the year ended 30 June 2019.

Increased retail revenue was driven by a +1.5% rise in retail revenue per passenger to £8.75 from £8.62 in H1 2018. Total revenue rose +5.2% in H1 2019 to £871m from £828m during the previous corresponding period in 2018. EBITDA increased by 1.5% to £900m.

Strong retail performance was also driven by a higher proportion of passengers shopping at the airport, which handled 38.8 million passengers (+1.8%) in H1 2019 and is expecting to accommodate 80.9 million pax in total this year.

Speaking to TRBusiness as part of our Top 10 Airports Report, which will appear in the August edition of the magazine, Fraser Brown, Retail Director, Heathrow Airport said: “We see excellent growth from our commercial partners and hope this will continue throughout the year as we look to further optimise our retail offer, from smaller pop-ups to more significant developments.”

John Holland-Kaye, Chief Executive Officer of Heathrow, who insisted 2018 was the airport’s ‘best year ever’ said: “2019 is shaping up to be a strong year for Heathrow. Our colleagues are delivering an excellent service to passengers and we’re investing millions to improve the airport and secure new skilled jobs for the future

“We’ve set out our plans to expand Britain’s hub airport sustainably and affordably and support the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We are working to ensure that global aviation plays its part.”

Retail revenue in H1 2019 at London Heathrow rose +3.4% to £339m.