Lagardère Travel Retail has signed an agreement with Albania firm Kastrati Group to develop duty free businesses at Tirana Airport and across popular tourist sites in the country.

The deal comes as French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Albanian counterpart, Prime Minister Edi Rama.

It was the first visit by France’s head of state since 1912, with several sectors taking advantage of the opportunity to strengthen relations. 

Shefqet Kastrati, Kastrati Group Chairman and Catherine Guyomard, Member of Lagardère Travel Retail’s Executive Committee, officially signed the paperwork.

Formalised at Tirana’s Mother Teresa International Airport on 17 October, the agreement comes as Albania’s tourism industry booms. 

As part of the deal, Lagardère will develop a range of products and services for Albania, taking into account local culture. 

The Kastrati Group, founded in 1991, is a distributor working across Albania and the Balkans region as a leader in distribution activities. 

It employs 4,000 people across its business which spans infrastructure investment and the management of Tirana and Kukes airports and motorway concessions.

Other activities include the retail and wholesale of hydrocarbon products, insurance, construction and real estate development, tourism and hotels, and automotive distribution.

Last month, Lagardère expanded its footprint across West Africa by signing an agreement with state-owned Société des Aéroports du Benin to operate the master concession at Cotonou International Airport.