The first stores are scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2026 through its Relay brand (Photo: Lagardère/ Ghalayini).

Lagardère Travel Retail has won a travel essentials master concession with eleven new stores at Düsseldorf Airport in a Europe-wide tender.

The global travel retail specialist won the tender at North Rhine-Westphalia’s largest airport with concepts which combine international experience and regional expertise for appreciative, authentic and emotional shopping experiences, each tailored to the individual location.

“We are delighted that Düsseldorf Airport has placed its trust in our long-standing successful partnership and are proud to be able to bring world-leading retail and gastronomy concepts to Düsseldorf by winning the Travel Essentials tender. Our common goal is to offer our guests an exceptional experience with local flavor at every touchpoint that perfectly meets their needs as travelers,” said Jochen Halfmann, CEO of Lagardère Travel Retail Germany.

In addition to eight new stores of the well-known Relay brand, the new master concession in Düsseldorf also includes two more stores of the ‘Discover’ souvenir concept, and a store of the family-oriented kids & toys concept ‘Affenbande’.

A hybrid store developed exclusively for Düsseldorf Airport, combining Relay and the Marché Café developed by Lagardère Travel Retail subsidiary Marché, completes the guest experience within the eight latest Relay formats (Photo: Lagardère/ Ghalayini).

“The cooperation with Düsseldorf Airport is another strategic milestone for us as part of our national growth plan and we are excited to reach this milestone together with Düsseldorf Airport through continuous commitment to innovation and customer focus,” added Halfmann.

Together with the new eleven stores, Lagardère Travel Retail will operate 21 locations at Düsseldorf Airport in future, in addition to the existing four Tech2go stores and Marché’s current six food service concepts, such as White Monkey, Palavrion and Marché Restaurant.

“Düsseldorf Airport is the best place for Lagardère Travel Retail to implement innovative concepts in partnership. Here we have the expertise on site to target the specific needs of passengers and visitors. We are always open to new and exciting ideas that inspire passengers. The new stores are a further step on our way to becoming one of the best airports in the category up to 30 million passengers as an excellent, exemplary sustainable and regionally rooted airport,” said Lars Redeligx, CEO of Flughafen Düsseldorf GmbH.

With the opening of the new stores, Lagardère Travel Retail said it hopes to offer travellers a well-planned shopping experience; the retailer believes the new concepts are tailored to the needs of the airport’s diverse target groups (Photo: Lagardère/ Ghalayini).

The stores also offer exclusive services that are unique to the Düsseldorf location: A humidor, lottery pick-up point and post office/DHL counter.

“Our ambition is to make travel more enjoyable – with inspiration, regional flair and a first-class offering. With our new stores at Düsseldorf Airport, we are doing exactly that,” stated Halfmann.

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