The retail space will include Lagardère Travel Retail’s Discover Belfast and Tech2Go stores. Above and below: Visual renders of the stores.

Lagardère Travel Retail has won a competitive tender to run retail and F&B concessions at Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland.

The travel retailer will operate more than 1,600sq m of commercial space – more than double the size of the current footprint – under three of its business lines: Duty Free, F&B (Dining) and Travel Essentials.

In winning the tender, Lagardère Travel Retail consolidates its presence at an airport where it secured its first point-of-sale outside France with the opening of an Aelia Duty Free unit in 2004.

It takes the number of shops in its UK and Ireland portfolio to 26 across Duty Free, Travel Essentials and F&B.

The development aligns with the £100m five-year investment to enhance the airport’s operational efficiency, passenger experience and environmental performance, as announced by Belfast Airport owner Vinci Airports in 2023.

Walkthrough ‘Transition Zone’

A new walkthrough ‘Transition Zone’, designed in partnership with Belfast International Airport, will encourage passengers to spend more time in the primary duty free shopping area.

This innovative space will include a first-of-its-kind Miniso corner, alongside Lagardère Travel Retail’s Discover Belfast and Tech2Go concepts, complemented by Fashion and Travel Essentials shop-in-shops.

The new duty free shop is due to open in April this year.

Travellers will be able to shop at stores from Rituals and encounter a Whiskey Apothecary concept celebrating Northern Ireland’s local heritage with brands such as McConnell’s, Bushmills Irish Whiskey, and Boatyard Distillery.

Meanwhile, a partnership with Tourism Northern Ireland highlights the Northern Ireland Spirits Trail and its rich distilling heritage, with passengers also able to explore an international tasting bar and sample local and global products.

Peter Newbould, CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail UK & Ireland: “Our vision is to create an exceptional and dynamic experience that goes beyond the traditional airport journey, combining innovative concepts with a strong sense of place.”

Interactive ‘Hotspots’ will add an immersive dimension, showcasing curated selections of clean beauty, local fashion and F&B options to engage travellers.

Peter Newbould, Chief Executive Officer of Lagardère Travel Retail UK & Ireland, said: “We are proud to partner with the Belfast International Airport team to bring a rich variety of global and local brands to travellers at Belfast for the first time.

“Our vision is to create an exceptional and dynamic experience that goes beyond the traditional airport journey, combining innovative concepts with a strong sense of place.

“This project underscores our commitment to delivering memorable and engaging moments for travellers, while also showcasing the rich culture of Northern Ireland.”

Daniel Owens, CEO Belfast International Airport added: “We are thrilled to partner with Lagardère Travel Retail to deliver a truly unique and elevated passenger experience. This collaboration has been a testament to the power of teamwork and shared vision. We’re confident that this partnership will redefine the travel experience at Belfast International Airport.

“As we announce this investment, we are very aware that Northern Ireland travellers cannot currently avail of the full duty free tax exemption when travelling to other UK and EU Airports, as airports across rest of the UK and Ireland can. This is an issue we will be talking about a lot more in the coming weeks and months as we and others will be seeking to ensure equality for NI passengers.”

Lagardère Travel Retail will be hoping that the defence of its Belfast Airport concession will trigger similar success in the Luton Airport Duty Free tender, with a 24 January deadline set for parties to lodge their interest in the concession.

The duty free business at LLA has been run by Lagardère Travel Retail for more than two decades under its Aelia Duty Free fascia.

READ MORE: Luton Airport gauges bid interest for duty free and multi-category tenders

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READ MORE: Lagardère Travel Retail UK & Ireland opens Miniso-Go at Stansted