Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur has put 28 stores up for tender at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, split between its three terminals that are dedicated to scheduled and business flights.

Covering floor space of nearly 4,500sq m – and the entire commercial offer – the 28 shops account for more than 80% of all retail sales at the airport’s Terminals 1, 2 and general aviation terminal.

Contracts will be issued for a duration of seven or eight years.

Applications must be submitted by 29 September, 2023.

The selected applicants are asked to submit their bids in February, 2024 ahead of selection in May 2024.

The new contracts will be drawn up and work to equip the outlets will begin in November, 2024, with a scheduled opening in January, 2025.

New concepts to come

The future offer will be arranged into ‘core/traditional’ segments such as duty free – perfumes and cosmetics, wines & spirits, cigarettes and cigars, fashion and accessories, souvenirs, local gastronomy and high-tech goods.

However, the airport notes it will also include new concepts focusing on children, wellbeing and eco-friendly products.

“Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is intended to serve as a link between the Riviera and the rest of the world,” said Head of the Commercial Business Unit at Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur Candice Cadreils. “More than a showcase, it’s an opportunity for the brands to highlight their products.

“As the gateway to one of the world’s best-known regions, Nice Côte Azur Airport has implemented an ambitious policy to transform boarding time into an experience that’s surprising, unforgettable and unique in Europe.”

As well as reflecting the uniqueness of its region, the future retail offer has to address three other criteria: an eco-friendly approach, echoing the airport’s ambitious environmental policy; serenity, with a wellbeing offer that sees the journey off to a relaxing start as soon as passengers enter the terminal; and innovation, which is the fastest-growing criteria in terms of passenger expectations.

The airport served 116 destinations and handled more than 12 million passengers in 2022.

Some 52% of those 12m passengers fall into the high-income category, while 44% are foreign visitors, essentially from Northern Europe, the UK, Middle East and the US, a rapidly growing destination with an increasing number of direct routes.