On Wednesday 12^th December Dufry and Parfums Christian Dior opened the first European Travel Retail ‘Maison Christian Dior’ boutique at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5.

 

Although the three walls – the shop has an open front – stand inside a modest 20sq m footprint, the white marble and polished concrete fixture, which is accented with black and metallic silver trim, is nonetheless impressive.

 

Dufry and Dior reportedly opened the very first Maison Christian Dior concept worldwide at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 WDF New Generation Store (store in store) back in September.

 

The Dior store in T5 is the largest and most prominent fixture in a row of other branded beauty boutiques, all donning a connecting white fascia to tie in with the design of the terminal.

 

That was part of the challenge, according to Heathrow Airport Senior Account Manager Martin Gibney, to create additional square metres of retail space in the terminal without encroaching on an important passenger walkway, close to one of the A gates.

 

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

“The new retail space replaces the large WDF store display windows which were here before and push out a little further,” he told TRBusiness on Wednesday.

 

“The other challenge was to make it look like these stores had always been here, rather than just an add on to the pre-existing retail space. I really think we have achieved this and I am very happy with the execution.”

 

The store, which was two years in the making, benefits from a high footfall location adjacent to Starbucks and overlooked by the newly refurbished Giraffe restaurant opposite on the balcony level.

 

Gibney was of course given a sneak preview of the new Maision Christian Dior, which actually opened on 27^th November in what Dufry called a ‘soft launch.’

 

The boutique’s interior is clean, minimalist and sophisticated in design featuring an interactive LED display on the back wall, which creates the illusion of an apartment window looking out on to a snowy Château de La Colle Noire in Grasse, where Christian Dior was said to have grown perfume flowers.

EDIBLE FRAGRANCES

The fragrance island or bar at the heart of the store displays 22 artisanal fragrances in total, all created by French perfumer, François Demachy, who most recently added the scent Rose Kabuki to the collection.

 

He told TRBusiness on Wednesday that he enjoyed the challenge of reinventing the classic rose ingredient once again.

 

He also discussed how the demands of his clients have evolved in the last 15 years. “They want something always edible,” he said. “Like a gourmand. It’s often juicy and strong so it stays on the skin for a long time.”

 

Demachy said that although he tries to give himself ‘fragrance free’ days to reset his nose, he most often wears Dior’s Cologne Royale.

 

The 22 scents on offer are complemented by a range of candles, soaps, shower gels, creams and other items, which Dufry and Dior hope will encourage shoppers to purchase in gift sets on offer, in the lead up to Christmas.