R&F Travel Retail opens its first airport store at Cologne Bonn Intl last month

By Andrew Pentol |

The new R&F Travel Retail shop is located in Terminal 1 at Cologne Bonn International Airport.

R&F Travel Retail opened its first airport store at Cologne Bonn Airport on 28 April 2021.

As reported, the shop is located in Terminal 1 and it is the first time R&F, trading under the name R&F Gmbh, has opened its own airport store.

While travel volumes are still reduced due to the coronavirus (Covid-19), R&F Travel Retail says shop sales have far exceeded expectations.

With Covid-19 restrictions continuing to affect many industries, R&F suggests there can be little doubt that few sectors have been hit as hard as GTR.

An affiliated company to Stena Line, R&F Travel Retail has chosen to expand during the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘A NEW RETAIL DIRECTION’

Jari Virtanen, Interim Managing Director at R&F Travel Retail said: “It’s of course a very humbling experience to open a new shop during these unprecedented times, but we are very happy and proud to be able to introduce a new retail direction in great co-operation with Cologne Bonn Airport.”

Traditional travel retail products such as duty free paid confectionery are available in-store.

In addition to selling traditional travel retail products such as duty paid spirits and perfume and confectionary, the store also offers a new concept to make airport shopping fun and exciting.

Boasting a ‘fun and eye-catching interior’, new ways of merchandising and affordable prices, R&F says it is aiming to move away from the traditional airport shop.

Kajsa Edvardsson, Commercial Activity Leader at R&F Travel Retail remarked: “We were certainly careful in our sales predictions before opening, however, we are absolutely amazed by the response from customers.

“Right now, we are looking into hiring additional staff for the shop, something we didn’t plan for until much later.”

R&F Travel Retail says sales in the store have exceeded expectations since opening on 28 April.

Everything from the shop layout to the interior design has been created in-house by R&F. While the concept has been created specifically for the shop at Cologne Bonn Airport, R&F Travel Retail hopes to take the concept further in the future.

“We are preparing for a time after pandemic and can see this concept working for other airports or travel retail shops.

“Hopefully, this is the first step in an international expansion for both R&F and Stena Line,” Virtanen concluded.

As an affiliated company to Stena Line, R&F was founded in 1979 and today distributes in excess of 47 million premium travel retail items to more than 90 shops.

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