Airport operator Swedavia inaugurated yesterday (10 October) the first phase of Stockholm Arlanda Airport’s (ARN) 11,000sq m Marketplace at Terminal 5.

Situated at the centre of the terminal’s commercial precinct, Marketplace will host a total of 40 new retail and F&B units by spring 2025.

The official unveiling was attended by aviation and government officials, including Swedavia President and CEO Jonas Abrahamsson and Andreas Carlson, Sweden’s Minister for Infrastructure and Housing.

Andreas Hatzigeorgiou, CEO of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce and Susanne Andersson, CEO of Visit Sweden, each spoke about what the development means for Stockholm, the region and the country by way of improving the traveller journey.

In launching its new commercial strategy, Swedavia says it remains focused on ensuring a broad and competitive product assortment offering value for the up to 100,000 travellers passing through the Marketplace each day.

Europe’s largest InMotion opens its doors

Attention is being paid to showcasing an internationally inspired mix accented by Scandinavian influences, with concession contracts shaped by extensive business intelligence and customer surveys, says Swedavia.

The commercial offering at the airport will be gradually developed with the addition of more operators in view of Marketplaces’s completion by late 2024 – early 2025.

Abrahamsson said: “A strengthened commercial offering is not only important for the passenger experience – it also contributes significantly to our ability to maintain competitive airport charges.

“At Swedavia, we are proud that we have the great pleasure of officially inaugurating two milestones in the development of Sweden’s largest airport, our new security checkpoint and the first phase of the new Marketplace. Together, they contribute to a markedly improved experience for Stockholm Arlanda’s passengers.”

Stores to have opened their doors at the Marketplace to date include a 2,500sq m space for Avolta-run Stockholm Duty Free – a doubling in size – which in addition to its location at the Marketplace boasts several post-security units at T5, at SkyCity and T2.

Stockholm Duty Free joins the likes of Sweshop, Kronans Apotek, 7-Eleven, Adlibris Pocket Shop, Forex and InMotion.

In the case of the last, the WHSmith-owned airport technology retailer has opened its tenth door in Continental Europe and fourth in Sweden this year.

The 1,500sq ft unit is Europe’s largest for InMotion and brings travellers the latest electronics and digital accessories: from tablets, cameras and headphones to travel essentials such as portable chargers, adaptors and cases from leading brands including Apple, Bose, Samsung, Nikon, GoPro and Fitbit, plus a varied range of own-brand InMotion skus.

Digital screens and live product demonstrations introduce customers to the latest technology while offering a hands-on opportunity to try new products, supported by support and advice from InMotion’s customer service team.

Gavin Wood, International Managing Director at WHSmith, commented: “We continue to grow our presence across Europe and it’s been a pleasure to work with Swedavia to deliver our fourth and largest InMotion store in their airport estate in Stockholm Arlanda Airport’s new Marketplace.

“Technology is now an essential part of travellers’ journeys and we’re here to make it easier for people to pick up what they need, when they need it, with the latest tech and products available to experience and trial in store.

“We’ve had great feedback about our InMotion offer from passengers travelling through the airport and we’re looking forward to welcoming more new customers to this latest flagship store.”

Charlotte Ljunggren, Director Marketing and Commercial Development at Swedavia, said: “Our vision with the new Marketplace is to make shopping, food and drink part of the experience for travellers at the airport. InMotion is a great addition to the retail space, with an impressive store for customers to shop the latest technology and pick up essential digital accessories for their travels.

“The investment in the Marketplace is the biggest ever for the commercial offer at Arlanda and, together with the new modern security control that recently opened, we look forward to significantly improving the traveller experience at the airport.”

New security checkpoint cuts queues 

As referenced, the new Marketplace at T5 sports a faster, state-of-the-art security checkpoint in a bid to significantly upgrade the in-terminal passenger experience.

Since launching in the summer, Swedavia says the operation has drastically shortened passenger waiting times with more than two million passing through in an average duration of around five minutes.

“Stockholm Arlanda Airport is by far Sweden’s largest airport, with an extensive network of national and international routes,” commented Andreas Carlson, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing.

“The airport ties the country together and is of great national importance. It holds both a very important role in the Swedish transport system and is a growth engine for the Swedish economy. The investments in the new Marketplace and security checkpoint are future-oriented and contribute to the development of Stockholm Arlanda as an airport.”

In total, 120 public tenders for commercial concessions have been triggered at Swedavia’s airports with a procurement value worth SEK10 billion/US$916 million.

According to its latest passenger traffic results for September, Arlanda Airport handled nearly two million passengers for the month (+6%) versus the same period last year. Of that total, 1.7m were international travellers (+8%).

This month, low-cost carrier Wizz Air established operations at Arlanda for the first time.

Swedavia owns, operates and develops 10 airports throughout Sweden and accrued group turnover of approximately SEK 4.8 billion in 2022.

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Lead image source: Swedavia/Daniel Asplund.