Ersan Arcan, CEO, ATÜ Duty Free.

ATÜ Duty Free, the partnership between TAV Airport, Unifree Duty Free and Gebr. Heinemann is gradually reopening its stores after implementing various health and safety measures for passengers and employees during the coronavirus (Covid-19) period.

As part of the measures, all employees chose to wear masks, face shields and gloves. Visuals and floor labels were implemented to remind customers to social distance. Disinfection units were positioned at store entrances and inside the stores enabling passengers to disinfect their hands.

Frequently contacted areas in stores are regularly disinfected and perfume testers, clothing and accessories, shopping baskets and point of sale machines are cleaned after each trial and usage with proper solutions.

Cash registers have also been covered with plexiglass as part of the safety measures.

MULTIPLE ISTANBUL OUTLETS SET TO RE-OPEN

The first ATÜ store to reopen in Turkey was at the Bodrum Domestic Terminal. This was followed by Hermès, Bulgari and Montblanc stores at Istanbul Airport.

Several other ATÜ stores at Istanbul Airport are scheduled to reopen in early July, including Céline, Fendi, Furla, Longchamp, Loro Piana, Michael Kors, Paul & Shark and Salvatore Ferragamo.

Watch, jewellery and luxury accessories stores will reopen at Istanbul Airport the beginning of July including the Luxury Timepieces and Luxury Square concept. The latter was was officially inaugurated on 27 February 2020.

The local Old Bazaar concept at Istanbul Airport and other airport duty free stores in Ankara Esenboğa, Izmir Adnan Menderes, Milas Bodrum and Gazipaşa Alanya have already restarted operations.

Cash registers have been covered with plexiglass to protect employees and staff.

Regarding the retailer’s overseas operations, stores at Riga Airport and in the domestic terminal at Medinah Airport in Saudi Arabia reopened at the beginning of June.

Elsewhere, ATÜ stores at Carthage Airport in Tunisia began trading at the ending of June. Shops at Skopje and Ohrid Airports in Norther Macedonia are expected to reopen at the beginning of July.

Ersan Arcan, CEO, ATÜ Duty Free said: “We are excited to meet our passengers once again at our stores. We have experienced a very challenging period in the last few months which affected all stakeholders in the sector.

“Now, we are all set with the completion of the preparation process for the new normal. We adapted our stores to the new health and safety conditions thanks to the dedicated work of all our personnel.  All the measures taken are the result of recent developments observed in the subject throughout our country and the world.

“As we celebrate our 20^th anniversary as a leading and experienced organisation in the duty free sector, we would like to be together with our passengers at our stores once again during healthy times”.