Pictured l-r: Scandlines Deutschland Heiko Kähler, Heinemann Travel Retail Ferries & Bordershops Managing Director Abildgaard Wilkens, and Scandlines Senior Vice President Business Unit Retail Kenneth Bjerge Nielsen.

Gebr. Heinemann has taken over the operation of the shops onboard seven Danish-German Scandlines ferries, in addition to the port border stores in Puttgarden and Rostock.

The partnership is said to combine the strengths of both companies, and creates the foundation for further developing the retail offering along the entire travel route – onboard the ferries as well as on land.

The business is being managed through newly established subsidiaries Heinemann TRFB Danmark and Heinemann TRFB, under a ten-year concession agreement, which was originally announced in January this year. Previously, Gebr. Heinemann had served as a key distribution partner to Scandlines.

“Today is a special day for us: with the takeover of the onboard Travel Shops and the two BorderShops, we are taking the next step together,” commented Merle Abildgaard Wilkens, Managing Director of the two new companies.

“Our goal is to elevate the shopping experience for our customers to a new level and contribute our expertise in international travel retail. We are particularly looking forward to working with the local teams.

“Many employees have transferred from Scandlines to us and bring valuable experience with them. Established services such as the webshop and pre-order will, of course, remain available to our customers in the two BorderShops.”

Wilkens brings extensive experience to this new role, having overseen key Gebr. Heinemann projects in Düsseldorf and Amsterdam, and having led Hamburg as Interim Managing Director.

Scandlines Senior Vice President Business Unit Retail Kenneth Bjerge Nielsen noted: “We see great potential in the expanded partnership with Gebr. Heinemann. With their international expertise in travel retail, we gain new opportunities to strengthen and develop our retail offering, making the ferry crossing and the BorderShop experience even more attractive for our passengers.”

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