The Nuance Group and Shoppers' Stop joint venture company has won the five-year contract at Bangalore Airport to operate the retail facilities at both the international and domestic terminals, beginning April 2008.

This is the first concession in India to be operated by Nuance in a market it has identified as one of its key strategic expansion targets.
The international retail side of the contract will be managed by a joint venture company by The Nuance Group AG and Shoppers' Stop Ltd., whereas Shoppers' Stop will handle retail in the domestic part, supported by Nuance through a technical management agreement. The two contracts together cover retail space of around 3,200sq m, with the overall value of sales turnover over the full contract term estimated at $150m.
Bangalore Airport is India's fourth biggest airport and also has one of the highest growth rates. It is privately owned and by April 2006, the facility had handled 7m passengers on an annual basis, of which 1m travelled internationally. For 2008, the airport expects passenger numbers to amount to nearly 15m.
Nuance says the retail offer in the international terminal will comprise a total of five stores, covering 2,000sq m, with one outlet a 450sq m arrivals store. Domestic retail will equally consist of five stores and a total of 1,400sq m.
Roberto Graziani, President & Ceo of Nuance said: ‘We are highly pleased to have been awarded the contract to operate at Bangalore International Airport, which serves a fast growing and increasingly important business location. The Nuance Group has defined India as key strategic market for future expansion.
‘We are confident that, through our partnership with strong local retailer Shoppers' Stop, we are perfectly equipped to bring our know-how to the Indian market, and we are determined to expand our presence from this first fantastic and highly promising foothold.’
Carlo Bernasconi, Executive Vice President Business Development & Strategic Marketing, The Nuance Group said: ‘Our holistic approach to airport retailing will certainly benefit passengers passing through Bangalore Airport and it is our clear objective, by combining international expertise with strong local market know-how, to create a completely new benchmark for Indian travel retail.’
B S Nagesh, Managing Director, Shoppers' Stop Ltd commented: ‘We have in the last 15 years pioneered quality retailing concepts in India: Shoppers' Stop, CROSSWORD, HyperCITY and Mothercare.
With the proposed joint venture with The Nuance Group we are very pleased that we will bring a global standard of retailing to all travellers in the country. Our joint ventures being awarded the Bangalore retail contract further reiterates our commitment to Indian retail and the ability to serve our customers in our stores in all the cities and at the airports before and after they land.’
Albert Brunner, Ceo Bangalore International Airport Ltd said: ‘The bid of Nuance and Shoppers' Stop has combined an innovative design and a high quality of travel retail outlets with an intelligent and competitive financial proposal. We are committed to a fair partnership approach between airport and retailer in order to maximise consumer satisfaction and commercial returns.’