North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) Authority has approved retail lease packages covering 15 stores at its Terminal 2.

As reported, RDU opened its RFP for duty free, news and speciality retail concessions covering 10-year terms last year.

Dufry-owned Hudson Group is set to open a Raleigh-Durham Duty-Free branded core concession (Concourse C) in summer next year stocking confectionery, jewellery, perfumes and beauty products and accessories, according to RDU’s official blog.

Paradies Lagardère is also set to welcome a number of new shops at the terminal this spring, including Swarovski and technology outlet inMotion.

The travel retailer will also operate Corsa Collections, selling fashion bags and accessories from brands including Kate Spade, Tumi, Lipault and MZ Wallace.

In summer, it will welcome further units from WRAL Travel Store, selling snacks, souvenirs and magazines with touch screens linked to the WRAL website, in addition to lifestyle apparel unit No Boundaries.

TRIP ADVISOR BRICKS AND MORTAR

Trip Advisor is set to open its first store in summer 2018, allowing travellers to interactive with popular destinations via touch screens and a sensory wall and pick up snacks, souvenirs and magazines.

Meanwhile, passengers can expect to find travel accessories at 5^th & Sunset and news and convenience goods at City Market News, Hudson and Hudson Ink, operated by Hudson Group, all due to open in spring 2018.

Hudson Group will also reveal electronics offers from Tech on the Go and lifestyle fashion from Vineyard Vines in the summer of the year.

Other leases to be granted approval include XpresSpa, which offers personal care services such as manicures and pedicures. XpresSpa will open in spring, while local products from Root & Branch operated by The Marshall Retail Group will arrive in Summer 2018.

PHASED ROLL OUT

The concession renewal programme, the first since the terminal opened in 2008, is set for a phased execution beginning in fall 2017, with all stores scheduled to open by summer 2018.

Once complete, passengers will benefit from a significantly expanded selection of retail outlets providing duty free, speciality items, gifts, beauty and other offerings.

“We’re enhancing the retail shopping experience for our customers and giving them more reasons to start their trip early at the airport,” stated Airport Authority President and CEO Michael Landguth.

“We listened closely to our customers, to design a retail programme that is customised to their preferences.

“The new offerings are tailored especially to our local tastes and are a direct result of our focus group discoveries.”

RDU is the primary aviation gateway to North Carolina, handling just over 11 million passengers last year.

The airport is served by carriers including United, Allegiant, Frontier, American Airlines and market share leader Delta, all of which posted growth during 2016.

In 2015, retail outlets at RDU generated gross sales of $49m.