RIOgaleão Tom Jobin International Airport handled 16.2m passengers last year. Source: Wikimedia/Governo Federal Brasileiro.

WHSmith International will make its debut in South American travel retail having struck an agreement with Duty Free Americas (DFA) to open seven stores at RIOgaleão International Airport in August 2018.

The stores, which will be situated across international and domestic departures and the main entrance areas of the airport, will stock books, magazines, travel accessories, souvenirs, confectionery and beverages.

Louis de Bourgoing, International Chairman, WHSmith International said: “This is a significant win for us as we prepare to open our first stores in South America.

“We look forward to working with the team at RIOgaleão and to open seven stores in such a prestigious airport with strong development plans and potential for passenger growth. We are also delighted to enter this new territory working in partnership with Duty Free Americas. As we continue to grow our international business, we are confident this will be the beginning of a long and successful partnership.”

The new stores will boast WHSmith’s latest store fascia, creating what the retailer says will be a ‘contemporary look and feel, with elements of localisation reflecting Rio de Janeiro’s iconic cultural status’.

The seven WHSmith outlets will sell a wide assortment of books, magazines, travel accessories, souvenirs, confectionery and drinks.

PAX POTENTIAL

As Brazil’s second busiest international airport, RIOgaleão handled more than 16m passengers in 2017.

Leon Falic, President, DFA commented: “We are looking forward to working with the teams from RIOgaleão and from WHSmith to open these seven specialist convenience stores.

“We believe the partnership with WHSmith opens up opportunities across the region. The Brazilian airport market alone has 140 million passengers and we believe our partnership will provide productive stores which will appeal to those passengers and create value for airport operators.”

The airport adds that the tender submitted by both parties would inject a ‘compelling combination’ of international convenience retailing backed by a strong operating platform.