CANADA. Ottawa International Airport has named DFASS Group of Companies as its exclusive duty free concessionaire, effective from 1 September.
It follows a Request for Proposals process that began in late 2015 and concluded in March. The company takes over the airport’s two existing duty free shop locations, one of which serves international passengers and the other transborder passengers. ARI currently manages the stores under The Loop retail brand.
DFASS’s new store concepts will be implemented starting in September, with renovations scheduled to be completed in early 2017.
Ottawa International Airport Authority CEO and President Mark Laroche said: “We’ve seen the passion and creativity that DFASS has brought to the table with their recent project in Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth, and the fact that the same design team was engaged to work on this project here in Ottawa shows the priority that DFASS has given this opportunity and the enthusiasm with which they approach new markets. We’re confident that they will offer the best of Ottawa to our international travellers.”
DFASS President of Ground Stores Jonathan Potash added: “We are very excited about the opportunity to develop the new duty free stores at Ottawa International Airport. Our global duty free experience, and our familiarity with the Canadian duty free environment by way of our programme with Air Canada, will allow us to create a unique retail programme.
“The store designs reflect the ideas and concepts we have developed with our creative design partners for Dallas and other international airports. Our retail strategy is focused on expanding our footprint in North American airports and Ottawa represents a key pillar in our targeted Canadian expansion.”
The airport company established several priorities for the new duty free concession, including unique store designs, Sense of Place, a commitment to service excellence and high-quality, engaging, locally sourced products.
