NEW ZEALAND. Lagardère Travel Retail today (20 September) opened the Official All Blacks Store at Christchurch Airport.
The opening was particularly timely given that the Rugby World Cup in Japan – where New Zealand’s national side, the All Blacks, are the defending champions – kicks off today.
The 120sq m store is located in the centre of the main landside terminal, making it available to both domestic and international departing passengers. It is the second Official All Blacks store in New Zealand to be opened by Lagardère Travel Retail, following the inauguration of another shop at Auckland Airport in April 2018.
Like its predecessor, the Christchurch Airport store is designed to offer an experiential retail proposition. The partnership between Lagardère Travel Retail, Christchurch Airport and NZ Rugby provides a unique retail experience where customers can fully immerse themselves into the champion teams’ story (the All Blacks have won two successive Rugby World Cups, in 2011 and 2015 and another in 1987).
Lagardère Travel Retail Pacific CEO Przemyslaw Lesniak said, “We are proud to work together with our leading partners to bring such an iconic offering as the All Blacks store to the retail space in the terminal, creating a true Sense of Place and an unforgettable experience – one we are all very proud of.”
The new store offers a wide range of licensed merchandise, including apparel, jerseys, caps, rugby balls, beanies and various gift items, as well as the latest Rugby World Cup merchandise. The store design, inspired by a traditional locker room, features two eye-catching LED archway entrances inviting shoppers into the shop, an experiential area featuring the Haka 360 experience; a digital highlights reel showing famous All Blacks’ moments; and the Wall of Champions; and a ceiling adorned with a super-sized silver fern, a symbol of New Zealand’s national identity since the 1880s.
Christchurch Airport Chief Aeronautical and Commercial Officer Justin Watson said that the opening is an exciting and aspirational addition to the terminal.
“The new store is opening at the same time the Rugby World Cup is about to open and at the centre of a lot of conversation across the city and country,” he says. “The store offers new experiences, new merchandise and new ways to support the All Blacks. We are always proud to see our rugby heroes and their fans travel through Christchurch Airport, and are sure they will be drawn to the spectacular new store.”
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) Chief Commercial Officer Richard Thomas said that expanding the retail concept to a second location reflected the popularity of the All Blacks brand. “We ventured into the retail sector in 2018 with the launch of the first Official All Blacks Store in a move to diversify our income streams – and it’s been well received. We’re excited to launch a second store in Christchurch,” he said.
The Christchurch Airport store will enjoy regular in-store appearances from the All Blacks and NZR players to reinforce the story of champions.
The store was a collaboration with Lagardère Travel Retail’s local New Zealand design partner Taylors and construction team The Accent Group.
Lagardère Travel Retail opened the first Official All Blacks store in Auckland Airport in 2018. It operates 38 stores across various brands and concepts across Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown, Nelson, Rotorua and Palmerston North Airports.
