FINLAND. UK retailer WHSmith is to open four shops at Helsinki Airport. They will be operated by SSP Finland.
A three-year agreement with Finavia, the result of a tendering process, is valued at €25 million.
The first shops will open in Terminal 1 in late 2016, with further openings in Terminal 2 in early 2017. They will be WHSmith’s first shops in Finland.
“It is a pleasure to have yet another international operator arrive in Finland,” said Finavia Vice President of Commercial Services at Helsinki Airport Elena Stenholm. “Large global companies are now more interested in Helsinki Airport as a place of business than ever before. This demand and interest shows that we have developed the airport and its commercial services in the right direction for efficiency and profitability.”
Finavia said it had worked in close collaboration with both WHSmith and SSP Finland to integrate the look of the new shops with the airport and provide a product selection to match the needs of customers.
SSP Finland General Manager Marko Alander commented: “Designed especially for the needs of Helsinki Airport passengers, shops operated by us provide a combination of high-quality international and local products as well as attractive offers, guaranteeing an excellent customer experience for passengers.”