53% of nearly 400 airport shops still closed due to pandemic says Gebr Heinemann

GERMANY/INTERNATIONAL. The image tells its own grim story. The words reinforce it. Today, Gebr Heinemann, one of travel retail’s most esteemed and resilient players, a company that has survived numerous global and regional crises over the past 142 years, painted a stark picture of the pandemic’s devastating impact on its business.

In doing so, the family company called for an end to blanket travel restrictions and the implementation of an industry-wide controllable testing strategy.

“As international air traffic continues to remain at rock-bottom rates, the travel retail industry suffers a catastrophic hit to its revenues,” the company said in a hard-hitting post on LinkedIn.

“Due to the lack of passengers on the one hand and ordered shop closures by authorities to contain the corona pandemic on the other, 53% of our nearly 400 airport shops worldwide currently have to remain closed.

“To safely restart travel, the entire industry is calling for the replacement of blanket travel restrictions with a controllable testing strategy. An effective testing strategy would create more certainty in infection control, reduce the risk of importing the virus and at the same time allow more mobility.

“Corresponding concepts are already available. These must now be implemented promptly in order to enable more mobility again and at the same time strengthen health protection.”

Food & Beverage The Magazine eZine