TÜRKIYE. Cartier has partnered with Gebr. Heinemann, ATÜ Duty Free and Unifree to open the brand’s largest standalone travel retail boutique.
The boutique is located in one 4 at Istanbul Airport, which is known as the Luxury Watches & Jewellery Zone. The boutique sits alongside mono-brand stores from Bvlgari, Bottega Veneta, Céline, Christian Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Saint Laurent.
The 130sq m space features a striking 12-metre tall façade. The façade was designed with three-dimensional illuminated elements that shimmer like gold and is likened to a ‘precious piece of jewellery’ by the brand owner.
The entrance showcases product highlights from Cartier’s watches and jewellery collections.
Inside, the boutique offers the full range of Cartier watches, jewellery and leather goods products, alongside a selection of perfumes and sunglasses. The maison’s signature red hue adds vibrancy to the light marble flooring and furniture.
An Icon Bar sits front and centre and highlights the maison’s most famous pieces. New lines such as Clash De Cartier and Santos, which reinterpret classic Cartier models, are offered to attract young luxury consumers.
Gebr. Heinemann Director of Purchasing Fashion, Accessories Watches & Jewellery Jan Richter commented, “We are proud to be partnering with Cartier at our Istanbul Airport luxury marketplace. The Maison is one of the top three luxury brands in the world. It stands for legendary watches and jewellery that are passed down from generation to generation.
“The Cartier mono-brand boutique is a perfect addition to our range of exclusive brands in Istanbul and will delight travellers. We thank all parties involved for the excellent cooperation.
“As part of our strategy for the Fashion, Accessories Watches & Jewellery category, we are strengthening our collaboration with the world’s leading luxury brands. Cartier is part of the Richemont Group, one of our key strategic partners for this.”
Cartier Managing Director Turkey & Levant Nicolas Martin added, “We are pleased to be opening the largest Cartier boutique in travel retail with our valued partner and operator ATÜ Duty Free at Istanbul Airport. At Cartier, we continuously thrive to build presence in Turkey and we look forward to being a part of all travellers’ journeys in this key international airport.”
“As ATÜ Duty Free, we are happy to cooperate with one of the most valuable brands of the world, Cartier,” added ATÜ Duty Free CEO Ersan Arcan. “We regard the presence of an important brand such as Cartier, which is one of the first names that come to mind when it comes to elite brands on a global scale, at Istanbul Airport as an essential development for boutique retailing. We continue to expand our portfolio by maintaining our knowledge and experience in the field of luxury, as we are one of the pioneers in travel retail.
“We aim to offer a privileged customer experience to our passengers by continuing our product and brand collaborations in the boutique retailing field, in addition to our domestic and foreign duty free stores and our special concept stores.”
Luxury remains strong
Gebr. Heinemann, together with ATÜ Duty Free and its brand partners have created a stellar luxury offering at Istanbul Airport. Comprised of both mono-brand boutiques and multi-brand boutiques, the ‘Luxury Hill’ at Zone 4 offers a luxury department store atmosphere in an airport environment.
The joint venture targets luxury and millennial travellers at Istanbul Airport which welcomes passengers from Türkiye, UAE and Kuwait among many others. It operates a total area of 53,000sq m at Istanbul Airport.
Richer added, “The luxury segment has proven to be extremely resilient during the Covid-19 crisis. Because of the intrinsic and lasting value of a precious piece of jewellery, it is attractive to shoppers. At Istanbul Airport, which was open when many other airports were closed, luxury brands performed above average.”
The Cartier boutique was constructed with sustainability in mind. Gebr. Heinemann Senior Sales Manager Near East & Türkiye Metin Yaldiz commented, “We are thrilled to have now completed the boutique and proud to have ATÜ Duty Free and Cartier as strong partners onboard for the special shopping experience at Istanbul Airport.
“The boutique is an LEED-certified store. This certification standard developed by the US Green Building Council stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.”
Note: This story was sent by e-alert to our entire opt-in readership. To join that complimentary subscription list and receive all the industry’s biggest breaking stories, many of them exclusive to The Moodie Davitt Report, direct to your inbox please email Kristyn@MoodieDavittReport.com headed E-ALERT REQUEST.
