TURKEY. Unifree Duty Free, the core travel retail operator at Istanbul New Airport, has appointed highly-experienced duty free executive Ian Foster as Chief Commercial Officer. He replaces Hakan Öziş who has been with Unifree for more than seven years.
Unifree Duty Free – in which Germany’s Gebr Heinemann has a majority stake – told The Moodie Davitt Report: “Ian Foster has been our Chief Commercial Officer since the middle of June. Hakan Öziş was the former CCO and he is leaving the company.”
On social media, Foster – who has spent more than a decade at Dufry, most recently as Global Head of Retail Operations – said that he was “delighted to join Unifree Duty Free at Istanbul New Airport”. Unifree has a 25-year contract to manage a prospective total retail area of 53,000sq m at the vast hub, once it is fully completed.
Heinemann supplies Istanbul New Airport’s 21 duty free shops with international goods, while Unifree purchases the local items. Additionally, rental agreements have been signed with over 70 operators and brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hugo Boss and Prada. As well as the branded shops Bottega Veneta, Gucci and Saint Laurent Paris which are directly operated by Unifree, the subsidiary ATÜ Duty Free is the largest single tenant of Unifree’s Center & Lease Management with over 25 shops and marketplaces.
Among Öziş’s responsibilities in his former role were managing the direct supply of beauty, spirits, wine and confectionery from Heinemann; managing the direct supply from international luxury brands and other sources; annual negotiations; and defining sales prices and sales operation targets.
