Heathrow and Copenhagen top new ranking of European airport shopping

UK. Leading retail property consultancy Harper Dennis Hobbs (HDH) has named Copenhagen and Heathrow as its top two European airports for shopping ahead of Paris Charles De Gaulle, Milan Malpensa and Lisbon (see top ten list below).

The ranking was based upon several metrics including:

• The quantity of retail units per departing passenger (so that all airports, regardless of size, can be fairly ranked)
• The range and breadth of the retail offer – the number of brands and retail categories on offer to the passengers
• The customer satisfaction of the shopping environment in the international departures lounge
• HDH has included a metric on the desirability from retailers to open in the airport. This is often a good barometer of how successful the airport’s retail proposition is, the agency noted.

Airports were ranked as a whole. There will be some terminals which analysed in their own merit could rank higher than the airport as a whole, HDH pointed out.

HDH retail experts praised Heathrow’s “customer-centric pricing policy” which guarantees that customers will never pay more than the high street equivalent. Many of its stores, which include Prada, Tiffany and the Harry Potter Shop, offer discounts of up to -20% on downtown pricing, the agency said [Heathrow airside stores are tax free -Ed].

HDH also praised Heathrow for being “ahead of the curve” in relation to its competitors, claiming that it was the first airport to introduce restaurants by leading celebrity chefs and continually delivering innovative, award-winning concepts.

The agency said that Copenhagen Airport had created a brand and product mix that celebrates modern Scandinavian style and local favourites alongside internationally recognised brands. The Danish gateway boasts over 11,000sq m of speciality, duty free and convenience store space and 95 units in its departure terminal, HDH said.

This means that more than 80,000 passengers passing through the airport each day are exposed to local favourites including Danish fashion brand Wood Wood, globally recognised toy brand Lego, and luxury liquorice from Lakrids, as well as global luxury powerhouse brands such as Gucci, Hermès and Saint Laurent.

HDH Director of Travel Retail Simon Black said: “Air travel is stronger than it has ever been and passenger numbers are expected to increase dramatically over the next two decades. I expect to see continued growth in this space as airports invest in the development of terminal and retail propositions.

“For retailers, this offers an opportunity for growth away from the under-pressure High Street and we will see more retailers utilising pre-ordering, reserve and collect, and home delivery services to enable passengers to plan their airport shopping in advance of travelling.

“This insight highlights the importance of a strong and flexible operational infrastructure to support airport business, something many of the retailers operating out of Heathrow and Copenhagen are demonstrating perfectly.”