COLOMBIA. A joint venture between Dufry and DFASS has opened ten stores in 3,200sq m of space at Bogotá El Dorado International Airport. These include seven duty free, one duty paid and two Hudson concept stores spanning the international and domestic terminals.
As reported, the partners won a ten-year contract for the business in January. The Dufry/DFASS stores are located in Terminal 1, including nine shops in the international area. Of these, four are located in the Main Pier and another five in newly expanded space – the North Mall, as well as a walk-through shop in the domestic area.
Dufry/DFASS operates two duty free multi-category stores: one of 695sq m in the Main Pier and another of 510sq m in the North Mall. The shops offer the traditional core duty free mix, which includes wines & spirits, perfumes & cosmetics as well as confectionery, tobacco, fashion & accessories. The stores also feature an area dedicated to Colombian products, called Thinking Colombia, offering goods such as coffee, confectionery and regional liquor products.
Additionally, Dufry/DFASS has opened four speciality shops: a 14sq m Bijoux Terner store in the Main Pier featuring fashion accessories; a 73sq m Collection store offering sunglasses, watches and accessories in the North Mall as well as two multibrand shops covering a total of 682sq m (546sq m in the Main Pier and 136sq m in the North Mall). These offer, among others, luxury brands such as Chanel, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger.
Dufry/DFASS also introduces a 46sq m Tech on the Go shop, located in the North Mall. This retail concept offers electronic products and accessories and is a first for Colombia, said the partners.
In the duty paid segment, Hudson opens for the first time in Colombia, with a 31sq m store in the Main Pier and in 116sq m of space in the North Mall.
The move is in line with Dufry’s strategy to roll out Hudson internationally. The two shops offer travel essentials and a convenience assortment.
The Domestic Concourse also houses a walk-through travel retail shop covering 979sq m. The store offers a similar shopping environment and products as Dufry/DFASS’s duty free shops, with Sense of Place in the ‘Thinking Colombia’ area, showcasing typical local products.
The walk-through shop also features a Hudson store and the world’s largest Tech on the Go shop-in-shop, according to Dufry/DFASS.
Dufry CEO Division 4 René Riedi commented: “We are proud to announce the opening of these stores, thus introducing Dufry’s world-class shopping experience in Colombia for the first time. This is a great success that would not have been possible without our partner DFASS Group as well as the considerable efforts of our team that worked hard to achieve this result. I would also like to thank Opain and El Dorado International Airport for this opportunity, which consolidates even further our presence and allows us to seize new opportunities in Latin America. Dufry is pleased to be part of this development and to contribute to further developing the local economy by generating more than 300 new jobs.”
The DFASS Group Executive Vice Chairman Roberto Graziani added: “I am extremely proud to announce the launch of our new concession in El Dorado International Airport. This is a significant undertaking for us and represents the culmination of the joint efforts of our partnership with the Dufry Group. We anticipate a unique retail experience for international and domestic passengers in Bogotá for many years to come. I would like to thank our entire team and that of Dufry, whose partnership and commitment were instrumental in the realisation of this operation. Additionally, I would like to thank Opain and El Dorado International Airport for the tremendous opportunity they offered us.”
El Dorado International Airport is the largest in the country and the main international and domestic gateway. The airport ranks third in Latin America for passenger traffic and is one of the best 50 airports in the world, according to the World Airport Awards. In 2016, the airport welcomed close to 16 million passengers, up +3.5% compared to 2015.
