“Premium and accessible”: Lagardère Travel Retail hails opening of Auckland Airport departures duty free store

NEW ZEALAND. Lagardère Travel Retail has said that its newly completed Aelia Duty Free departures store at Auckland International Airport offers “a world class experience, both in-store and online”.

The business opened in July 2015 after the retailer won one of two duty free contracts (alongside Aer Rianta International). As we reported in the first of several on location stories, in recent days the French company finished the expansion and refurbishment of its departures offer, in 1,480sq m of space.

The Aelia Duty Free store front greets travellers as they come through security, across the aisle from competitor The Loop Duty Free; the emphasis early in the store journey is on encouraging travellers to maximise the three-litre spirits allowance
Walking the store: The latest Aelia Duty Free opening features a strong emphasis on New Zealand wines in a specially designed zone

Lagardère Travel Retail Pacific CEO Matthieu Mercier said: “It has been our largest project to date in the Pacific region and every tiny detail has been well considered and tailored for the passengers travelling through Auckland Airport. We’re very proud to offer a world class shopping experience matched with award-winning customer service, in a store that is premium and accessible – but not intimidating.”

Chanel is one of several beauty brands exclusive to Aelia Duty Free

The store’s theme is driven by the Aelia Duty Free concept’s key pillars; The Art of the Gift, Facilitation, Care and Here and Nowhere Else. The store aims to deliver Sense of Place through design elements such as the hexagon honeycomb ceiling evoking the special role Manuka honey plays in the health product category of New Zealand.

The destination offer lies in a themed zone called ‘New Zealand Gifts’ which offers local gifts and souvenirs, confectionery, wellness products and gourmet food.

New Zealand Gifts: The Aelia Duty Free destination concept designed for Auckland Airport, with an emphasis on health and wellbeing

In beauty, leading brand Chanel is exclusive to Aelia Duty Free at the airport and has installed its latest counter design Marc Jacobs, Karen Walker, Carolina Herrera, Kiehl’s, Urban Decay, M.A.C. Cosmetics and Tom Ford all feature in an extensive P&C brand range. This is complemented by a ‘Scentatorium’ table inviting customers to sample new fragrances.

The store features a strong emphasis on digitalisation, from brand activations to interactive experiences, allowing tailored and customised messaging to be delivered to consumers. A world first digital activation from Coty featuring personalised labelling and interactive discovery screens is located in the heart of the Aelia Duty Free store.

Lagardère Travel Retail runs Aelia Duty Free, Relay, tech2go, Victoria’s Secret Beauty & Accessories, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Kiehl’s, Hub Convenience and Eye Love stores at Auckland International.

Premium fragrances feature in a special showcase, with brands such as Bulgari Le Gemme among the highlighted products
The new digital installation, in partnership with Coty, is one of the most impressive and eye-catching elements in the shop

*The images below featured in a Picture Gallery as part of our original story from Auckland Airport.

The impressive P&C zone at the Aelia Duty Free store; personalisation and high-class executions run through both retailers’ (Aelia and ARI) environments

High-quality digital brand executions from Aelia Duty Free, in partnership with Coty (above) and Guerlain (below)

The La Mer installations are among the beauty highlights in both stores
Coty is using Auckland Airport as one of its showcases for its Philosophy brand in the Asia Pacific market
Aggressive price messaging is an important part of marketing the departures duty free spirits offer in New Zealand, with a generous three litre allowance

The diverse New Zealand wine range showcased at Aelia Duty Free

Diageo concept Johnnie Walker House offers a point of difference for Aelia Duty Free in spirits, with some neat Auckland-themed products

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