Schiphol Airport Retail opens revamped Exquisite fine wines, spirits and cigars store

THE NETHERLANDS. A new look for the Exquisite store in Amsterdam Schiphol Airport was today formally unveiled by Schiphol Airport Retail following major renovations. [The Moodie Davitt Report Senior Editor Jason Holland is on location there today; look out for his special report in coming days.]

Schiphol Airport Retail, a joint venture between Gebr. Heinemann and the Royal Schiphol Group, has upgraded the 136sq m retail area of the fine wine, spirits and cigars store with new furniture, signage and lighting and a more open configuration of the façade.

A lighter urban design is intended to appeal to younger consumers.

The new, more open façade of the revamped Exquisite store which was unveiled at Schiphol Airport today.

Schiphol Airport Retail Managing Director Simon Asmus said: “Especially the wine and spirits category is attracting more and more young customers, who are willing to invest in high-quality products.

“Many of them are simply lovers of fine drinks and look for the unparalleled taste of a rare Cognac, a fine Champagne or a vintage whisky.

“But particularly at the high end, a growing number of young collectors is entering the market, chasing rarities and the latest limited editions that they can’t find anywhere else.”

The redesign was accompanied by a renaming of the shop; the original name Exquisite is now supplemented by ‘Finest Wine, Spirits & Cigars’.

The aroma table, with its decorated glass jars, guides customers through different flavour profiles.

Among other new features, the Exquisite store now offers an aroma table, made of marble and brass and featuring five trumpet-like devices that, with the squeeze of a rubber bulb, release the aroma of a core taste of the wine or spirit it promotes.

Gebr. Heinemann Purchasing Director Liquor Tobacco Confectionery Rüdiger Stelkens said: “The aroma table sets a new benchmark in travel retail when it comes to enticing the shopper in new and exciting ways. It also builds a perfect bridge from marketing to tasting – and tasting builds the bridge to buying.

“But even those travellers who don’t turn into buyers will still memorise the experience at the Exquisite shop and be left with a new, more sensual impression of the promoted brands.’

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