World’s largest Aelia Duty Free store opens in Rome
“The new store is a clear sign of Lagardère’s trust and faith in the future of the travel retail industry” - Alberto Niero, CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail, Italy
Lagardère Travel Retail and Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) have officially opened the largest Aelia Duty Free store in the revamped Terminal 1 at Rome Fiumicino Airport.
Opening after a large-scale refurbishment of the airport’s Hub East terminal on December 1, the 3,000 square meter store focuses on customer experiences.
This opening, which takes place after nearly two years of crisis and at the onset of a fifth wave of the epidemic, is testament to the very strong partnership between Lagardère Travel Retail and ADR, Lagardère said.
“Both partners have worked closely together to achieve their goals and prove that with close collaboration, deep understanding of each other’s needs and shared values, ambitions can materialize even under the most challenging circumstances.”
The store’s key features include:
Local emphasis: A Sense of Place can be seen across the store with an area dedicated to Italian beauty brands; a bigger space for the local fine food concept Bottega dei Sapori; and Italian design throughout. Aelia Duty Free seeks to meet shopper expectations for authenticity while also supporting local economies and producers, and reducing its environmental impact with shorter supply chains.
The Bottega dei Sapori concept, which offers the best of Italian gastronomy including a fresh assortment, has been improved with an iconic design and immersive categories. Tasting opportunities are available at multiple touchpoints in the area for products such as wine, chocolate and pasta.
The Bottega dei Sapori concept offers the best of Italian gastronomy including a fresh assortment
Tailor-made brand experiences and animations: Lagardère Travel Retail has worked hand-in-hand with its global brand partners to best embody their DNAs in Rome and create experiences that travelers cannot find anywhere else. New in-store animations include masterclasses and interactive brand animations such as live cocktail demos, chocolate tasting, flash make-up and perfume testing.
Extended phygital capabilities: Digital developments include virtual make-up testing, a digital totem, enriched content, new masterclass brand animations and a click & collect service. The digitalized store highlights best-sellers and novelties and also features an immersive toys area and a World of Italy souvenirs department.
Additionally, the store offers a broader range of promotions, best sellers and travel exclusives to support the value proposition of duty free to travelers and reinforce its competitive price positioning.
Alberto Niero, CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail, Italy, said: “It is with great pleasure that today we announce the opening of a new store in the Domestic/Schengen terminal of Rome Fiumicino Airport. With a total floor area of about 3,000 square meters, it is one of the largest duty free stores in the world and the largest managed by Lagardère Travel Retail.
“The new store is a clear sign of Lagardère’s trust and faith in the future of the travel retail industry. In partnership with ADR, we went through many successes as well as extremely difficult situations such as the dramatic drop in traffic during the Covid pandemic. Together we completed a very ambitious project and are confident that this new store will strongly contribute to us achieving our goals.”
Marco Troncone, CEO, Aeroporti di Roma, said: “The opening of the largest Aelia Duty Free in the world at Fiumicino Airport represents a significant acknowledgment of the airport's potential, as well as an encouraging sign of recovery. This new shop, which is part of the ongoing renovation and expansion plan of Fiumicino, will be the gateway to the new large Domestic/Schengen area scheduled to open next spring, and will contribute to offer passengers the best experience; an experience that, even when it comes to retail, is increasingly oriented towards innovation, customization and engagement.”
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