Dufry wins 12-year concession at Istanbul Airport
Dufry has been awarded a new 12-year concession contract at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, to operate a total of 3,900 square meters of duty free and specialty shops.
The area covered by this agreement includes 2,800 square meters of duty free retail space in the departure area in addition to 1,100 square meters or retail space in arrivals.
Dufry will take over the eight existing shops as of November, 2020. The travel retail giant will upgrade the retail space to improve customer service in the current Terminal 1. This area will comprise the core travel retail categories such as liquor, tobacco, perfume and cosmetics as well as accessories and confectionery. To ensure a strong sense of place, enhance the shopping experience and showcase Turkey’s cultural heritage, the retailer will also offer a selection of local food and souvenir brands.
Growing footprint
The new concession bring’s Dufry’s footprint in Turkey to four locations. The company has been operating in the country since 1993 and currently manages duty free and specialty shops at Antalya Airport, which serves the tourist region along the Mediterranean coast; the Kayseri airport in the Cappadocia region; and Zafer airport at Kütahya.
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is the closest hub connecting Istanbul’s City Center with 137 international and 37 domestic destinations. It ranks as second busiest Turkish airport, welcoming more than 35 million passengers per annum.
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport has been undergoing an expansion, with the completion of the second runway now accelerated to 2021 and the new Terminal 2 expected to be completed 2024. Once fully operational the airport’s capacity will increase to 65 million passengers from today’s 41 million.
Commenting on the new contract, Cengiz Iman, General Manager Turkey, said: “Dufry Group is proud to have been awarded this new important concession in Turkey. We will honor the trust given to us by our partners at Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (ISG) by providing passengers of Sabiha Gökçen Airport with a state-of-the-art shopping experience. This will be further evolved in the context of the opening of the new terminal where our shops will feature a complete new design, incorporating the latest digital technology and setting the scene for a vast assortment of renowned international and domestic brands.”
Ersel Goral, CEO of ISG says: “As Sabiha Gökçen International Airport operator, duty free is one of our most essential terminal services. With this new start up, we are initiating a longlasting and trustful cooperation with Dufry, world's leading organization in the field of travel retail. Their global experience will be an important advantage for Sabiha Gökçen, Istanbul's gateway to the world. We are very much excited that our partnership with Dufry will gain an even more distinctive aspect in our new terminal building, which we plan to open in 2024.”
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