NEWS FLASH
Avolta, formerly known as Dufry, has won a new seven-year contract at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, which will see the company operate ten duty free stores and includes hybrid elements with food & beverage (F&B) outlets. The stores will occupy more than 3.500 square metres of space. The coming months will see a significant expansion of Avolta’s activities at the airport. The centrepiece of the new retail space will be a large walk-through duty-free store currently under construction, which is the newest incarnation of Avolta’s “store of the future” concept. “This will showcase a strong sense of place with a diverse range of brands and travel-exclusive products. The new contract signifies more than just the extension of a business agreement; it symbolises an opportunity for Avolta to deepen its collaboration with airport partners, innovating through hybrid concepts, giving travellers the best of both travel retail and F&B”, the company said.
New features will include: Two additional shop-in-shop concepts – a wellbeing concept catering to the growing demand for health, wellbeing and sustainability focused products, plus an immersive experiential concept Haute Parfumerie, elevating the fragrance discovery experience. A new “Welcome Bar” will greet travellers at every entrance with a range of beverages and ice-cream and a small seating area, while the “Mind. Body. Soul. Café” will build on the shop-in-shop concept to offer organic products such as fresh juices and healthy raw cakes with a dedicated small seating area. Another new feature will be the Rakia Bar, celebrating the region’s potent fruit brandies, offering a full selection of rakija with customers sampling in a large bar and seated area, which will be complemented by a full food menu.
Avolta will also run ten dedicated fashion boutiques at the airport. In addition to the existing Boss store these will include, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Victoria‘s Secret and Avolta’s multibrand store concept Urban Attitude. Two dedicated children’s shops, Candy Fair and Toy Fair, will be opened alongside a specialised souvenir store Belgrade Market, which will “embody the spirit of the region”.
Belgrade Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer, Miodrag Mirković, said, “We are delighted to continue the successful cooperation with Avolta and enhance it further, thanks to the three times larger future commercial areas than before. The planned store of the future concept at our airport will be among the first in Europe, and our passengers will be able to enjoy this next level of design innovations, engagement and comfort offered”.
Construction work on the new stores and duty free concept at the airport are ongoing and will be completed this year.
Nice. Can't wait for it to be finally completed.
ReplyDeleteLooks fancy, like something you'd see at large international airport, which is what Belgrade is going for, I guess
ReplyDeleteIt does... if you close your eyes.
DeleteLipstick on a pig, I hope they also improve their service attitude.
ReplyDeleteMaybe adjust yours too.
Delete@15:05 He is right. Service attitude at BEG in general is horrible. But then again it is at most European airports. Middle East/Asia know how to do it right.
DeleteI believe a brief look at average Google ratings of Dufry outlets at BEG should confirm my statement.
DeleteBusiness Club - 2.7 stars
Dufry Galeb - 1.3 stars
Duty Free - 3.8 stars
The Kapital 1.7 star
Dufry itself - 2.8 stars
High prices, low-quality ingredients in the restaurants, a lounge that is falling apart, and (at least in my opinion) a strange, uncreative Duty-Free selection.
In my opinion, it is a shame, that Vinci is rewarding such a performance with a contract extension. And yes, airport outlets are often not great (all over the world) and their main objective is generating high revenues. But what Dufry is offering is a real shame and does not want to make me spend money with them.
The terminal is still under construction.
Delete@17:29 I was merely agreeing with you, not bashing you, 15:05 was bashing tbh. I hope Goldair opens a lounge at BEG now that they are handling. Their lounges in ATH are amazing
Delete@19:33, I am sorry, my response was aimed at @15:05.
DeleteI hope they have some plans for the lounge too.
ReplyDeleteRenovated C concourse still has only one F&B store.
ReplyDeleteI find Dufry duty free wherever I go to not have great prices especially for drink etc..This is a nice addition but hoping there will be more in the airport like sports bar and restaurants especially as Belgrade welcomes more transfer passengers.
DeletePost-merger with Autogrill they can milk travellers on the road and in the air even more.
DeleteIt does sound nice, but i really hope they do something about the prices. I know airport outlets are pricey, but i think BEG takes the cake, many items are even pricier than airports like ZRH, OSL and ARN which is a shame. Also i love that they sell local stuff, but a jar of Ajvar for 15 euros is just too much. Who is even buying this? Or local chocolate pricier than Lindt
ReplyDeleteI hope they give the lounge to someone else. Employees of the lounge louder than all the guest. Greating each other across the lounge like they are out on the mountain. They really need to work on the soft product there. The experience is terrible there. Average pljeskavica fast food during rush hour is calmer and more premium experience than Biznis klub lounge. Like someone mentioned just look at the Google reviews.
ReplyDeleteNot only does the soft product need a deep overhaul, but so does the lounge itself: The furniture is broken, so are the toilets (the public ones in the overhauled area are in a better state) and the food offering is a joke. I am familiar with the international lounge access rates that are being paid by airlines and subscription programs per passenger at airports across Europe — what Dufry is delivering in BEG is essentially scamming the fee-payers.
DeleteI am writing this as a Belgrade Passenger handling agent, and let me tell you, they have the worst food and customer service I have seen or felt in my life. Once I vomited for 2 days because of their pizza, and I am not an isolated case, their employees are so rude you feel like you are fighting for something that is your right and their, imagine, job and duty to provide you with. Now that is how they treat employees, when it comes to passengers it is even WORSE. They skim on every occasion they can find, the portions are horrifically small and the wait time is catastrophically long. This is a scandal and honestly will continue adding to the bad name of this airport.
ReplyDeleteWhat is beyond comprehension is that no one even mentions the possibility of having a small supermarket at arrivals area.
ReplyDeleteMargins vs. required floor space is probably too small for Vinci, if you consider that rents often have a revenue-based component.
DeleteI probably cannot express enough how big quality of travel improvement this would be!
DeleteThis duty free is really a walk through ...prices are higher than any downtown store so calling it a duty free is a scam. I just walk through (unnecessary a long walk because of their marketing trick) it and I will never buy anything there!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about that: Marlboro box is 36eur, in the city it's 38. I bought my perfume for 39 (it was sale) and it's 92 in the city. Something is cheaper, something not but airport free shops are never "cheap things only".
DeleteTbf most things are not cheaper than in the city, but also compared to some bigger airports and with a modest assortment in comparison
DeleteBEG should first make toilets decent and keep them that way, construction or not, without any excuses. No fancy store can cover for that terrible experience.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! The toilets (especially at arrival) are a shame for the country! It’s hard to understand why is it SO difficult for Vinci to keep them clean.
DeleteSame old, same old. Overpriced Raulh Lauren, mediocre pricey sandwiches and same Toblerone packs everywhere... But that's how multinational companies conduct business and make profits.
ReplyDelete@ anonymous11:24. Really? You have never returned from a vacation in the evening to an empty fridge at home? It’s never crossed your mind that it would be handy to grab some food on the way back home when supermarkets are all closed in the town?
ReplyDeleteWill BEG provide cheaper drinking water (free, if possible)?
ReplyDelete