Gebr. Heinemann has begun 2015 with the greatest single success in the company’s 135-year history. Turkish company Unifree Duty Free, in which Gebr. Heinemann holds 60.8% of shares, has won the highly sought-after contract to operate all airside retail space at Istanbul New Airport, operated by İGA Group, for a 25-year period from the airport’s opening – expected by the end of 2017.
“Winning the airport retail concession in Istanbul at one of Europe’s biggest airports is a great success for our company and Unifree – and for the next Heinemann generation,” Claus Heinemann, Co-owner, Gebr. Heinemann, told Airport Business.
Executives from İGA Group, Unifree Duty Free, and Gebr. Heinemann, attended the ceremony last week marking the award of the contract to operate all airside retail space at Istanbul New Airport.
The figures are undoubtedly impressive. Unifree will create over 3,000 jobs at Istanbul New Airport, and a €120 million investment is projected. Forecasts are that 50 million passengers will use the airport in its first year of operation. It will open with an initial annual capacity of 90 million, with two further expansion phases increasing capacity to 150 million.
“The length of the contract (25 years), the potential number of customers (capacity 90 million and 150 million travellers in Phase 2), the investment (€120 million) and the retail space (53,000sqm) are a tremendous challenge to develop a unique shopping concept,” Claus Heinemann added. “We believe that our experience in the global duty free market, and especially in Turkey, were an important part of the successful outcome of this tender.”
Totalling 53,000sqm, the airside retail environment at Istanbul New Airport will be composed of six sections, including 3,000sqm dedicated to a bazaar concept featuring Turkish products.
The ambitious scale of the overall project is reflected in the remarkable plans for the airside retail environment. Totalling 53,000sqm, this will be composed of six sections. 6,500sqm will be dedicated to luxury boutique stores; 3,000sqm will be dedicated to a bazaar concept featuring Turkish products; information areas will cover 500sqm; duty free shops 15,000sqm; activity and tasting stands 6,000sqm; and the arrival stores will cover 12,500sqm.
“At 53,000sqm this is a totally new dimension of retail space, and it will enable us to implement unique, pioneering concepts,” Claus Heinemann explained. “In addition to several thousand square metres for luxury boutiques, which are partly sublet, our overriding aim is to cater to all the needs of a passenger at this important international airport in close cooperation with the operator İGA.”
Among these “pioneering concepts” are 3D hologram systems, smart shopping carts featuring a charging function, mobile cash registers, and electronic customer profiling and analysis systems. Among the most exciting applications will be ‘Magic Mirror’, which will allow customers to ‘virtually’ try on watches, sunglasses, accessories, clothes, and make-up products. The electronic customer profiling and analysis technology will enable Unifree to trace the customer’s shopping history, identify their possible future needs, and offer them personalised products and services.
Claus Heinemann, Co-owner, Gebr. Heinemann: “At 53,000sqm this is a totally new dimension of retail space, and it will enable us to implement unique, pioneering concepts.”
Meanwhile, Gebr. Heinemann has been involved as retailer at the existing Istanbul Atatürk Airport since 1999. “We also would like to add that our existing longstanding successful partnership with the companies TAV and ATÜ will continue in many airports in Turkey and other countries. Together with them, we were just recently awarded the duty free tenders in Tunisia on a long-term basis,” Claus Heinemann said.
