Aelia opens first outlet in Krakow ahead of Warsaw operation

Tina Milton

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The travel retailer has opened a 70sq m multi-category shop at Krakow John Paul II International airport and will run the concession at Warsaw Frédéric Chopin airport’s new terminal two

Aelia Group has opened its first point of sale in Poland at Krakow John Paul II International airport. The 70sq m (753sq ft) multi-category outlet, which began trading on October 26 and is situated in the airport’s Schengen zone, offers fragrances, cosmetics, liquor, tobacco, confectionery, sunglasses and a range of items from Swarovski. The store will be managed by Aelia’s Polish subsidiary Aelia Polska, based in Warsaw and managed by Michal Stempski.

In addition to the Krakow contract, Aelia Polska is to run the duty-free concession at Warsaw Frédéric Chopin airport’s new terminal two once the facility is operational.

Aelia international operations director Bruno Bouchacourt said: “We are delighted to open our first Polish store at Krakow, an airport with huge potential. Although the shop is modestly sized, we’re offering a wide range of products and the initial signs are good. I’d like to congratulate Michal and the team at Aelia Polska, plus all those at Aelia who have helped get this project started.”

Aelia CEO Jean-Baptiste Morin added: “Strategically, Poland is a key market for Aelia Group as we develop our business beyond France, and we are confident that Krakow is only the first in a series of store openings. While we hope that Warsaw will prove to be our flagship in Poland, the creation of Aelia Polska allows us to study opportunities across the country and in eastern Europe in general.”

Traffic at Krakow reached 2.37m passengers in 2006, an increase of nearly 50% on the previous year.