BAA unveils Stansted retail expansion

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BAA has unveiled the latest phase of retail expansion at London Stansted airport, where just under 30,000sq ft (2,790sq m) of space has been developed over the past year. Among the new stores coming on-stream are outlets from fashion brands Ted Baker and Quiksilver, while BAA has relocated and updated stores by Hamley's, Books Etc and its own Bon Bon Voyage confectionery outlet, now operating under the Chocolates fascia. And in partnership with whisky supplier Wm Grant & Sons, the operator has created a Glenfiddich stand-alone unit opposite the main World Duty Free store, in a bid to encourage young, affluent travellers to the brand.

BAA UK airports retail director Colin Hargrave said: We're very proud of Stansted, which has enjoyed fantastic growth on the back of the low-cost airline business. But in terms of passengers and shops, low-cost does not mean low-quality. We welcome a broad mix of travellers to Stansted; the demographic is mostly ABC1s and we have some great international brands, which is a great reflection on the airport. We're putting £800m ($1.45bn) towards the development of Stansted over coming years. This isn't the end?it's only the beginning.?

Revealing the thinking behind the new Glenfiddich unit, World Duty Free managing director Mark Riches paid tribute to the work achieved by Wm Grant & Sons. ?This demonstrates a real partnership. It's pushing boundaries and taking a risk, and already sales are going well. Grant has been a pioneer in travel-retail and was one of the first to develop exclusive products. With this unit we're targeting a different kind of consumer?the young, high-flying executives of whom we see a lot at Stansted.?

The 12.5sq m (134.5sq ft) Glenfiddich unit is built around a ?tree??BAA's term for a supporting pillar within the terminal. The unit offer the full range of Glenfiddich malts plus tasting opportunities, and also allows travellers to personalise their purchases using a labelling system. ?If customers want a personalised bottle we can do it in 30 seconds,? said Wm Grant travel-retail director Bob Downing. ?We're taking gifting to a new level.? The supplier has also introduced a labelling service at airports including Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Amsterdam and London Heathrow.

Among BAA's other plans for Stansted are a MAC shop-in-shop within World Duty Free's beauty area, plus an extended Chanel unit. The operator recently opened a World of Whiskies store at the location and will open another in London Gatwick South next month.

For more details and further comment, see DFNI February 15, out next week.