Commerce commission to investigate complaint into Auckland retail decision

Nicole Mezzasalma

Print Article E-Mail Article E-Mail Author

The New Zealand governmental body is to investigate a complaint into the airport’s recent decision to appoint DFS Group as sole duty-free retailer

The New Zealand commerce commission is investigating a complaint into The Nuance Group’s eviction from Auckland International airport, according to the New Zealand Herald. The airport selected DFS Group to be the sole duty-free retail tenant when the new contract commences, ousting Nuance after over 20 years at the airport.

The complaint was reported in an article looking at the many charitable causes which Nuance, trading in New Zealand as Regency Duty Free, has traditionally supported. The company has stopped its support for community and charity projects in New Zealand following Auckland’s decision. Regency does about 70% of its New Zealand business through the airport and will continue to operate there until the end of its current contract in July 2009.

Regency has donated A$1.5m ($1.2m) to a variety of causes including the hearing dogs programme, the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation, the Auckland Philharmonia, the Coast Guard and Rotary International. Sporting bodies such as Auckland Rugby, the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health also benefited from the funding. The company contributions also included about A$750,000 ($599,000) to rising sporting starts ranging from Commonwealth Games shot put gold medallist Valerie Vili to triathlete Terenzo Bozzone.

Regency Duty Free chief executive Kelvin Ricketts told the newspaper: “It is disappointing this contact with so many good people and organisations will be lost. But given the decision [by Auckland International airport], all these programmes have now ended.''

RavenFox.com is seeking further details of the complaint. Keep an eye on the website for more details.