Flemingo claims victory at Delhi

Gavin Lipsith

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One of the most overdue tenders in the global duty-free market has been resolved, according to the ambitious Dubai-based retailer

Flemingo International will further its expansion into the Indian duty-free market with four stores to open at Delhi airport this month, managing director Rasik Thakker has told RavenFox.com. The company, which already operates at 10 airports in India, reported that it was awarded the contract by Airports Authority of India (AAI) in January and that the stores—two in arrivals and two in departures—would open between May 10-15.

The 250sq m (2,690sq ft) space was originally tendered alongside space at Mumbai airport by Airports Authority of India in October 2003. Several international retailers showed interest in the contract but the authority was forced to retender when no bids were submitted. AAI is still planning to retender space at Mumbai and Kolkata.

The new Delhi stores will offer tobacco, fragrances, cosmetics, liquor, confectionery, watches and electronics, said Thakker. "We are very pleased with the development work at Delhi so far," he said, "and the support from brands has been very encouraging. We look forward to introducing the new stores to the trade at the TFWA Asia Pacific show."

Flemingo will operate at Delhi alongside India Tourism Development Corp, which was barred from participating in the tender due to back rents owed to the airport authority.