Habchi & Chalhoub to bid alone in Kuwait

Dermot Davitt

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Incumbent operator among five companies to pre-qualify for airport contract, but is still considering whether to bid

Habchi & Chalhoub, operator of Kuwait Duty Free, is among five pre-qualified companies short-listed for the duty-free contract at Kuwait International airport. The company told RavenFox.com it is still considering whether to bid for the contract, which is worth $35-40m a year. Managing director Anthony Chalhoub said: "We are still examining the bid documents. If we bid, we will bid alone as the conditions are much tighter than in the previous tender." Habchi & Chalhoub operates the current contract with management consultancy by Aer Rianta International-Middle East.

The Kuwait Directorate of Civil Aviation issued pre-qualifying documents in April, with bids due on September 3.

Alongside Habchi & Chalhoub, the other short-listed companies are: Mohamed N Al-Hajery & Sons with Dufry; JR Duty Free and Abraj Al Mathana General and Trading; Aldeasa with That Al Salassel and The Nuance Group with The Sultan Center.