Hellenic to expand into Macedonia

Print Article E-Mail Article

Greek retailer Hellenic Duty Free Shops is to open a border store in neighbouring Macedonia.

Greek retail operator Hellenic Duty Free Stores has announced plans to establish a new subsidiary in neighbouring Macedonia. The venture will be called HDFS Skopje.

Hellenic senior director Haris Lambropoulos told TRW that the move was part of the company's overall expansion strategy. The first shop will be a border store at the Evzoni crossing between Macedonia and Greece. ?We have purchased a 900sq m (9,684sq ft) building within the customs controlled area,? he said. ?It is an old duty-free shop that stopped operating in 1998. We already have a full duty-free store on the Greek side of the border.?

Lambropoulos explained that the store is expected to open in April 2004 as a Travel Value outlet, and that the company hopes eventually to obtain a licence from the Macedonian authorities to operate full duty-free.

* See DFNI November 15 for more details.