Hudson Group ousts The Paradies Shops at Nashville

Emily Pacey

Print Article E-Mail Article E-Mail Author

Hudson Group has beaten incumbent concessionaire The Paradies Shops to win two retail contracts at Nashville International airport

Hudson Group has won two retail contracts at Nashville International airport, which is undergoing a five-year, $47m renovation. It will replace The Paradies Shops, which has operated the concession at the location since 1991.

Local reports suggest that Hudson Group beat proposals from The Paradies Shops and Delaware North for two retail contracts at the airport, both of which were awarded to Hudson. The concession was split into two in a bid to stimulate competition. The contract requires Hudson to pay a minimum annual guarantee of $2.35m.

Nashville airport authority spokeswoman Lynne Lowrance told local press that she was impressed by all three bids. But she said that Hudson's proposal would be the most suitable for the forthcoming revamp of the food and beverage offer at the airport. All three bidders incorporated locally-themed retail concepts into their proposals, and Hudson plans to install shops themed with the Sony BMG and Country Music Television labels, among others.

It will sell locally-branded merchandise, including items related to the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Bluebird Café, the Parthenon, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and the Belle Meade Plantation, among other Nashville landmarks.

In August HMSHost won a 13-year food and beverage contract at Nashville airport to run a range of outlets. The operator is due to move into Nashville in May next year, once the airport has demolished its existing central restaurant and replaced it with food and beverage outlets throughout the terminal.