JR Duty Free returns to Australian airport retail at Darwin

Gavin Lipsith

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The operator is to open its new departures store at the airport after taking over from The Nuance Group five months ago

JR Duty Free (formerly James Richardson) is to open its new 260sq m (2,798sq ft) departures store at Darwin International airport after taking over from previous incumbent The Nuance Group five months ago. The company will officially open the extended store on Friday July 13.

JR Duty Free chairman duty-free division Garry Stock told RavenFox.com that the company would also be remodelling the Darwin arrivals outlet over the next few months. He described the opening as “small but important”, marking JR Duty Free’s return to Australian airport retail.

Stock said: “It is a small store, but important for us and important for the industry here because now there is a choice [of airport retailers].”

JR Duty Free’s recently-acquired downtown business is also performing well, Stock reported, despite the effects of liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) restrictions on the Australian downtown duty-free market. The company renovated its Perth outlet six weeks ago, and Stock said that there had been “very satisfying growth in non-LAG product categories, particularly jewellery and watches.