Miami clarifies proposals for concession packages

Print Article E-Mail Article

Retail controversy was stirred up this week when an article in the local Miami Herald reported that Miami airport's major duty-paid retailer, Sirgany, objected to some elements of the terminal development plan. "Our recommendations are quite different from those attributed to us in this Herald article," commented Sirgany's executive vice president of development, Ray Kayal Jr. "We are very pleased with the new aviation director's approach to making retail a priority," he said.

Miami is in the final stages of deciding the exact concession packages for the transition plan in the central area extension, due to be finalised by next summer as first announced in travelretailworld.com (Tender Alert 7/12/00). Almost 200 local, regional and international retailers attended an information meeting held last month at the airport, and a debate is ongoing in relation to all Miami's non-duty-free and non news/gifts concessions.

Miami airport commercial operations & property manager, Adrian Songer, commented: "The transition plan encompasses the existing facilities. There is a single bid package and 15 sub-packages for relatively short terms of three or four years. The question of multiples and whether one will be a master-developer concession is still being ironed out. There may be a straight bid for some outlets." Branded speciality stores will be created for womenswear, casualwear, fragrances, toys, fashion jewellery, fine jewellery, electronics, a museum store, sunglasses and other categories.

In response to the airport's invitation for input, Sirgany has made a recommendation for three additional general merchandise stores (multi-brand and multi-category stores) strategically spaced along the terminal concourse."We qualify to bid on 10 or 11 of the concessions and will bid aggressively however the packages come out. Our view is that there is a role for departmental stores with popular and convenience merchandise in one footprint," said Kayal.

• Miami airport's $5.3bn redevelopment programme is one of the largest in North America. In total the plan will increase the total retail area to 410,000sq ft (38,104sq m), with the first additional retail areas coming onstream in 2004.