Nantes Atlantique unveils bold commercial development

Nantes Atlantique airport has unveiled a dramatic expansion to its commercial offer, including France’s first walk-through duty-free store, pictured right, operated by Aelia. The airport has invested €5m ($7.87m) to centralise its security checks for halls one to three, serving 80% of its 2.6m annual passengers, and enhance its airside retail offer.

 

Airport director François Marie revealed that the development—which also includes additional space for tour operator kiosks in the arrivals area, new signage and a new layout and machinery in the centralised security screening area—had been planned to upgrade airport security, to meet passenger expectations and to accommodate rapid growth, with passengers numbers having risen by 35% in the past three years.

 

The airside offer comprises a 220sq m (2,367sq ft) Aelia store under the Duty Free Atlantique fascia, a 66sq m (700sq ft) Relay outlet, a 56sq m (603sq ft) multi-brand jewellery and watch shop from Swatch subsidiary Tech Airport and a 190sq m (2,044sq ft) bar, lounge and café area operated by Elior.

 

Inaugurating the new duty-free shop, located directly in front of the new security area, Aelia president Jean-Baptiste Morin said that the company expected annual sales of €4m ($6.3m) from the outlet. “This is the first walk-through duty-free store in France,” he said. “The initial reaction from passengers shows that they really appreciate it.”

 

The shop, expanded from 80sq m (861sq ft), also features a best-of corner featuring best-selling product lines. The company said the area would also be used to stage big, themed promotions four times a year.

 

Aelia benefits from strong non-EU passenger traffic at the airport, driven by a large number of charter passengers, representing over 30% of total traffic.

 

A new airport for the region is planned to open in 2015, after which Nantes Atlantique airport will be closed. The Nantes chamber of commerce holds the concession to operate the airport until the end of 2009, and the concession to manage Nantes for the final six years and to build and manage the new airport will be tendered next year. Marie told DFNI that the chamber of commerce would seek to join a consortium to bid for the new concession.

 

He added that the French state had given the chamber of commerce the authority to negotiate tenure with its commercial partners until 2012, and said the forthcoming new airport and the end of the concession had been factored into the current investment.