Tender victory seals Aelia’s dominance at Nice

Nicole Mezzasalma

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The French retailer, which already operates at Nice Côte d’Azur terminal one, will take over from Dufry Group at terminal two in December 2009

French retailer Aelia has become the sole liquor, tobacco and beauty operator at Nice Côte d’Azur airport terminals one and two after winning the competitive tender issued last year by the French Riviera Chamber of Commerce [DFNI December 15 2007]. The tender included 350sq m (3,862 sq ft) of space with a contract of six years and four months, starting from October 1 2008, in the Nice T1 Schengen hall, and a 250sq m (2,690sq ft) store in T2’s Schengen hall and a 240sq m (2,582sq ft) unit in the Schengen and international halls for five years and one month from December 15 2009.

DFNIonline understands that Aelia beat competition from T2 incumbent Dufry Group and The Nuance Group. Aelia’s victory means that Dufry will lose its last airport location in France when its current contract ends next year. The French operator said in a statement it expects the liquor, tobacco and beauty business at Nice to be worth more than €150m ($234m) over the duration of the contract.

Aelia chairman and CEO Jean-Baptiste Morin said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this tender and I would like to thank the commercial team at Nice Côte d’Azur airport for placing their trust in us. We look forward to continuing and indeed strengthening our partnership with them. The airport is already a great place to do business thanks to its progressive attitude and very interesting customer profile, and with improvements to the retail area imminent, this is a fantastic opportunity for Aelia. We have a great team in place at Nice, headed by our director of regional operations Pascal le Droff, and they will ensure a seamless transition that ensures the best results for the airport and its customers.”