World Duty Free: "Don't rule out overseas expansion"

Print Article E-Mail Article

World Duty Free chief executive Mark Riches has said that overseas expansion could be back on the agenda in the next three years, as the group seeks growth beyond its UK locations

But he warned that any such move would have to be undertaken cautiously and only with the right partner.

In an in-depth interview to appear in DFNI's February 1 issue he said: "It's not a priority right now, but it isn't off the agenda either. Only one in five of our passengers shops with us in the UK and four in five do not, so let's not get carried away with the opportunities elsewhere and lose focus on our core profit-making business."

But he said the group had an eye on the future, which could include further ventures overseas.

"First we have to look for the right opportunity, and ask how well do our skills translate, do we partner with somebody, and if so with who and where? We had an international business before, and for various reasons we don't have one now. So we're not going to just embark on it without a lot of thought and planning, and we want to be better prepared for it than we were last time around."