World Duty Free opens new fragrances concept

John Rimmer

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A new store in London Heathrow terminal one is to raise the standard for customer service in beauty, says World Duty Free CEO Mark Riches

World Duty Free (WDF) opened a new fragrance concept in London Heathrow terminal one this week. CEO Mark Riches told DFNI that the concept, on which the retailer is yet to gain trademark approval for a name, would focus on customer service, with a high level of consultant support.
 
"It's a concept with a very high service content and offers passengers the opportunity to dwell in an environment conducive to quality purchases," said Riches. "It's about taking the best of our main stores and applying those retail techniques in a new way. We've created the kind of environment where passengers will know it's an offer for connoisseurs; it's not a 'run in, run out' store." He added that takings this week had been "fantastic", and said the retailer would roll out the concept to its other retail locations where possible.
 
The new fragrance concept is just one of a number of new initiatives across Heathrow's terminals. Terminal one has been the subject of a £1m ($1.79m) refurbishment, during which WDF transformed its main store "from one of the shops we were least happy with into one of the ones we're proudest of", said Riches. More retail space will come onstream in T1 by November 2005.
 
In Heathrow T2 the retailer is to change the entry point to its main store and bring the beauty corner to the front of the store. WDF's flagship store in T3 is to undergo further refurbishment, ensuring high impact retail at each entrance. The retailer also plans to introduce a number of new beauty brands to the store.
 
"We have an appetite for improving," said Riches. "Investments such as these costs a lot of money but when there's an opportunity to improve sales, it's very hard to wait."
 
A full report on World Duty Free's latest initiatives will appear in the October 15 issue of DFNI.