ARI Wins Duty Free Concession At Auckland Airport

ARI (Aer Rianta International) is delighted to announce that it has been selected by Auckland International Airport to operate one of two new duty free concessions at New Zealand’s largest international gateway.

The seven-year concession agreement will cover 2,300 sq m of retail space across arrival and departures areas and will commence from July 1, 2015.

Auckland International Airport handles about 15 million passengers per year and is served by more than 20 international airlines. More than 70% of all visitors to New Zealand leave or enter the country via Auckland Airport.

“This is a very significant win for ARI, and brings our travel retail business into Australasia for the first time,” said ARI Chief Executive Jack MacGowan. “We had to pitch against the best in the world in the competition process for this contract and I’m delighted that we came out on top,” he added.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for ARI to enter a new partnership with an ambitious, forward-looking airport authority that is seeking to collaborate with a global duty free operator to enhance the retail experience of international and domestic passengers at Auckland International Airport,” according to Mr MacGowan.

“From the moment we held our initial conversations with the commercial team at Auckland, we recognised a shared vision about placing the passenger at the heart of the airport retail experience and about enhancing that experience with an exciting  “Best of New Zealand and the World” retail offer. This will include our concept stores such as the award-winning Whisky Collection and our innovative new confectionery concept Candy Cloud.”

“ARI will bring to Auckland its global experience of successful airport retail operations and airport partnerships,” Mr MacGowan said. “Drawing on our wealth of international expertise, we will deliver a top quality travel retail experience that will delight New Zealanders and international visitors to the country.”

Auckland Airport’s General Manager Retail and Commercial, Richard Barker, said the company was delighted to have selected ARI as one of its two duty free operators. “The selection of ARI means that our passengers will be able to choose from a wide range of products and services that represent the best of New Zealand and the world,” he added.

“We were very impressed by ARI’s strong customer focus and innovation, and their proven track record for growing retail in a competitive business environment. We look forward to working with the ARI team as we prepare for the licence’s July 1 2015 start date.”

ARI is a fully-owned subsidiary of daa. The addition of the Auckland business means that ARI will have airport retail operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia. The company has a managed turnover in excess of $1 billion (€877 million) and employs more than 3,500 people worldwide. ARI has retail operations at Dublin and Cork airports in Ireland and in Bahrain, Barbados, Canada, Cyprus, Lebanon, Oman, and India.
Further information:
Paul O’Kane + 353 1 814 1897, + 353 86 609 0221