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New WDF store in Edinburgh creates 40 jobs

18th November

New store forms part of airport’s new overall redevelopment and creates 40+ new jobs

World Duty Free (WDF) celebrated the official launch of its redeveloped tax and duty free store in Edinburgh Airport today. With 1,240m² of retail space, the fully walk-through store is almost twice the size of the store it replaces, driven by growth in passenger numbers and the customer demand for exciting products, latest launches and a wider range of brands. The larger store has also created over 40 new jobs in the local area, including full time, part time and consultant roles.

Edinburgh is the fifth largest airport in the UK (based on passenger numbers) with more than 30 airlines in operation and one of the highest ratios of business travellers. It also has the UK’s largest tourism market after London, with 41% of tourists arriving by air. WDF has developed the store environment and tailored the retail offer to meet the airport’s passenger profile and enhance the overall investment in redevelopment of the IDL being made by the airport’s owners, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).

FRED CREIGHTON, CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER FOR WORLD DUTY FREE comments, “Edinburgh Airport is one of the UK’s most successful and vibrant airports and is an important part of our business. We’ve enjoyed working in close partnership with the airport team to create this new store, which delivers a very different shopping experience, along with a variety of new brands that our customers most want to see.”

GORDON DEWAR, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT EDINBURGH AIRPORT continues, “This fantastic World Duty Free store doubling in size is a great example of how we’ve listened to our passengers and have delivered greater choice to improve the constantly evolving Edinburgh Airport experience.

“The creation of 44 new jobs at this store and the development of the whisky and beauty brands show that World Duty Free recognises the ambition that Edinburgh Airport has for greater growth.

“Edinburgh Airport is going from strength to strength – with more airlines and a greater choice of routes and destinations than ever before – and we are well on course to make 2015 our busiest year ever.”

On entering the store, the customer is immersed in the dynamic and extensive liquor area, reflecting one of Scotland’s key exports – whisky. It incorporates WDF’s trademark World of Whiskies concept store and its execution in Edinburgh is the largest World of Whiskies in the Group’s portfolio to date, with a footprint of 177m². Here, in the home of whisky, the space has a strong focus on travel and world exclusives. Over 350 whiskies are stocked and a Whisky Experience bar ensures that customers have the opportunity to discover them in an environment that is both welcoming and inspiring. Expert staff are able to advise customers and help them make the right selection from the hundreds of whiskies on offer in the store.

A separate Whisky Event area showcases new and exclusive whiskies, rotating them on a monthly basis. A tasting bar has been incorporated once again, to enable customers to experience the different expressions. The liquor area continues with strong and bespoke personalisations from dynamic brands such as Hendrick’s Gin, Tanqueray, Ciroc and Smirnoff.

The 442m² beauty area is equally impactful and introduces many new brands to the airport’s passengers. Elemis, bareMinerals, Bobbi Brown, Rituals and L’Occitane are all newly listed, as are fragrances such as Miller Harris, Tory Burch, Alaia and Bentley.

Another key category for the store is Luxury. Building on the success of the PANDORA counter in the previous store, the brand now has a strongly personalised wall bay. A contemporary fashion watch area has been introduced to suit the passenger profile of the airport and a significant number of new brands have been introduced. Mondaine – a heritage Swiss brand with an attractive entry price of £145 is one such introduction – along with ‘shop in shop’ formats for Michael Kors and Armani.

The Sunglasses store that was originally in place in Edinburgh has been closed and extended space has been allocated to sunglasses within the new store. Stand out personalisations include those from Ray-Ban and Oakley and new display units showcase products to best effect.

The customer journey concludes with foods, confectionery and souvenirs. A sense of place is created with a strong focus on local brands – Mrs Tilly’s Scottish tablet and fudge, a range of Tunnock’s products, Walker’s Shortbread and specialist foods such as haggis and whisky flavoured teas are just a few examples. Souvenirs also tap into the local heritage, with cashmere and lambswool tartan scarves, ‘Nessie’ soft toys and Scottish themed keyrings and magnets being amongst the best sellers.