Lagardère Travel Retail has been awarded a master concession by Société des Aéroports du Benin (SAB) to operate Duty Free, Travel Essentials and Foodservice operations at Cotonou International Airport in Benin, West Africa. Lagardère Travel Retail now operates in five countries in West Africa including Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania, Gambia and Benin.
The agreement with (SAB), a state-owned company, will be managed through a joint-venture company, Lagardère Travel Retail Keyla, co-owned by Lagardère Travel Retail and local partner Keyla Distribution. The joint venture is tasked with delivering an ambitious commercial growth plan and to best convey Benin’s rich heritage and culture.
The long-term concession contract covers arrival and departure duty free stores, a convenience store and a dining area, with the new operations slated to open in 2024. The government of Benin has initiated an extensive renovation and expansion programme for Cotonou International Airport, whichexpects to welcome over 520,000 passengers in 2023, matching traffic numbers of 2019.
The new master concession represents Lagardère Travel Retail’s expertise in delivering operational and commercial value through a unique Three Business Lines model. According to Lagardère, this model is especially suited to mid-sized international airports and provides benefits such as “a holistic understanding of customer needs to enhance the passengers experience, increased commercial revenues for both landlords and brands, and enhanced agility, flexibility, and synergies in operations.”
Lagardère Travel Retail has committed to supporting the airport in elevating the passenger experience through “unique” shopping experiences and significantly investing in staff training to offer the best customer service. In addition to offering internationally recognized brands in Cotonou, Lagardère aims to create authentic, local product offerings, to bring the best of the local culture to travellers while effectively supporting local producers and economies.
The retailer’s locally-empowered teams, will set out to develop an offer showcasing Beninese culture, highlighting voodoo traditions, legends of the Abomeh amazons, folklores and tales. Lagardère has also developed a local food concept, the IROKO Bar, paying homage to the Beninese sacred iroko tree. The bar has been designed to be a central focus for any passenger passing through the airport.
Lagardère Travel Retail COO EMEA & Chief Transformation Officer Frédéric Chevalier stated: “We’re delighted to have secured this exclusive master concession at Cotonou airport alongside our very strong local partner. We look forward to helping raise the shopping and dining experience through our unrivalled holistic approach to passenger needs. By working closely together with Keyla, we want to support SAB in raising its standards of excellence and appeal to international travelers. We have significant growth ambitions for our operations on the African continent and these new operations in Benin will continue to consolidate our position as a leading international travel retailer in the region.”
SAB Commercial Manager Armand Kpindjo added: “Confidence and partnership are the two key words of our deal with Lagardère Travel Retail Keyla. With a refurbished and certified Airport, Cotonou aims to offer the best experience to passengers as well as increase nonregulated revenues. The international reputation of Lagardère Travel Retail associated to the African know-how of Keyla is the most relevant way to develop a true partnership based on a custom-made offer fitting passenger expectations.”
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Publish date : 2023-10-17 07:00:00
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Author : africa-news
Publish date : 2024-06-12 03:39:28
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