Lagardere Travel Retail has been appointed to operate the duty free and specialty stores in the international terminal at Cairns Airport for the next 10 years starting in March 2017.

The travel retail group currently operate 16 stores within the two terminals at Cairns airport across their Travel Essentials and Food Services business units – and currently have six core duty free concessions in the Pacific region in Noumea, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Townsville, Queenstown, Dunedin and Auckland.

Fiona Ward, Cairns Airport GM Commercial, said the decision was made after a robust evaluation process.

“We are confident Lagardere Travel Retail will bring a strong mix of a local regional network and support functions and global experience to Cairns Airport’s Duty Free offer,” Ward said.

“Their global reach will now enable them to access luxury international brands for our duty free offer, particularly to meet the high demand from the growing number of Chinese visitors travelling to Cairns, while also offering products that celebrate the vibrant artists of the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region,” she said.

Matthieu Mercier, CEO for the Pacific region, said they are delighted to be awarded the concession.

“Cairns Airport has been a key partner of ours for 25 years starting with our Travel Essentials business, launching our Food Services business in 2012 and more recently bringing mono brand luxury stores as firsts to the Cairns market,” Mercier said. “Together, we are well versed in operating in this unique environment.”

Mercier said they will introduce new brands and product categories to the North Queensland market when they open next year.

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