Duty-free store operator Gebr.Heinemann has put digital engagement into action at its huge travel retail store at Copenhagen Airport. The retailer has also stepped up its move into the blended retail and food and beverage (F&B) space this week at Germany’s Nuremberg Airport.
On Wednesday, the Hamburg-based retailer showcased its first ‘experience space’ to media with the visual theme of ‘fluid perspectives’ at Denmark’s main air hub. Shoppers stepping on the digital floor in this part of the store—clearly signposted using hanging screens above—will see water moving beneath them. With a wave of the hand, the liquid changes direction on the interactive digital screens around them.
Elsewhere, when a customers lifts a model of a water drop—several can be found in the space—screens show them information about the important role that water plays in Denmark, a country with 5,400 miles of coastline. The soothing sound of flowing water surrounds shoppers, allowing them to relax and get in the mood to experience the five brands that are showcased, with their guard, no doubt, down a touch.
In this pilot phase, five brands are present covering key product categories: beauty from Narciso Rodriguez, whisky and vodka represented by Talisker Wilder Seas and Absolut, plus two Danish sunglasses brands: MessyWeekend and James Ay. They all explain their connection to water and the environment through lift-and-learn gadgets.
In the case of Talisker’s Wilder Seas, for every bottle sold a £3 ($3.65) donation will be made to help protect the oceans while all James Ay eyewear is made from the bioplastic Mazzucchelli M49, 90% of which can be converted to natural gases and the rest into water and biomass.
The brands in this part of the shop “will be switched regularly” said Heinemann. The idea is that continuous reinvention will meet changing consumer expectations, and this will be particularly important for regular travelers going through the hub airport which processed 22 million passengers last year.
Sören Borch, director of sales experience and excellence at Gebr. Heinemann, said: “Our mission statement promises unforgettable experiences (and) we are bringing that promise to the shop floor.” Other location have been earmarked for the concept but not yet revealed.
Shifting from purely transactional
Commenting on the concept, Damian Force, an expert in interactive digital entertainment and a creator of ‘dome shows’ said: “Different products on the shelves could do with their own interactive videos. There are technologies that place a person on the screen, when they approach a camera on the stand. Or you can scan a person through the camera and the screen prompts you to select an avatar which then interacts with the store’s products. For example, they could pick up a perfume and the elements of the scent (roses, lemons, etc) appear in the video.”
Nonetheless, Heinemann’s move is a good start in the area of experiential retail. A new Kearney study for Tax Free World Association, which organized the recently-held TFWA World Exhibition, found that among Millennial and Gen Z, 37-40% cited experience as a key reason to buy in travel retail. Respondents said they increasingly expect surprises during their time at an airport, whether in the form of entertainment, animation, or digital interfaces.
Åsa Söderberg, head of sales and e-commerce at Copenhagen Airports A/S (the airport’s owner) commented: “We are pleased Heinemann chose Copenhagen Airport for the concept launch. The area will give smaller local Danish brands the opportunity to reach a wider audience. Unique experiences and good service are closely linked to increased sales and something that passengers today expect from traditional retail.”
Merged model gains fourth location
Meanwhile, at Nuremberg Airport—the second busiest gateway in Bavaria behind Munich, and officially called Albrecht Dürer Flughafen Nürnberg—Heinemann will open the latest incarnation of its smartseller retail and F&B joint-venture concept called ‘all yours’. Currently the airport—which served 3.3 million passengers in 2022—runs its retail business directly.
The operation of the store, which mixes duty-free, foodservice, and convenience into a single unit, will be undertaken by another joint venture company between smartseller and the airport operator, Flughafen Nürnberg. When it opens next year, the all yours commercial space will be about 13,000 square feet, roughly double what is at the airport today, with a strong local offer related to Nuremberg and the region of Franconia.
Leading the new JV company, called Smartseller Nürnberg, will be Sebastian Schäfer, who is the manager of the airport’s existing shops. The JV is expected to run for at least ten years and create a more varied commercial space than the current one.
Heinemann is looking to roll out smartseller at medium-sized airports following the success of the first all yours concepts in Ljubljana, Slovenia; Münster/Osnabrück and Leipzig/Halle airports, and soon Nuremberg. Talks are in progress at a series of European airport for the concept.
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