ITALY. Gebr. Heinemann has today officially reopened two redesigned duty free stores in the Schengen and Non-Schengen areas of Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport.
They are characterised by a range of Sense of Place design elements, a strong focus on sustainability and the introduction of products from an expanded stable of Bologna and Italian brands.
The Moodie Davitt Report was on location to speak with leading stakeholders at the inauguration.
The new-look stores follow the extension of Heinemann Italia’s duty free contract at the airport – which represented its first foray into Italy, in 2011 – in September 2021 through to 2028.
The two shops feature new floors, ceilings, furniture and lighting. In both cases the design is inspired by the cityscape of Bologna.
The shopping arcades and Bologna’s Piazza Santo Stefano served as models for the 700sq m Schengen shop, while the design of the non-Schengen store (300sq m) is based on the historical ‘Palazzi Bolognesi’ palaces of Bologna. This is reflected in the inclusion of chandeliers and frescoes [a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid lime plaster -Ed] in similar style to those found in the palaces.
In the Schengen store, the area for fashion, accessories, watches and jewellery has been enlarged, with significant space created for Italian brands such as Furla and Coccinelle. The Non-Schengen shop was also extensively renovated, with many new brands introduced.
Global Italian brands such as Gucci, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana are complemented by the representation of a raft of new Italian brands selected by Heinemann Italia. They are particularly noticeable in the wines & spirits, fine foods and confectionery categories across both stores.
At the entrance to the larger store, a smart pop-up area has been created for brand promotions. This, Heinemann noted, underscores its vision of offering travellers “unforgettable experiences”.
Heinemann Italia Managing Director Fulvio Fassone said today: “Heinemann opened its stores in Bologna 12 years ago. At that time, it was our first location in Italy. We are very proud that in the course of the modernisation we can once again significantly improve our spectacular assortment here.
“In addition, our cooperation with the airport today goes far beyond commercial business in terms of sustainability projects, commercial strategies, market analysis and social initiatives.”
Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report at today’s opening event, Bologna Airport CEO Nazareno Ventola said he is confident the airport will get close or equal to 2019 passenger levels this year, after being just -9.7% down in 2022. His forecast confirms that Italy is recovering more quickly than many other world travel markets.
He paid tribute to Heinemann’s role in recovery from the COVID-19 crisis at the airport. “We built a strong partnership in the good times. So when the bad times came, we were ready for it.
“The relationship from a business perspective and on a personal level was excellent before the pandemic and this helped us tackle the issues that we had to face in these past three years.
“I think that when you’re in such a situation you have to give and take and find a way together to come out of a crisis. I think we have done that and emerged from the pandemic in a good position.”
Giving his take on the very strong local flavour of the new stores, he said: “It’s one of the key features of the offer that Heinemann has been building up together with us, to give a Sense of Place.
“It’s important how Bologna as an airport represents its territory; we want to be able to express what we have through the products we offer to passengers. Heinemann has made an important contribution to that with these great upgraded stores.”
Bologna Airport Sales Director Stefano Gardini told The Moodie Davitt Report that he is confident of exceeding 2019 commercial revenues in 2023. He also revealed that the airport has a substantial transformation of landside commercial facilities planned.
Of the Heinemann partnership, he said: “It’s about ten years we have worked together with Heinemann and it’s not simply a contract or business relationship, it’s a partnership. It’s important for the airport that a commercial partner shares the same values we have, not only in business terms but also quality, experience, sustainability and people. Heinemann matches up on all of those aspects.”
Gebr. Heinemann Director Sales Christoph Stump commented: “Our two stores and the range of products are now even more closely linked to Bologna and its surroundings.
“It is in line with our conviction to work out the optimal concept together with our partners on site and make sure it is aligned with the local conditions and the special features of the region.
“The combination of selected regional products with global brands is tailor-made for the international audience in Bologna.”
Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report today, Stump added: “We can already see that customers are receiving the concept very well. This beautiful new shopping environment makes us very optimistic for the year ahead. We did very good numbers last summer and we are expecting a big increase on that this year.”
Heinemann currently holds retail contracts at three Italian airports, the others being in Bari and Torino.
Asked if Heinemann expects to expand its business in Italy, using the new stores at Bologna as a showcase and springboard, he replied: “Definitely. We are looking forward to new opportunities for the business in Italy because Italy itself has huge potential as a market. It is also very competitive because of all the operators here.
“But we already have a very good footprint and ten years of experience of the market – we are prepared for the future and upcoming Italian airport tenders.” 
PICTURE GALLERY
