Aelia Group has been awarded the contract to run tax- and duty-free retail at Bordeaux Mérignac airport following an open tender. The contract includes the master retail concession at the airport’s new “simplified services” terminal, scheduled to open in May 2010.

Under the new concession, Aelia will operate a 200m² airside tax- and duty-free store at Bordeaux’s terminal A, offering a range of perfumes, cosmetics, liquor, tobacco, confectionery and fine food. In terminal B, the company will run a 80m² landside store offering perfumes, cosmetics and fashion accessories. Both stores are currently run by Aelia and will be fully renovated.

Meanwhile the new “simplified services” terminal at Bordeaux, known as “Billi”, features almost 600m² of commercial space, including a 355m² tax- and duty-free store, a 110m² news and gifts outlet and a 120m² bar and café. The F&B outlet will be managed by airport catering specialist Elior, while the press element will be run by Relay, Aelia’s sister company within the Lagardère Services group.

The master concession is the first of its kind for Aelia, which was able to respond to Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac’s call for a single retail partner in the new facility. The terminal is designed with the simplification of processes in mind, reducing costs in order to attract airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair, both of which will add new routes from Bordeaux after Billi is inaugurated.

Aelia’s tax- and duty-free store in the new terminal will be located immediately after security and features a walk-through format, so that all passengers enter the store upon arriving in the departure lounge. Approximately half of the surface area will be devoted to perfumes and cosmetics, complemented by a full range of liquor, wines & champagnes, confectionery & fine food. The store will also offer fashion and accessories brands such as Lacoste and Polo Jeans, plus a range of sunglasses, jewellery and watches. Tobacco will also be available to passengers travelling outside the EU, with low-cost carrier Jet4You to operate flights between Billi and North Africa.

Among highlights of the product offer will be a dedicated wine cellar offering famous vintages from the Bordeaux region. France’s South-West will also be well represented in fine food and confectionery, with several regional specialities prominent within the offer.

Making its debut in French airport retail will be skincare brand Caudalie, renowned for its beauty treatments containing the polyphenols found in grapes. The brand’s inclusion in the offer at Bordeaux is part of Aelia’s drive to tailor its range to suit each airport environment, and to test new brands with real legitimacy in a given location.

Aelia Group director of French regional operations Pascal le Droff said: “This has proved a very interesting project for our company, not only because we share Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac’s confidence in Billi’s potential, but also in that this is the first time we have taken on a master concession that includes the news and F&B sectors. We have been fortunate to find two very professional partners in Relay and Elior and we are grateful to them for their support.

“Our tax- and duty-free range has been carefully constructed to include not just the leading international brands, but also the best of Bordeaux and the South-West, a region famous around the world for its fine wines and gourmet food. With a wide range of goods presented in an attractive walk-through store, we believe this operation has huge potential.”