Thursday January 18th, 2018
Sharjah International Airport re-opened its Duty-Free shopping area yesterday, following extensive renovations, attracting internationally-recognised brands, in addition to its original nine stores and extends over a total area of 1800 square meters.
The renovation project is part of Sharjah International Airport’s efforts to provide the passengers and customers with a diverse range of luxury products goods, souvenirs and services of the highest possible standard, tax-free and customs fees free.
The opening was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Khalid Bin Issam Al Qassimi, Chairman of Department of Civil Aviation in Sharjah; His Excellency Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority; and His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Saud Al Qassimi, Director of Sharjah Airport Authority.
HE Ali Salim Al Midfa commented, “Our main aim is to provide travellers with a unique travel experience at Sharjah International Airport. The renewal of our duty free market facilities and units is part of our ongoing commitment to innovation and exclusivity through unique partnerships with the world’s largest luxury brands and businesses.”
“This renewal underscores our continued commitment to providing the best services, world-class shopping and quality facilities to our passengers, while enabling our Duty free market partners to benefit from the continued growth of passengers and customers during the coming period,” added Al-Midfa.
From his side Mr. Andrea Belardini, Dufry Divisional CEO for Asia, Middle East and Australia, said, “The completion of our new store marks another important step in our journey to deliver retail excellence and a world-class customer experience to passengers visiting Sharjah International Airport. With the introduction of many new brands and a striking new store space, we have taken travel retail to another level for and have underpinned this with significant investment in our staff training to emphasize our dedication to customer service. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks to our colleagues at Sharjah International Airport with whom we have an excellent relationship. We are able to work very closely together and support them in their commitment to significantly improving the passenger experience in every stage of their journey.”
Passengers of Sharjah International Airport can shop in the Duty Free when arriving and departing. The Duty-Free shops provide worldwide brands at competitive prices, giving passengers an opportunity to enjoy shopping as well as the special promotions and raffles which offer a chance of winning valuable prizes.
Moreover, there is a special shopping area called “Rooh Al Arabeyyah”, whcih provides shoppers an opportunity to purchase a wide variety of local goods and products. It also features global brands such as Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Dior, Swatch and Pandora available with products ranging from jewelry, perfumes, watches, Sun glasses under “Rivoli” brand.
As part of the development, a service known as “Purchase Before Departure and Delivery Upon Arrival At Your Destination” has been organised for the convenience of shoppers, which is incentivized by a 10% discount on this new service. In addition, the new Hudson shop is expected to open soon in order to increase the options available for Airport users.
The opening ceremony of the duty- free market was preceded by a meeting of the Dufry Board of Directors who discussed future business plans. Attending the meeting were HE Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority; Chairman of Board of Directors and the members, HE Sheikh Faisal bin Saoud Al Qassimi, Director of Sharjah Airport Authority; Donald De Souza, Director Commercial in Sharjah Airport Authority; Julian Diaz, Chief Executive Officer of the Dufry Market; Louis Marin, Chief Operating Officer of Dufry; Felix Bernier, General Manager of Dufry; Iain Forest, Managing Director, and Andrea Belardini, Chief Operating Officer.
The Duty-Free shops at Sharjah International Airport are operated by the global company “Dufry”, marked by their exceptional customer service. They provide a seamless shopping experience, focusing on provision of the best possible shopping opportunities for airline passengers.
In view of the increasing number of passengers in Sharjah International Airport, Dufry focuses on the development of shops in order to meet the needs and requirements of passengers of a wide variety of nationalities. Dufry is currently managing 2,200 shops in airports, cruise ships, seaports and other tourist destinations around the world.
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