St Petersburg, - Following the successful extension in November 2020 of its duty free concession contract at Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg, Dufry and RegStaer have held an official inauguration for the fully refurbished 2,670m² duty free walk-through store and 235m² KIDS store, both of which are located in the international departures hall immediately after security. 

The opening event was attended by Maxim Sokolov, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg; Leonid Sergeev, CEO Airport Pulkovo; as well as Julian Diaz, CEO Dufry, and Alexander Baev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of RegStaer.

The design of the new walk-through store conveys a sense of summer gardens, creating an airy and open space, while bionic décor elements reflect the beautiful and majestic city of St. Petersburg with a modern twist. The duty-free shop offers customers a wide range of products from the world's most renowned brands across all major categories, including perfume and cosmetics, spirits, confectionery and fashion accessories.

The KIDS concept store, which is conveniently located just after the main duty free store welcomes both adults and children alike to explore its bright, and inviting space.  Designed with a strong aviation theme, brightly coloured toy planes hang from the ceiling and product gondolas resemble helicopters! The product mix combines toys, confectionery, children’s sunglasses and clothing from major brands including Lego, Kinder, Ray-Ban, Polaroid and Gulliver.

Additionally, passengers can take advantage of the convenient Reserve & Collect pre-order service, which allows them to select the product they like on the website in advance of their flight and pick it up at the store. (Reserve & Collect website: www.stpetersburg.shopdutyfree.com).

Introducing Pulkovo airport, Leonid Sergeev, General Director of the managing company LLC Northern Capital Gateway, noted: “Dufry has made a significant contribution to the development of Pulkovo airport for many years. The RegStaer group of companies has joined a stable, mutually beneficial cooperation, opening this wonderful store today, together with Dufry.

We are grateful that during a rather difficult period for the aviation industry, the project was not suspended, and now Pulkovo airport passengers can make purchases with pleasure, enjoying the comfortable atmosphere before their flight."

Speaking at the opening event, Julian Diaz, CEO Dufry commented: “I am delighted to be here today with our valued colleagues and partners from Pulkovo Airport and RegStaer.  We have operated the Pulkovo concession since 2014 and I would like to thank everyone involved for their renewed partnership and trust.  St. Petersburg is the most visited tourist city in Russia and the airport typically welcomes 19.6 million passengers each year.  These new stores will offer all those travellers an exceptional and memorable shopping experience, which will be further enhanced by the latest best practices in our digital technology and customer engagement services.”