Hudson, part of Avolta, and a travel experience leader with more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, landmarks, and tourist destinations across North America, earned top honors for locally inspired retail at the 2024 AX Awards hosted by Airport Experience News during its 20^th annual Airport Experience Conference last week in Dallas.

Judges named Hudson’s Civil Rights Trail Market in Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) the Best Local-Inspired Store at a medium or small airport for expertly combining a product line predominantly featuring local items, crafts, and souvenirs with a store designed to replicate the look and feel of the region.

“Being recognized with this award for Best Local-Inspired Store is an honor, especially when the awards are bestowed by a group of industry leaders who we deeply respect and enjoy working so closely with to continuously improve the passenger experience across North America,” said Steve Johnson, President and CEO, North America, Avolta. “Travelers are at the center of everything we do — from the products we offer in our travel convenience, specialty retail, and duty free stores to the hospitality we provide — to make the journey as exciting as the destination. I attribute this recognition to our strong partners who see our vision for the future of our industry and our team members who make travelers happier every day.”

Located in Terminal C at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Civil Rights Trail Market is a first-of-its-kind travel convenience store that pays homage to the historic civil rights movement, the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, and Alabama’s important place in American history. Through a partnership with Lee Sentell, Author of “The Official U.S. Civil Rights Trail: What Happened Here Changed The World,” the storefront dons an official timeline and powerful imagery of the national and local civil rights movements. Copies of Sentell’s book are available for purchase as well as Civil Rights Trail-branded merchandise honoring Birmingham’s leading role in the movement and presence along the Trail.

“We appreciate the partnership with Hudson and the collaborative way our teams approach serving visitors at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport,” said Ingrid Hairston, Chief Revenue Officer for the Birmingham Airport Authority. “The Civil Rights Trail Market celebrates the rich history of this community and helps to tell a story that changed the world. We are sharing that with visitors in such a beautiful way.”