Dufry, the world’s leading travel experience player, confirms its position as Aena’s best partner. The company has been awarded the lots across Andalusia-Mediterranean, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Catalonia and Madrid for a period of twelve years, representing 100% of the lots tendered for in Spain, third-most popular global destination for incoming tourists. In line with Aena’s tender process, the awarded company must have presented the best technical proposals and economic offers, and with Dufry winning five of the six lots, the company confirms its global leadership in travel retail and travel F&B.

Dufry's Chief Executive Officer, Xavier Rossinyol commented: "We really believe that we are the best partner for Aena, and see this award, where we retain nearly all our operations, as a confirmation of the potential offered by our newly combined business and our exciting strategy to create a travel experience revolution. Our strategy, Destination 2027, will be brought to life in our Spanish operations through a consumer-centric and digitally engaging offer that combines Travel Retail with F&B, generating value for our customers, for our concession partner Aena, for our brand partners and suppliers, and for Dufry. Importantly, the new contracts will be accretive to our profitability and cash flow, in line with our business development strategy and our commitment provided to the market. This is with thanks to the material additional space of 30%, number of new categories granted and the new spaces to operate F&B within Retail, allowing us to give a key push to our new Hybrid concepts. 

As a company, we are pleased to continue our significant and longstanding partnership with Aena, and we remain thankful for their trust and commitment as we travel together. I also extend my thanks to Luis Suárez, our partner and CEO of Canresa, for their longstanding collaboration over the past decades in the Canary Islands market and the renewed successful partnership in developing the submission for the key Canaries lot. Most importantly, huge thanks go to our local and global teams for their dedication and commitment to elevate the travel experience for travellers in Spain with a strong sense of place and belonging, introducing some exciting hybrid concepts, while delivering on our financial targets. Let the travel experience revolution for Spain begin!"

Business combination fuels innovation
Boosting the existing operations, Dufry will take advantage of this new era to renovate its stores, aiming to revolutionize the traveller’s experience through a true hybrid offering, getting the best out of retail and F&B, with a sensational line up of concepts characterized by digitization and innovation, reinforcing ties with customers and offering immersive experiences. Delivering on a strong sense of place, the redesign is inspired by the history, culture and tradition of the city where each airport is located; the store becomes the city.

Dufry’s expertise in global travel experiences, drive for sustainability and in-depth knowledge of operations in Spain guides the creation of smart outlets where customers can interact physically and digitally. Bringing the element of surprise, the company will incorporate new brands and concepts with various entertainment spaces, collaborating with a renowned chef for the commercial offering in the new gourmet bars at these airports. 

The proficiency required in bringing ‘hybrid’ concepts to life, prominent in Aena’s tender, underlines the power in Dufry’s recent combination with leading global food & beverage operator, Autogrill. Reaping the benefits of both Travel Retail and F&B, the combined business is setting sail for its Destination 2027 strategy and to realize a Travel Experience Revolution, with a definitive new company name and visual identity expected to be announced later this year.