Dufry’s World Duty Free New Generation Store was officially launched today at Heathrow Terminal 3.   With over 2,500m² of retail space, the newly refurbished store features the latest digital technology, to deliver a highly personalized shopping experience to the 25,000 customers who visit it each day.

The New Generation Store makes extensive use of digital technology to boost customer engagement by “talking” to the most represented nationalities in their own language and addressing the individual preferences of the different passenger profiles. As well as generating a unique shopping experience, digitalization within the store also supports sales staff when they are advising customers on brands and product ranges, with the assistance of new tablets which provide information on product characteristics, customs allowances and many other points of interest in several languages. The newly opened New Generation Store at Heathrow Terminal 3 is the first of its kind in the UK.

Commenting on the new store, Fred Creighton, Dufry Divisional CEO of UK and Central Europe said: “We are very proud to present this New Generation Store to passengers visiting Heathrow’s Terminal 3, as this is the latest generation concept in shop design. We are confident that customers will enjoy the completely new and immersive shopping experience it delivers. We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our teams, brands and partners at Heathrow who have worked in close collaboration with us, to help us deliver this exciting new retail space.”

Ross Baker, Chief Commercial Officer at Heathrow continues, “It’s fantastic to see this new World Duty Free concept brought to life, and I know that passengers will be delighted with the new interactive and experiential feel to the space.  Adding the New Generation Store to Terminal 3 really compliments the wider redevelopment of the departure lounge undertaken recently. Together, these investments have significantly enhanced the experience we offer passengers.”

At the store’s entrance, passengers first encounter the two key categories of beauty and liquor.  Within the 1,000m² Beauty Hall, customers can discover an extensive range of brands – including many new ones to the T3 store – supported with interactive, digital technologies which enable them to ‘virtually’ experiment with different make up looks, or find out more about different products in their preferred language.  A series of impactful boutique areas have been created for the iconic, international brands including Chanel, Lancôme and Estée Lauder and Dior has introduced its Maison Christian Dior concept into this store, the first in travel retail worldwide.

The beauty area also features a premium ‘Skincare Zone’ which introduces customers to prestigious brands such as La Mer, Omorovicza, Sisley, Fresh and Eve Lom.  Here customers can have consultations with specialist staff and enjoy a variety of free pre-flight treatments and services.  Extra space has also been allocated to fragrance with a dedicated ‘Haute Parfumerie’ area.  Brands new to the T3 store are showcased here and include Acqua di Parma, Diptyque, Bond No.9 and Atelier Cologne.

Within the liquor area, spirits have been grouped into ‘collections’ to make shopping the category easier and more accessible for customers.  At the heart of this section is a Destination Tasting Bar where customers can ‘try before they buy’.  It incorporates a digital display fascia, which enables content and messages to be instantly tailored to suit the particular passenger profile at any given time.

Sunglasses are the main focus in the luxury area and are stunningly displayed using an entirely new illuminated shelving system.  This display concept is a unique design to Dufry and this is the first store in which it has been introduced.  Over 1200 styles from 42 different brands are offered, including new names such as British brand Taylor Morris.  

The customer journey through the store space concludes with an extensive confectionery area showcasing strong British brands such as Butlers and Fortnum and Mason, which is one of the bestselling food ranges at in the Heathrow Terminal 3 store.  More recognized brands such as M&Ms, Kinder and Cadbury are grouped together in a more playful, interactive zone.

In addition to this main store, World Duty Free also has a newly refurbished 600m² store in the Flight Connection Centre, which offers a range of beauty, liquor and confectionery products. It also continues to operate its additional standalone store concepts in Heathrow T3 which include World of Whiskies (41m²), Sunglasses (76m²), Glorious Britain (66m²), Jo Malone London (50m²) and M.A.C. (40m²).