By Dr. Patricia Ryan, Decision Services International, LLC
Dallas- Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) welcomed a full house at its pre-proposal meeting for the Request for Proposals for food/ beverage, retail and duty free issued on December 5, 2014.
Zenola Campbell, vice president of concessions for DFW, stressed the need for new concessions at DFW, remarking: “We aspire to be number one or play in the hemisphere of world class airports like Singapore and Hong Kong.”
DFW previously issued the first phase of Terminal D which is now being built out. Terminal D is eight years old and has a very successful Concessions North and South Village concept that the airport wants to expand. This latest RFP has 20 packages with 34 locations in Terminals B, D and E.
Duty free is scheduled to have six single locations from 501 sqf to 13,292 sqf in area, located between Gates D 11 to D 34.
DFW’s concession plan for duty free is focused on the central area of the terminal to take advantage of international recheck traffic at D22. The plan is to draw passengers from the North and South Concession Villages to the central area.
“We want to create a zone of duty free – not just a walk-through duty free,” said Bob Blankenship, assistant vice president, planning at DFW. The zone is to create duty free in and around the gate area.
All the DFW packages have specific ACDBE or M/WBE requirements of 30%. The packages have a heavier focus on food/beverage with most consisting of one location.
Concessionaires must submit questions by February 20, 2015. Food/beverage and retail RFP responses are due March 2, 2015 by 2:00 pm. Concessionaires must submit duty free questions by March 20, 2015. Responses to the duty free packages are due April 2, 2015 before 2:00 pm.
The airport will hold a second pre-proposal meeting for duty free only in January 2015.
DFASS’s Buckaroo Duty Free is the current duty free operator in DFW’s International Terminal D.
Design principles for the duty free opportunities at DFW include:
1. The front of the duty free store must be transparent.
2. Draw customers from North and South Villages with a visual landmark
3. Passenger movement must be facilitated
4. Must keep passenger engaged throughout.
