Travel retail leader Hudson continues to up its game in U.S. airports, creating some of the most innovative and experiential stores in the industry.
This week, Hudson revealed its latest eye-catching and welcoming new concept, Evolve by Hudson (Evolve), a shop-in-shop store that will blend a specialty brand experience with the accessibility of travel essentials to create an immersive, customer-centric shopping destination.
By reimagining the convenience and seamless experience of one-stop shopping that is often associated with Hudson stores, Evolve represents the evolution of traditional travel retail, moving towards larger integrated store concepts. It will do this by incorporating complementary brands from both Hudson’s and Dufry’s nationally and globally-recognized portfolios, says Brian Quinn, EVP and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Hudson.
“The strategy we’ve executed over the years has positioned the Hudson brand as an iconic and trusted anchor of the airport experience for travelers and landlords alike. Now, as we’re witnessing the dynamic transformation of the retail space, we’re taking the opportunity to further leverage what makes it successful: convenience and brand recognition,” explains Quinn.
“Our new Evolve store will transform larger retail footprints, with the existing Hudson convenience model in mind, to curate a multi-brand concept that will allow Hudson to continuously innovate for the modern travel retail environment now and into the future,” he said.
The first Evolve store is set to open at Nashville International Airport (BNA) later this summer, followed by seven additional locations including Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL) and Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS).
Reimagined Store Design & Layout
Each Evolve store will be designed with a wide-open store-front, a footprint of at least 2,000-square-feet, and eye-catching digital signage on the exterior, providing a unique glimpse into the brand offerings right from the concourse.
Once inside the expansive store, a circular traffic flow will seamlessly guide travelers around the centrally-located floor displays and out towards the specialty shop-in-shop walls. Stopping at any of the shop-in-shops along the way, travelers will see that the identity, style, and design of the brands that they know have been authentically recreated within Evolve.
A variety of different checkout options will also be available to meet travelers’ shopping preferences. In addition to a traditional checkout experience, each Evolve store will feature multiple state-of-the-art self-checkout kiosks as well as Hudson’s newly-developed mobile point of sale (POS) capabilities. This will enable Hudson team members to complete transactions from anywhere on the sales floor and spend more time assisting travelers at the brand shop-in-shops.
Brand Partnerships
Building on the success of Hudson’s first shop-in-shop partnership with Sunglass Hut, as well as its ability to create blended store concepts such as Ink by Hudson and Dunkin’, Evolve represents Hudson’s latest venture into developing integrated brand experiences.
By expanding the number of brands signed on as strategic partners, such as The Art of Shaving, Hudson says it is redefining the idea of one-stop shopping, creating accessibility for travelers and providing new avenues for retail partners to incrementally grow their brand presence and footprint in flexible, non-traditional concepts.
Local & Global
Evolve will feature a selection of nationally-recognized and up-and-coming local brands high-lighted in seven carefully-curated product categories.
No two Evolve stores will be the same – from the store layout to the product offering. The selection and number of brands represented in each store will be specifically tailored to the unique airport destination, with the flexibility to quickly interchange brands based upon demand, seasonality, or trend changes.
To further ensure elevated personalized service at the center of each traveler’s shopping experience, the shop-in-shops will be staffed by knowledgeable Hudson team members serving as brand ambassadors. These staff will offer product demonstrations backed with deep product expertise and training.
Evolve by Hudson: Seven curated shopping categories
Sunglasses: Luxury eyewear from Sunglass Hut
Electronics & Entertainment: Brookstone, LEGO
Personal Care & Wellness: HoMedics, Hyperice, Burt’s Bees, The Art Of Shaving, CoverGirl, L’Oréal, and Sally Hansen
Luggage & Writing Instruments: Briggs & Riley, Herschel Supply Co., TUMI, Caran d’Ache and LAMY
Accessories & Apparel: Happy Socks, STANCE, ROYCE New York, Bread & Boxers
Local Goods & Souvenirs: Localized merchandise including products from local artists and suppliers, as well as fan-favorite sports teams
Travel Essentials & Snacks: Classic travel essentials plus newly expanded confection offerings and Hudson’s proprietary brand line, “Traveler’s Best”
