Dufry, under its Hudson division, has been awarded a 12-year duty free contract at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), as well as a 3-year extension for its duty paid business. Under the new contracts, Hudson will open 16 new stores in Boston by 2024, consisting of eight new duty paid and eight duty free stores.
Hudson has been operating at BOS since 1995, when Boston became one of Hudson’s first markets outside of the tri-state area. Now, nearly three decades later, Hudson has built an expansive portfolio of travel convenience, specialty retail, and quick-serve Food & Beverage (F&B) concepts in all four Terminals at BOS and solidified its position as a trusted partner of The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) and MarketPlace Development.
The Destination 2027 strategy will touch every part of Hudson’s new operations at BOS, reflecting Dufry’s vision to lead a travel retail revolution. This means stores that represent the community, from local products to local partners; omni-channel digital innovation that engages travelers throughout their entire journey; world-class brands from Hudson’s and Dufry’s nationally and globally-recognized portfolios; and service and operational excellence.
In the new stores, and through-out Hudson’s existing operations at BOS, travelers will have the ability to experience frictionless payment options like self-checkout and mobile POS, pre-ordering for duty free through Reserve & Collect, exclusive benefits and savings with the Red By Dufry loyalty program, and/or other cutting-edge technology innovations.
The new stores will be operated in partnership with Hudson’s long-standing Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) Partners in BOS: Branded Works Inc., KELLEE Communications Group, Inc., NIA Corporation, and Saxon Ventures LLC.
A “Glo-cal” approach to Duty Free
Sprawling across 23,000 square feet of retail space, Hudson says that it has crafted a world-class duty free experience of global brands infused with local flavor and flair perfect for all of BOS’ visitors.
Terminals A, B, and C will have a duty free store where both domestic and international travelers can shop. International travelers will be able to take home the best selection of alcohol and tobacco as well as cosmetics and fragrances, while domestic travelers can purchase any products other than alcohol and tobacco.
Terminal E, which is exclusively for international travelers, will offer five distinctive duty free shops including an immersive, 11,000-square-foot walk-through store. Each store will be designed to feel like a destination.
The Connoisseur Collection – the first of its kind in any U.S. airport – will be an intimate drinking lounge and shop, inspired by Boston’s rich heritage of whisky clubs and the vibrant history of the Rowes Wharf trading port. The store will bring together the best of modern, elegant design and color with fine craftsmanship of wood and leather. Inside, an opulent experience will offer travelers a tasting bar and discovery table, a walk-in humidor for cigars and cigarillos, travel retail exclusives from Balvenie, Chivas Regal, and Dewar’s, special bottles from The Macallan and Rémy Martin’s Louis XIII, and a “World of Whiskies” wall.
Three boutique-inspired shops, similar to those on Boston’s iconic Newbury Street, will be spread out throughout the Terminal, each with a different assortment of products. One store will be devoted exclusively to luxury skincare and cosmetics, featuring fragrances Les Exclusifs de Chanel and La Collection Privée Christian Dior. Another will feature the classic duty free offerings of international liquor, fine wines, spirits, and tobacco along with a standalone Johnnie Walker section.
The third store will bring makeup, haircare, and skincare brands like Clinique, Estée Lauder, and Lancôme together with premium eyewear, confection, and local souvenirs. Included in this will be a virtual try-on for sunglasses, a “Mind, Body & Soul” wellness shop-in-shop, and an Haute Perfumery space dedicated to prestigious fragrance houses like Creed, Diptyque, and Parfums de Marly.
Complementing the individual duty free stores will be a mixed-used space walk-through concept.
Every detail of the open concept was chosen with intention, from the entrance gateways mirroring the cable-stayed Zakim Memorial Bridge to the use of artistic renditions of tree canopies as a tribute to the Emerald Necklace of green spaces found throughout the city. An inlaid floor feature will serve as a wayfinder, guiding travelers through different shopping zones similar to Boston’s Freedom Trail.
Shopping zones echo Boston locales
Four shopping zones will make up the store’s interior, inspired by two of Boston’s most iconic neighborhoods: Back Bay and Jamaica Plain.
For Back Bay, Hudson designed two zones that will bring to life the luxury of Newbury Street and the beauty of the secret Rose Garden. In these zones, travelers will find an array of the world’s most prestigious beauty, makeup, perfume, and fragrance brands.
Among the Back Bay prestige beauty brands are Chanel, Clarins, Drunk Elephant, ELEMIS, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Kérastase, Kylie Cosmetics, Lancôme, Shiseido, Sol de Janeiro, and Yves Saint Laurent as well as rotating pop-up shops.
The fragrance section will be anchored by a mixology bar, where perfume lovers can use their smartphones to create and take home their own unique scents.
For makeup aficionados, a dynamic color playground and interactive magic mirrors will help them discover their perfect shade and enjoy a virtual makeover.
Marketplace: from Jamaica Plains to Three Squares
As travelers walk further into the store, sensory surprises and discoveries will await around every bend. Jamaica Plain, a diverse, tight-knit neighborhood with serene greenspaces, will serve as the inspiration for the second half of the store, complete with two distinct zones – The Three Squares, representing the neighborhood’s Hyde, Jackson, and Egleston Squares, and The Arboretum, named after the arboretum of Harvard University.
Built like a local marketplace, travelers can browse a curated collection of watches, jewelry, and sunglasses as well as an extensive selection of products made in or inspired by the city of Boston. This will include sweets and treats from local brands like Cabot’s Candy, Harbor Sweets, Q’s Nuts, Taza Chocolate, and other local vendors.
In addition, Hudson’s exclusive “Exploring Boston” brand line will offer travelers confectionery, souvenirs, apparel, and accessories with custom Boston designs from award-winning American artist Kirsten Ulve.
To deliver a true taste of place, Hudson has also put together an expansive selection of local wines and liquor made in the U.S. From classic American liquor companies to local wineries found throughout New England, travelers will be able to sample, taste, and discover new brands in addition to taking home a bottle of their go-to favorites.
This will include spirits from Boston Harbor Distillery, High West Distillery, Mt. Pleasant Club Whiskey, and Uncle Nearest as well as pre-mixed cocktails to go from NIO.
Combining local Know-How with Excellence in Duty Paid Retailing
With offerings across travel convenience, specialty retail, and F&B, Hudson’s new duty paid stores will showcase a broad assortment of best-in-class brands, innovative technology, and local influence – which it says is “a true love letter to the historic city of Boston.”
BOS will become home to two Hudson Nonstop stores, one in Terminal E and a second location in Terminal C that will be connected to Evolve, Hudson’s innovative travel convenience and specialty retail concept. Both Hudson Nonstop stores will allow travelers a fast and frictionless way to pick up essentials, food and beverage products, etc, and then exit, without stopping to pay. In addition to Hudson Nonstop and Evolve, Hudson will open two additional combination concepts, blending its iconic travel convenience offering with other core categories. In the B/C Connector, Hudson will introduce a combination Hudson and Dunkin’ concept, and in Terminal E, Hudson will open a hybrid Hudson and F&B marketplace. There will also be a standalone Hudson store in the B/C Connector.
Self-checkout will be available at each of the new travel convenience stores so travelers never have to wait, and team members can spend more time serving travelers.
