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In one of the major developments taking place in the travel retail industry this past week, The Houston Airport System made its recommendations for new concession agreements at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), which is opening a new international terminal later this year. The recommendations, which were sent to the Houston City Council for approval, covered nine concession packages, including retail and duty free at both airports. The winners? Turkish-based duty free company ATU Americas, LLC – in its first entry into North America – was recommended for the duty free package at IAH, and World Duty Free Group was recommended for the duty free/retail package at Hobby Airport. See page 1 for further details on this developing story.
Rumblings on the Border? Two U.S. Senators are asking Canada to revise its duty free allowance policy for Canadians making short trips across the border, in an effort to make the regulations on both sides of the shared border more equitable, they say. Page 1.
AIRPORTS. U.S. airports continue to report records in passenger numbers for 2014 – today we have results from the Port Authority of NY/NJ; Washington Dulles and Reagan International and SFO.
THE BAHAMAS: Opening to a new era of luxury. After five years of planning and massive construction, the Baha Mar resort will begin accepting guests at the end of this month. The $3.5 billion resort -developed with Chinese financing and workers shipped in from Asia – is the largest single-phase luxury resort project in the history of the Caribbean, and designed to attract more upscale visitors. Page 2.
AT THE POINT OF SALE: Shiseido opens its first airport travel retail boutique in the world, at Guadalajara Airport in Mexico, in association with travel retail operator Duty Free Partners. Page 3.
In more DFP news, the retailer talks about its new stores at the booming St. Maarten cruise port. Page 4.
SUPPLYSIDE. Spanish fashion brand Desigual unveils its pioneering pop-up store concept for travel retail. Fashion and accessories company Sourcing Network International (SNI) signs a deal with SEVA Group for the distribution of its B-IONIC brand in South America and other markets. Page 4.