Chris Wilkinson: First Retail Group managing director on Auckland Airport promising changes for duty-free

Auckland International Airport’s duty-free stores are set for a big makeover under a new partnership with French global travel retailer Lagardère.

Lagardère successfully won an eight-year contract to operate the airport’s four duty-free stores from July, according to a new announcement.

The airport says passengers can expect to see the next evolution of duty-free shopping.

First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson says this is a promising development.

"The key thing about duty-free is - it gives you a lot of selection, particularly in cosmetics and perfumery. You won't find that level of selection in general retail."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The French are flying into Upland International Airport. This French
global output, the travel retailer Lagardere, has won an eight
year contract to run the airport's duty free shops for
the next eight years. Obviously, apparently they're going to be
stocking top global brands, which I thought most of our
airport and our international airport duty free stores already were.

(00:22):
But how much better off are you actually shopping duty free?
Chris Wilkinson's the first retail group managing directories with us. Now, Hi, Chris, hey, Ryan,
how are you a good thank you? Good to have
you on the show. This is obviously a good thing.
This is good news that the French coming here to
do this.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, well we've already got French operator in the end now,
so this operator is I guess just a massive scale
around the world. So it's a very promising sign.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Is it true? I mean, yes, you get your GST off,
you get your duty off, but at the prices? Actually,
you know, do you is it one for one? Do
you get back every dollar that you save on GST
and on duty?

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Well, it's interesting. I just took a couple of products
before and tested them out. So Bombay Gin for instance,
fifty six dollars at the airport it is sixty nine
to ninety nine, but you can get two for seventy
nine or three four hundred and ten. You know, that's
just one example. We know that some products are more expensive.
I mean, if you see Witkers chocolate, well, what were

(01:26):
you're expecting? It's going to be expensive there anyway. But
the key thing about gfree is it gives you a
lot of selection, and particularly in cosmetics and perfumery, you
won't find that level of selection in general retail.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, yeah, I agree with that. But is it as
cheap as it should be? I guess is the question?
And there's anyone watching, I mean, what laws do you
have to follow on and buy buy if you're in
the airport?

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, look, that'd be a question for Auckland Airport. But
what you will find, also Ryan, is that the product
sizes are often different than you buy normal retail, so
it's sometimes quite hard to compare at like for like.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Okay, Chris, thank you very much for that. Chris wilkinsentious
retail group with.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
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