Lagardère Travel Retail wins Santiago airport F&B concession

Lagardère Travel Retail has been awarded the concession to operate 20 F&B outlets at Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in partnership with Chilean company Global Group Corporation (GGCorp).

It will be Lagardère Travel Retail’s first foray into South America and Chile, a market it says offers “remarkable growth prospects” for its future regional development.

The stores will cover a total floor area of 3,600sqm and be located in both the existing and new International Terminal, which is set to open in July 2021.

Lagardère Travel Retail and Global Group Corporation have formed a joint venture to run this new operation.

The company states that a key factor behind its success in winning the concession was its ability to “bring together the best of global and local, and to develop concepts that are truly representative of what the Chilean culture and cuisine have best to offer”.

Jean-Baptiste Morin, COO Americas at Lagardère Travel Retail, said: “We’re delighted to be stepping foot in South America with a strong partnership with both the airport and GGCorp.

“The region offers very exciting prospects for growth that we are confident can be fully realised when the sanitary situation will be controlled.

“Santiago–Arturo Merino Benítez proves it by investing in the future of its retail facilities and by modernising its infrastructure.

“Most importantly this sends a strong signal of optimism on both parts: we get on with business because we are hopeful for a brighter future and want to be where the growth is.”

Felipe Elgueta, Director of GGCorp, said: “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Groupe ADP and VINCI Airports on the new terminal project in Santiago.

“Our company has been working for more than 17 years at Arturo Merino Benitez Airport in various businesses from advertising, with Massiva, to gastronomy with GGCorp.

“We are very proud to be partners of Lagardère Travel Retail and we are sure that together we will be able to improve the experience at the airport, which will have a capacity for 30 million passengers.”

Xavier Lortat-Jacob, CEO of airport operator, Nuevo Pudahuel, commented: “The new international terminal of Arturo Merino Benítez Airport brought together two leaders in airport operations – Groupe ADP and VINCI Airports.

“This new infrastructure will not only allow us to lead Santiago airport into the front row of the region but also grow the connectivity of the country as we have already done in the past 5 years.

“We are very proud that Lagardère Travel Retail and Global Group Corporation will be part of this wonderful and successful project as we aim for excellence and success.”

Lagardère Travel Retail expects over 380 staff will be hired locally by 2023.

Santiago is one of South America’s busiest airports, handling close to 25 million passengers in 2019.