Expansion at Sheremetyevo Strengthens Global German Duty Free Retailer's Position as Russia's Biggest Operator

HAMBURG, Germany and MOSCOW, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Imperial Duty Free JSC (IDF), the Russian joint venture between Sheremetyevo Airport and Gebr. Heinemann, is building on its outstanding position at Moscow's largest airport, Sheremetyevo (SVO), and expanding its retail space from around 6,700 square meters to 10,700 square meters. The takeover and integration of additional retail space has enabled IDF to increase its shopping area by around 80 percent. In the new Terminal B, IDF has opened ten new shops; in Terminal E, all four existing shops have been fully redesigned to increase customer turnover.

Established in 2013, IDF now operates a total of 55 shops at Sheremetyevo International Airport, making it the largest operator in the Russian travel retail market. From October 2018, IDF will join the loyalty program Heinemann&ME, allowing passengers at Sheremetyevo to take advantage of online and offline offers along their entire journey.

"Imperial Duty Free JSC has established itself as a reliable and competent duty free operator at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport since 2014, and we are very proud of our long-term, fair partnership with the airport," says Claus Heinemann, co-owner of Gebr. Heinemann. "For us, the expansion of our joint travel retail operations represents a great confirmation of our entrepreneurial commitment in Russia, which we will continue to develop into the future."

Mr. Alexander Ponomarenko, chairman of the board of directors of SVO International Airport JSC, says: "We are proud of our collaboration with Heinemann, a leading company with tremendous experience in the market, which is developing and utilizing innovative solutions for duty free retail spaces. Our joint project has resulted in a world-class duty free area that consistently exceeds general expectations for a conventional duty free store." He adds: "We hope passengers perceive the new duty free shopping area in a positive light, making our partnership with Heinemann a role model for international duty free ventures."

SVO is Russia's largest airport, with 5 VIP lounges and 13 business lounges, and in 2017 served 40,093,000 passengers, 17.8% more than in 2016. SVO is also the base of Aeroflot. Russia's largest and fastest-growing airline, and is supporting the airline's growth through the construction of three new terminals, which are expected to double passenger capacity. The first of these, Terminal B, is now open. The next (Terminal C1) is already being built.

Gebr. Heinemann supplies more than 1,000 corporate customers in over 100 countries. The company operates more than 330 Heinemann Duty Free & Travel Value shops, fashion label boutiques under license, and concept shops at 79 airports in 29 countries, along with stores at border crossings and aboard cruise liners. In total, the retail operation now serves more than 40 million customers across approximately 140,000 square meters of retail space every year. Gebr. Heinemann has more than 6,000 employees around the world.

SOURCE Sheremetyevo Airport