The key announcement on the second day of the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) event, running in Singapore this week, was Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC)’s launch of its new brand concept: Shop-Dine-Unwind.
Having changed from a direct operator to a landlord for its duty free operations, the relevance of the existing Abu Dhabi Duty Free (ADDF) brand was brought into question.

With the change in strategy came the innovation to revise the retail division’s approach and a travel-retail concept and brand that could be transferred beyond the physical borders of the emirate.

Huraiz bin Huraiz, Chief Commercial Officer for ADAC, explains:
“While we all appreciate the achievements and equity that was built up with the Abu Dhabi Duty Free brand, the new business model has transformed significantly over the past 18 months and it was not a suitable brand we could grow and use outside of Abu Dhabi.

“The Shop-Dine-Unwind brand, which will be managed by ADAC’s Commercial Division, not only highlights the change in our business model from owner-operator to landlord, it is also easily transferable – outside of Abu Dhabi – and will eventually enable us to highlight the quality of a travel-retail offer, within ADAC managed airports, internationally,” added Bin Huraiz.

ADAC currently manages five airports within the emirate of Abu Dhabi and sees potential, in the long-term, as an airport asset management company. This necessitates the need to create a transferable destination brand for its retail and F&B division which could manage this aspect of the business, within the respective airport.

ADAC’s stated vision is to ‘create the world’s best airport environments’, and Shop-Dine-Unwind was created to reflect the retail, food and beverage (F&B) offer within those ADAC managed airports. The first Shop-Dine-Unwind branded property within ADAC’s portfolio is Terminal 3 – Abu Dhabi International Airport.

“The Shop-Dine-Unwind offer in Terminal 3 represents the base benchmark of our retail offer and experience from which, through constant feedback from our passengers, we will strive to learn, improve and grow the offerings,” concluded Bin Huraiz.

Shop-Dine-Unwind will also go live in Abu Dhabi International’s Terminal 1 facility within 2010 and in line with the major renovations and enhancements to other travel-retail real estate within the ADAC portfolio. The ultimate Shop-Dine-Unwind offer will, says ADAC, be delivered when Abu Dhabi’s upcoming Midfield Terminal Complex is launched in 2015.
 

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