DUBAI: Vindico, the Middle East’s leading retail delivery specialists, has celebrated the launch of Dubai International Concourse D and the successful opening of the facility’s food and beverage operatiions.
Concourse D has boosted capacity at the world’s busiest international airport to 90 million passengers and has similarly elevated the passenger experience. “The commercial environment plays a critical role in forging a world-class passenger experience,” says Eugene Barry, Executive Vice President of Dubai Airports‘ Commercial & Communications Group.
“Accordingly, we carefully selected partners proposing universally-recognised, high-quality brands that fit within our strategic framework. We also sought to raise the bar with regards to innovation, product range, and individual design and fitout standards. It was a complex project and we were happy to have Vindico’s support in helping our Concessionaires through the opening process.”
The line-up of new restaurants includes The Kitchen by world renowned chef Wolfgang Puck, the region’s first Pret A Manger alongside Giraffe, Yo! Sushi, The Draft House Sports Bar & Canteen, CNN Traveller Café, Camden Food Company, Shawarmanji & Taqado Mexican Kitchen and familiar favourites including McDonald’s, Costa Coffee, Starbuck’s, Caviar House & Prunier, Krispy Kreme and The Noodle House.
Emirates Leisure Retail opened seven outlets in Concourse D. Kevin Zajax, Chief Commercial Officer, says “Concourse D, and Concourse A before that, have been very important opportunities for us
to create compelling food and beverage offers that delight and excite travelers. The effort we put into realising new brands and concepts is matched by Vindico’s effort in supporting, and challenging us through the design, fitout and mobilisation processes.
Zajax continues, “The working relationship with Vindico is collaborative, where we each focus on achieving common outcomes – finding the best possible creative and technical design solutions whilst overcoming the challenges of a large, complicated project to be open and serving our customers on time.”
Vindico provided Dubai Airports with an integrated retail delivery strategy, design and management service through an onsite embedded team, with support from Vindico’s Dubai studio.
For Concourse D, Vindico’s studio team supported the creation of the terminal’s design guide, technical criteria and space drawings used by Concessionaires, facilitated the interface between Concessionaires and commercial, construction and operational readiness teams.
“The effort we put into realising new brands and concepts is matched by Vindico’s effort in supporting, and challenging us.” -Kevin Zajax – Emirates Leisure Retail
In addition to the food and beverage units, Vindico coordinated the successful opening of five airline lounges, a staff dining facility and five retail & services units.
“Our role supporting Dubai Airports is evolving in step with how we are growing as a business,” comments Vindico Managing Director, Richard Kim. “Having supported retail delivery for Dubai Airports’ development projects since 2012, our attention shifts to supporting the active management of retail space in operational terminals.”
“The travel retail business is very different to shopping centres, and we enjoy the challenge and opportunity of transferring what we learn in airports back into the evolving retail property sector, where agility and performance based commercials are establishing themselves as drivers of value, particularly in food and beverage,” Kim concludes.
