Just in time for the peak travel season, Heinemann Duty Free is celebrating the reopening of its shop at Salzburg Airport – and the unveiling of a new look. Along with the new name and brand identity, a new “Regionals” zone in the shop showcases products and specialities from the local area.

Construction work was recently completed at Salzburg’s W. A. Mozart Airport, and the shop – which has a sales area of around 415 square metres – was formally reopened. Alongside the familiar Travel Value & Duty Free logo, the new brand name shines out for the first time: Heinemann, which is also the name of this tradition-conscious family-run company from Hamburg, Germany. As co-owner Gunnar Heinemann puts it, “We are giving duty free a face and bring personality to the business.” The new logo comprises three bright red sails alongside the Heinemann name, expressing the dynamism of the company from the Hanseatic City while calling to mind shopping bags that symbolise airport shopping. The unveiling in Salzburg, Austria, marked the first appearance for the new brand and the associated shop concept outside Germany, following the shop openings in Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Heinemann’s new shops represent a major step forward for the Travel Value & Duty Free concept on the basis of three key elements. Firstly, international brands are offered at low prices, and the product range contains scores of surprises. The value-for-money ratio (as verified by the TÜV) confirms that 90 percent of Heinemann’s products are priced up to

30 percent lower than the retail sector or the Internet can offer. Heinemann places a particular emphasis on a wide assortment of products and stock availability. Secondly, customers enjoy full service: air passengers can pre-order purchases before embarking on their trip, either by telephone or online; the goods ordered will then be waiting at the shop’s service counter, where they can be collected in a matter of seconds. The third element is the enthusiasm of the shop employees: customers are assisted by highly trained staff who deliver the standard of service they have come to expect from Heinemann.

Shopping with a regional flavour

One big highlight of the new shop concept is the “Regionals” area – a promotional stage on which selected products, specialities and delicacies from the local region are presented. For Salzburg, the regional range inevitably includes the world-famous chocolate and marzipan ‘kugel’ along with other typically Austrian delicacies and souvenirs.

However, the “Regionals” stages have more to offer than a selection of products: they also feature eye-catching designs. At each airport, the stage is conceived by a well-known local artist, architect or designer with strong links to the region. Austrian architect Volkmar Burgstaller was responsible for planning the stage at Salzburg Airport. “The regional presentation area for Salzburg was developed on the basis of two contrasting design approaches”, says Burgstaller. “The inner part symbolises the stages of the festival city, while the exposed outer section represents the landscape, and especially the surrounding hills and mountains.”

These individualised designs make every Heinemann site unique and unmistakable. Whereas the fixtures and fittings as well as the products in the Heinemann Duty Free shops are chosen to maximise the recognition factor amongst customers, “Regionals” stages are regularly redeveloped into totally new styles.

Successful partnership

Needless to say, the new Heinemann Duty Free shop also means an extension to the productive partnership established between Gebr. Heinemann and Salzburg Airport

W. A. Mozart. “High-class duty free shopping has become a firm feature of the airport and travel experience. We are delighted to have been working for so long and so successfully with Heinemann Duty Free, which is a world-leading organisation in the field”, points out Karlheinz Bohl, CEO of Salzburg Flughafen GmbH. In fact, their partnership dates back to 1964; Heinemann initially acted as a supplier and later (from May 2001 onwards) as the operator of the Travel Value & Duty Free shop. Mr. Bohl is enthusiastic about the new shop concept: “I was impressed to find that the Heinemann Duty Free shop was bigger, brighter and more clearly planned that I’d expected. Apart from the excellent product range and superb value for money, it’s the welcoming atmosphere that will draw people into the shop.”