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by ArabianBusiness.com staff writer on Friday, 05 December 2008
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After adding the retail area at Dubai Duty Free's Terminal 3 to its portfolio, RCD has high hopes.
As the company behind the look of the new retail area, specialist consultancy Retail Concepts Design (RCD) has revealed plans to take its airport design expertise into new markets.
Managing director Stewart Caddick has worked as a store planning and design consultant to Dubai Duty Free since 1997 and after years of working with Dubai Duty Free's senior management team RCD was appointed by the Department of Civil Aviation Authority to carry out the T3 retail project comprising 16 units in Departures at 5,000m², two units in arrivals across 2000m² and four landside units at 800m².
The original brief for T3 was to develop the existing planning and merchandise principles of Terminal 1, incorporating greater flexibility for the inclusion of vendor areas of branded walls and freestanding fixtures, in order to create a harmonised overall environment.
Space for retail was allocated by the airport authority with a great deal of input from Dubai Duty Free in terms of circulation and space allocation, in some cases with significant effect, Caddick explains. RCD identified the route that First and Business class passengers will take on entering the Concourse and located the luxury zone there to "optimise exposure to premium shoppers and thereby maximize potential revenue".
Dubai Duty Free was keen to embrace the latest technology, and this was achieved with a 22m long, curved LED screen with the highest level of commercially available screen definition located at the entrance zone to the main departures concourse. The screen and associated structure was custom built in the US by the leaders in the field of digital screens, Daktronics.
Dubai Duty Free was eager to ensure that they would be able to execute payment transactions in the shortest possible time.
"We analysed the passenger flow and strategically positioned cash and wrap or check-out units to ensure the shopper is never far from being able to pay and that the process will be as quick as possible.
"Both parties spent considerable time over the past few years developing the design of the check out units with NCR," Craddick adds.
• Request: Dubai Duty Free was keen to adopt a very open approach to the entrances of all the shops within the retail project at T3.
Result: There are no windows or doors to any of the shops either in the baggage hall (Arrivals) or Concourse (Departures). The threshold between the public and retail space is therefore notional, thus encouraging the passenger to browse and drift into the outlets.
• Request. Dubai Duty Free was keen to maintain a strong brand presence throughout the retail offer, constantly reminding the passenger where they are.
• Result: This has been achieved in a manner that balances the branding of the vendors with that of Dubai Duty Free, which as the ‘host brand' is clearly identified on the fascias and at the point of sale.
• Gold has been located in a dedicated retail unit, unlike T1 where it is at the central entrance, creating a stronger in-store ambience appropriate to the category. Design features have included extensive use of 24 carat gold leaf; darkened ceilings with over 500 individual fibre optic lights and a shop front showcase featuring a specially-sourced amethyst rock from Columbia, South America.
• Retail pods: The central departures concourse walkway, spanning more than 500 metres in length and flanked by the retail units on either side, contains a number of ‘retail pods.'
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