Source: Aena

Aena has awarded the consultancy to design the tender strategy and the contractual relationship with potential operators to the firm Alvarez & Marsal as an initial step in the process of renewing the management of duty-free shops at network airports, which will come into force in November 2023.

This contract will allow Aena to identify the optimum business model with the following objectives: to establish the most suitable contractual relationship; to attract the largest number of international operators; to diversify the business; to adapt to the changing trends that are emerging in both the type of passenger and the model; and to incorporate and enhance the development and implementation of new technologies.

The consultancy contract was awarded for €3.6 million and it includes the preparation, drafting and monitoring of the tender documents and the bidding process for 36 months.

This consultancy is divided into several phases: an initial in-depth, multidisciplinary analysis of the business of duty-free shops on a global level in order to establish the future bidding and contractual relationship strategies that will serve as a framework and starting point; a subsequent drafting of the tender documents; and consulting services during the bidding process.

Aena currently has four contracts for the provision of commercial services for the duty-free shops at 26 network airports with 88 points of sale that occupy more than 43,000 m2. These contracts are in force until 31 October 2023. Therefore, the tender is planned for the last quarter of 2022.