London Gatwick (LGW) has opened its revamped and transformed South Terminal departure lounge.
The revamp is part of a £21 million investment programme. The renewed lounge now has ten shops, including luxury leather makers Aspinal of London and jewellers Ernest Jones. It is the first time that the two companies have opened branch in a UK airport.
Other stores that have opened in the departure lounge are Kurt Geiger, Hugo Boss, Lacoste and Case. Harrods will open a new 560 square metre department store focusing on fashion and accessories on August 1. The renovation of the South Terminal departure lounge will also see an additional 12 new or refreshed shops by the year end.
Spencer Sheen, Head of Retail, London Gatwick said: ‘As part of our multi-million investment programme, we have spent £21 million transforming the South Terminal International Departure Lounge into a state-of-the-art retail space. This is a huge step forward in improving the experience for our passengers and transforming Gatwick into London’s airport of choice, as well as setting the benchmark for airport retail in the UK.’
‘Around 93 per cent of our passengers visit a retail outlet before boarding and 86 per cent will make a purchase so we need to offer them the right mix of services and products – whether it’s a luxury department store, family restaurant or high street favourite,’ he said.
The new stores at London Gatwick are equipped with digital screens in Ernest Jones, and tablets in Dixons encouraging passengers to browse their complete range of products. A new marketing campaign to tie in with the new openings at South Terminal was launched on July 1, enabling customers to save up to £400 at the airport.
Gatwick’s North Terminal retail space is also being transformed with the recent opening of the world’s first Ted Baker accessories-only store. Renovations also include a newly designed Fat Face store, as well as the new Boots Express, Lacoste and Superdry stores which opened in June and July. The Red Lion Pub also recently re-opened after a complete refurbishment.
