On 11 January 2021, potential partners will have the opportunity to participate in a competitive tender to operate all Avinor’s duty free shops and single price in Norway.

The shops are located at the airports in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, Kristiansand, Ålesund, Tromsø, Bodø, Harstad/Narvik, Molde and Kristiansund.

The estimated total value of the contract is NOK 30 billion (approximately EUR 3 billion) in turnover throughout the duration of the contract, – from 2023 to 2027.

– We have been very pleased with our existing operator, Travel Retail Norway. We now want to explore the international market to secure the best terms and the best shops going forward, explains Executive Vice President for Commercial Areas at Avinor, Joachim Lupnaav Johnsen.

Income from the duty free shops provides a significant part of Avinor’s financial performance and has traditionally represented 28 per cent of the company’s annual revenue.

– By partnering with the world’s best and most effective operators, we can ensure a financial foundation that will enable us to deliver on our social mandate and continue operating our airport network in the years to come, concludes Johnsen.

Unique position set to remain after pandemic

Duty free shopping holds a unique position in Norway, due to high purchasing power and an affluent population. Sales from international arrivals are particularly strong and represents more than 50 per cent of the duty free sales at Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL).

The coronavirus pandemic has obviously had a negative impact on duty free revenue as a result of the marked decrease in passenger numbers. Future traffic will depend on travel restrictions, infection rates and not least progress in vaccination. Avinor’s long-term scenarios for international traffic represents a strong increase in 2022 and forecasts a return to 2019 levels in 2024/2025.

Read more news articles about Avinor HERE and duty free shopping HERE