DUBLIN AIRPORT IS on the lookout for a third-party to operate a portfolio of food and drinks outlets.
Airport manager DAA is drawing up a shortlist of candidates interested in operating 10 units located within the airport’s long-haul flight pier in Terminal 2 and elsewhere across the campus.
The State-owned company has published a request for information, which values the initial 15-month contract at €7 million.
According to the tender document, the winning bidder will be required to operate outlets within the US customs pre-clearance facility, including two Irish Meadows sit-down cafés and a Sego Fredo outlet that provides tea, coffee and soft drinks.
The successful candidate will also oversee the running of several ‘coffee pods’ and ‘grab-and-go’ convenience food units dotted around the airport that are intended to attract custom from passengers waiting to board their flight.
‘Memorable experience’
In the document, DAA described its food and beverage offering as “a key driver of passenger satisfaction”.
“The vision for food and beverage at the airport is ‘to ensure everyone is well fed and ready for their journey, every time,’” it said.
Almost half of the millions of passengers who travel through Dublin Airport consume food and drink at the hub. The company intends to “increase this level of reach and ensure a memorable experience is delivered to every passenger”.
In a recent interview with Fora, DAA chief executive Dalton Philips said additional food and beverage products would help improve the existing retail offering at Dublin and Cork airports, which the airport authority also operates.
Philips – a seasoned retailer who has previously headed Brown Thomas and the Morrisons supermarket chain – recently said that DAA is trialing a ‘grab-and-go’ trolley in Cork.
“It’s looking at where customers needs aren’t being met and making sure you’re there for them,” he said at the time.
In recent times, DAA has issued tenders that sought expressions of interest from retailers to manage and operate five stores located in Terminal 1, a lucrative convenience store and deli near one of its car parks and also a “flagship” liquor outlet in Terminal 2.
Passenger numbers at Dublin Airport were up 6% last year to 29.6 million after strong growth in its European and transatlantic routes.
Written by Conor McMahon and posted on Fora.ie
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