"Hudson Group Team Opens Airport Stores in Record Time in Cleveland"

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Hudson Group Team Opens Airport Stores in Record Time in Cleveland
Press Release


East Rutherford, NJ – A joint venture partnership that includes Hudson
Group, the nation’s leading transportation retailer, has won a competitive
bid to provide
all the retail concession services (10 stores in total) at Cleveland Hopkins
International
Airport (CLE). The contract, awarded by landlord BAA USA, Inc. on behalf of
the airport,
has a term of seven years.

The turnover was accomplished at a record pace. The Hudson team learned of
the
award on May 5. The group gained access to the previous operator’s stores on
Saturday
night, May 31. All stores were open for business the following morning:
Hudson News,
Hudson Booksellers, Discover Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
store.

According to Hudson Group President and CEO Joseph DiDomizio, “The speed and
accuracy of the turnover was impressive, and must have set some kind of
record for our
industry. Performance at this level is a capability that sets Hudson apart
from other
operators. I deeply appreciate the experience and can-do attitude of our
operations
team, working closely with our terrific business partners, the airport and
BAA.”

According to Mark Knight, President, BAA USA, ”The Hudson team made the
transition
look easy. All the stores were open for business first thing Sunday morning
without a
hitch. Existing inventory, new merchandise, IT systems, phone lines, cash
registers and
signage had all been carefully staged beforehand and set up overnight, so
the stores
were ready to begin serving customers at 5:00 a.m.”

Hudson is the key retailer in virtually every major North American airport.
Top
performing locations in 2007 included: LAX ($96M, with subtenants), JFK
($65M), ORD
($55M), LAS ($44M, with subtenants), SEA ($43M), BOS ($27M), LGA ($20M), ATL
($19M) EWR ($18M), DEN ($14M), YVR ($14M), BWI ($13M), BNA ($12M) and MDW
($11M). Its 500-plus stores in airports and major transportation centers
across North
America generate sales of over $630 million annually.

“We are pleased to have such a top performing retailer set up shop in
Cleveland
Hopkins International Airport,” said Airport Director Ricky Smith. “Hudson
Group, along
with BAA and the airport team, coordinated a flawless and seamless
transition that did
not impact the traveling public.”

Hudson Group partners with dozens of local, woman- and minority-owned and
Airport
Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) businesses. In
Cleveland, the
joint venture includes United Concessions Group, Inc. and English
Concessions, both
local ACDBE operators with considerable business experience.

The joint venture will at first operate seven Hudson News newsstands, a
Discover
Cleveland gift store, a Hudson Booksellers bookstore and the popular Rock
and Roll Hall
of Fame store – the source for authentic gifts, souvenirs and mementos from
the
touchstone of rock and roll history. The joint venture will invest over $6M
to refurbish
the stores with an upscale image that reflects the genuine look and feel of
the
Cleveland metropolitan area. After construction, the final configuration of
stores will
include nine Hudson News newsstands (some with Discover Cleveland and Hudson
Booksellers sections), along with a redesigned Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
store.

About Hudson Group: Hudson Group is a privately held corporation that
operates
more than 500 newsstands, bookstores, cafes and premier specialty retail
shops in 70
transportation terminals and airports throughout North America. The
company’s flagship
concept, Hudson News, is North America’s only national newsstand brand, with
a strong
focus on reading materials as well as convenience items – candy, gum, mints,
snacks,
bottled beverages, travel accessories, and health & beauty aids – that
travelers want
and need. Hudson Group operates a wide variety of proprietary specialty
retail concepts
such as Hudson Booksellers, Kids Works and Euro Café. It also partners with
national
brands such as CNN, Crabtree & Evelyn, Godiva Chocolatier, House of Blues,
Life is
good, Papyrus, Quiznos, Radio Shack, Sunglass Hut and Tumi. Visit our
website at
www.hudsongroup.com

 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************