Heinemann Asia Pacific is set to make its debut in the New Zealand market with three new retail concepts at Auckland Airport featuring luxury timepieces and jewellery, and luxury and premium fashion.
The exclusive multi-brand concepts at the country’s leading gateway will open from the second quarter of this year.
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The boutiques will offer high-profile luxury and premium brands, with an emphasis on exclusivity, exquisite craftsmanship and rich heritage, Heinemann Asia Pacific said.
Heinemann’s fashion concept will include brands such as Givenchy, making its Oceania duty-free debut, Kenzo and Stella McCartney.
The market entry has additional relevance given the anticipated release of the Auckland Airport duty-free tender in coming months.
The airport company transitioned in 2023 from its former dual-retailer model to a single operator (Lagardère AWPL trading as Aelia Duty Free) across departures and arrivals stores. The Aelia Duty Free contract expires in mid-2025.
“We are extremely proud to be entering New Zealand for the first time, and to be kicking off our partnership with Auckland Airport,” commented Heinemann Asia Pacific chief executive officer Marvin von Plato.
“We are excited to showcase the best of what Heinemann has to offer in the wider Oceania region, leveraging our operational experience and expertise accumulated over more than a decade in Australia.”
“We are thrilled to be Heinemann’s first airport partner in New Zealand, and to bring exclusive new luxury and premium concepts to Auckland Airport,” said Auckland Airport chief commercial officer Mark Thomson.
“Heinemann’s new fashion, accessories, watches and jewellery offers further extend the current experience and these new additions help deliver a compelling shopping proposition that we hope will delight our travellers.”
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The retailer said New Zealanders are already a significant customer demographic for its Asia Pacific business, representing the second-largest foreign nationality group within its Australian stores.
The Auckland openings are the latest addition to Heinemann’s fashion, accessories, watches and jewellery portfolio in the region. They follow the scaling up of the retailer’s Sydney Airport duty-free offer and its recent expansion into domestic terminal retailing at Sydney and Gold Coast airports with a focus on Australian fashion brands.
The company also opened a Chloé monobrand boutique at Changi Airport in 2023.
(Source: The Moodie Davitt Report)