Chalhoub Group launched “The Visitor”, a new travel retail concept brand, with its first location at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This launch marksthe Group’s first flagship in the dynamic landscape of travel retail in the Kingdom. With an innovative retail space that seamlessly merges luxury and travel, “The Visitor” delivers a distinctive and opulent shopping experience for the tens of millions of passengers who pass through the airport each year.
The official opening was attended by Engineer Raed bin Ibrahim Al-Mudaiheem, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jeddah Airports Company, Mr. Ayman bin Abdulaziz Abo Abah, the CEO of Jeddah Airports Company, and other key figures from the airport’s security team and operational entities. “The Visitor” marks a travel retail concept that sets a new standard in airport shopping for travellers. This innovative concept is designed to amplify the travel experience and cater to the expectations of the burgeoning younger generation of globetrotters. With an extensive retail space of 4000m2, the concept showcases over 200 luxury brands spanning Fashion, Beauty, Fragrances, Jewellery, Eyewear, and Electronics, including premium brands such as Carolina Herrera, Dior, Gucci, Jo Malone, La Mer, and Swarovski, offering travellers an unparalleled selection of products across multiple categories.
With the global travel retail market size valued at $55.74 billion in 2022 and projected to grow from $60.72 billion in 2023 to $117.18 billion by 20302, “The Visitor”represents Chalhoub Group’s commitment to creating value for both the regional travel retail industry as well as consumers, as the Kingdom looks to attract 150 million annual visitors by 20303.
Mohammed Aldabbagh, KSA Managing Director at Chalhoub Groupsaid: “we are proud to introduce'The Visitor' at King Abdulaziz International Airport. Our inaugural flagship travel retail store in Saudi Arabia seamlessly blends luxurywith the excitement of travel. This new space reflects our dedication to excellence and considerationfor the varied needs of each traveller. With a handpicked selection of over 200 distinguished brandsfrom different cateogries, our objective is to offer a unique experience aligned with the values and aspirations of our customers.”
Paul Neeson, Vice President of Commerical at Jeddah Airport Company (JEDCO) commented: “The introduction of our new and unique retail experience, ‘The Visitor’, which has been meticulously crafted in partnerhip with Chalhoub Group, aims to offer a place where luxury meets convenience for our discerning travellers at King Abdulaziz International Airport. This new retail concept is a destination in itself and is designed to provide an unmatched shopping experience that meets the evolving needs of today’s global traveller, curated with a selection of high-end products that resonate with the expectations and tastes of each consumer travelling through this airport.”
The introduction of the "The Visitor" concept underscores Chalhoub Group's commitment to retail excellence and its mission to redefine the travel retail landscape not only in Saudi Arabia but also across the region and globally. This initiative builds upon the Group's successful track record in managing airports and travel retail throughout the region.
Chalhoub Group also operates numerous retail operations at Cairo International Airport’s Duty-Free, with its first retail operation established since 2004 in Terminal 1, a second in Terminal 3 in 2010, and a third store in Terminal 2, established in 2017.
The Visitor’s full list of brands and categories include three axis beauty brands such as Carolina Herrera, Dior, Givenchy, Gucci, Guerlain, Hermes, Jo Malone, Killian, L’Occitane, MAC, Tom Ford, YSL; Fragrance brands including Burberry, Cavalli, Chloe, Chopard, Coach, Dunhill, Elie Saab, Hugo Boss, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Thierry Mugler, Valentino, Versace and more; leading makeup and skincare brands such as Makeup Forever, SCN, La Mer, La Prairie, Laura Mercier, Benefit, Clinique, and Molton Brown; confectionery including Ferrero, Mars, Mondelez, and Nestlé; Electronics by Dyson; Eyewear by Luxottica; Fashion brands such as Armani Exchange, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess, Michael Kors, Karl Lagerfeld, Lacoste, Kids Around, The Giving Movement; gifting and leather goods including St Dupont, TUMI, U Boat, and Albert M; Jewelry from L’Azurde, Swarovski , and Bronzallure; and more.
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ABOUT CHALHOUB GROUP
INSPIRE | EXHILARATE | DELIGHT
For over six decades, Chalhoub Group has been a partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East. The Group, in its endeavour to excel as a hybrid retailer, has reinforced its distribution and marketing services with a portfolio of eight owned brands and over 300 international brands in the luxury, beauty, fashion, and art de vivre categories. More recently, the Group expanded its expertise into new categories of luxury watches, jewellery, and eyewear.
Every step at Chalhoub Group is taken with the customer at heart. Be it constantly reinventing itself or focusing on innovation to provide luxury experiences at over 750+ experiential retail stores, online and through mobile apps, each touch point leads to delighting the customer.
Today, Chalhoub Group stands for 15,000 skilled and talented professionals across eight countries, whose cohesive efforts have resulted in the Group being certified as a Great Place to Work® in several countries.
To keep the innovation journey going, the Group has set up “The Greenhouse”, which is not just an innovation hub, but also an incubator space and accelerator for start-ups and small businesses in the region and internationally. This is just one of the several initiatives taken by the Group to reinvent itself, catalysed by forward thinking and future proofing. The Group has also been embedding sustainability at the core of its business strategy with a clear commitment towards people, partners and the planet, and by being a member of the United Nations Global Compact Community and signatory of the Women's Empowerment Principles.
