The result of a joint venture between ANA|Vinci Airports and the Irish travel retail company ARI, Portugal Duty Free (PTDF) was established in 2022, taking on the management of more than 30 stores across Portugal’s airports.
With its creation came the need for a complete rebranding, aligned with the brand’s new positioning, and consequently, the challenge of implementing a new store concept across all airports where it operates, explains Cláudia Sequeira de Carvalho, Marketing Director at Portugal Duty Free.
“It became essential to create spaces that reflected this new identity and embodied the values and goals of Portugal Duty Free,” she adds. To make that happen, finding the right partner was key, and JLL was the chosen one.
“You Don’t Change a Winning Team”
This popular saying was taken quite literally by Portugal Duty Free. After ARI had previously worked with JLL on other concessions and in different regions, the consultancy firm was chosen for the refurbishment of the stores in Portuguese airports, from a “short list of project and cost management companies,” reveals Maria da Cunha e Menezes, Head of P&DS at JLL. According to Cláudia Sequeira de Carvalho, this choice was largely influenced by the “previous experience and established trust” between the two companies, which led Portugal Duty Free to once again rely on JLL, this time, in Portugal.
The briefing was launched by Portugal Duty Free, with JLL providing project and cost management support for the renovation of several Duty Free and brand stores across Lisbon, Porto, Faro, and Madeira airports. As Cláudia Sequeira de Carvalho highlights, JLL played an essential role in implementation, being “crucial in managing timelines, coordination, and cost control. It was also a key player in communication between Portugal Duty Free and the various construction companies involved.”
The Marketing Director of Portugal Duty Free also emphasizes the human factor behind the partnership:
“The commitment, professionalism, and dedication of JLL’s teams were the key elements behind the project’s success.”
The Process
The official launch of this partnership in Portugal took place at the end of 2022, although the actual construction work only began in December 2023. Around a year later, the store in Terminal 1 of Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon was already completed. Currently, only one of the 35 stores planned for the overall project remains to be finished: the Porto Duty Free at Porto Airport, where work began recently. To meet the opening deadlines, the project was developed in phases — “not only between locations but also within each store itself, since sales in Duty Free shops cannot slow down, meaning operations had to continue throughout the renovation,” explains Maria da Cunha e Menezes.
Carrying out renovations with the “doors open”? It’s possible!
“The Portugal Duty Free stores in all airports are almost an obligatory stop for travellers. For this reason, closing them, even for renovation work, was not a viable option. So how can a commercial space of this nature be renewed without interrupting its operations?
According to Maria da Cunha e Menezes, Head of P&DS at JLL, it was necessary to design different phases for the construction process, ensuring that while one area was closed off, another could remain open and operational.
‘As for the branded stores, since the interventions were shorter in duration and the retail areas are considerably smaller, making phased work impossible, these remained closed for the entire construction period. The Portugal Duty Free store in Lisbon’s Terminal 1 was completed in five phases over eleven months; Terminal 2 in five phases over eight months; Faro in two phases over nine months, as well as the remaining stores, which followed successive phases and temporary closures,’ she adds.”
In addition to the phased construction approach, another crucial factor contributed to the project’s success: continuous communication between the teams involved.
“The progress meetings with Portugal Duty Free, covering the different works underway across multiple locations, were held weekly in two formats: one with the contractor responsible for the stores at Lisbon Terminal 1 and Faro, and another with the contractor handling Lisbon Terminal 2, Funchal, and Porto. Alongside these weekly updates, there was also another weekly meeting dedicated to discussing cross-project topics, attended by JLL, Portugal Duty Free, and the design team responsible for the overall store concept,” explains Maria da Cunha e Menezes, Head of P&DS at JLL.
The Result
“Renovated, modern, sustainable stores with a strong national identity” — that’s how the new Portugal Duty Free stores can be described, built around the concept of portugalidade (Portuguese essence).
“We want every passenger who passes through our stores to feel they’re experiencing a piece of Portugal. We want the shopping experience to go beyond the act of purchasing, to create an emotional connection with the country,” says Cláudia Sequeira de Carvalho.
To achieve this, the Portugal Duty Free stores drew inspiration from Portugal’s iconic landscapes, its rich art and heritage, as well as the flavours and aromas of Portuguese gastronomy, creating an authentic and memorable atmosphere within each airport.
And because each region has its own identity, Portugal Duty Free reflected this in its stores:
“In our Duty Free spaces in Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira, and the Azores, every detail was designed to provide a unique experience, celebrating local flavours, scents, and traditions. We created areas dedicated to national gastronomy, such as the Flavours of Portugal concept, and invested in a carefully curated selection of local products — over 1,000 references representing the entire country, to ensure authenticity and a true sense of place in every airport,” describes Cláudia Sequeira de Carvalho.
Even the best have their mishaps.
Despite all our experience, it’s rare for a project not to produce a good mishap to remember (and laugh about) later. JLL can attest to that on the Portugal Duty Free stores project: “After finishing the Lisbon Terminal 2 store, at 2 a.m. we realised the shutters hadn’t been measured correctly and the store couldn’t be locked. The opening was scheduled for 7 a.m.! There was also a situation where a display unit was fitted with inappropriate lighting and some lipsticks… melted! Everything was resolved in time and there were no delays,” recalls Maria da Cunha e Menezes, Head of P&DS at JLL.
To achieve these results, several challenges had to be overcome, including JLL’s management of Portugal Duty Free’s objectives and those of the various brands (ranging from fashion and beauty to beverages), both in terms of design quality and scheduling, explains Maria da Cunha e Menezes. “In addition, coordinating different interventions simultaneously across multiple locations, with limited availability of qualified contractors to work in airport environments in Portugal, was particularly challenging.”
But nothing that JLL couldn’t handle, thanks to its expertise. Today, those passing through Portugal Duty Free stores find more fluid, welcoming spaces and a reimagined customer experience, featuring digital and immersive solutions, LED panels, and visual content celebrating the identity of Portuguese regions.
“Every detail was carefully considered: from the organic design using cork and tiles to the specialised service provided by over 230 brand ambassadors, supported by more than 14,000 hours of annual training,” specifies Cláudia Sequeira de Carvalho.
The Importance of the Environment
Sustainability is a key concern for Portugal Duty Free, and it’s reflected in its stores: “All the brands operating with us have made a sustainability commitment. Every area of our stores was designed and built according to the high sustainability standards of our partners, with special attention given to selecting more responsible materials and processes,” says the Marketing Director of Portugal Duty Free.
For the renovation of its retail spaces, Portugal Duty Free relied on JLL’s specialised knowledge and extensive experience, allowing it to select the most sustainable solutions currently available on the market.
Source: Observador
