Bristol Airport in the UK has finalised its new line up of specialist retail and F&B outlets selected for its enlarged departure lounge this summer in the new eastern terminal extension.

The major £8.6m ($13.51m) expansion of the terminal building is the first since it opened in 2000 and will be unveiled to passengers early next month, as airport management works towards creating sufficient facilities to handle 10m passengers a year.

Besides creating space for hundreds of additional departure lounge seats, the extension has also allowed space to accommodate more than 1,000 sq m for retail and catering units, including several new and existing brands.

Amongst the new brands are leading sports retailer JD Sports and popular fashion outlet Accessorize, while Bristol’s new ‘Traveller’ store will include ‘a range of major brands and the latest fashion under one roof’. Retail brands that will be present include Superdry, Gant, Barbour, Boss Green and Joules.

Claire’s Accessories is also returning after ‘a brief hiatus’ during the construction period, while Superdrug, WHSmith and The Bookshop at WHSmith are relocating to ‘new, improved units’ in the enlarged departure lounge.

A new-look Starbucks will also feature in the terminal extension, while the food and drink offer – created in partnership with SSP – will also change with the addition of The Cabin. This will offer fine wine, craft beers and locally sourced food in a relaxing environment, which includes an outdoor terrace and retractable roof.

Kate Ridgers, Head of Commercial Development at Bristol Airport said: “We are excited about these new additions to the departure lounge and we hope passengers will be too. It is not only about new brands at the airport, as Superdrug and WH Smith will have much needed enlarged shops to provide our passengers with the last-minute travel essentials.”

Between January and May of this year, Bristol handled 276,912 charter passengers (+9.90%); 1,628,678 scheduled international passengers (+6.52%); and 478,048 scheduled domestic travellers (+3.73%). Along with ‘others’ the airport’s total traffic for the period numbered 2,385,125 (+6.33%). Airport management is forecasting more passenger growth this year. For the full calendar year 2014, Bristol Airport handled a total of 6.3m passengers, breaking the previous annual record set in 2008.

Meanwhile, Bristol’s largest carrier, easyJet has recently launched a raft of new routes, including year-round services to Bilbao, Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Porto. At the same time, Thomson Airways will operate flights to Cape Verde for the first time this summer, alongside new services to Hurghada in Egypt and Paphos in Cyprus. In addition, Wizz Air will enter the South West market with twice weekly flights to Katowice in Poland from June.

Other developments underway include improvements to car parks and the construction of a 201-room Hampton by Hilton hotel set to be completed next spring. Beyond the Airport boundary improvements to the transport system across the West of England, including the construction of a South Bristol Link, will enhance access from the north, east and west once completed in 2016.

In addition to this and just weeks away from the opening of the east terminal extension, Bristol has also signed off its next major expansion programme phase – a £24m ($37.69m) west terminal extension which will transform the security search process for passengers. Management describes this as the biggest construction project at the airport since the current terminal building opened in 2000.

Source: http://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/europe/bristol-unveils-summer-retail-brand-line-up/77502