Latest posts by Dermot Davitt (see all)
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As an industry, we invest much time and energy facing down legislative threats to the business. So when a piece of legislation comes along that enhances the status of duty free – and in Europe, at that – it’s something that appears rare and precious.
Yet that’s what we are applauding this week, after the Swiss Federal Council rubber-stamped the decision to introduce Arrivals duty free in the country.
The Council said it anticipated that 60-80 new jobs will be created in Switzerland as a result of the move. Additional turnover in duty free shops is estimated at CHF50-60 million (US56-67 million) per year, resulting in CHF20-23 million (US$22-25 million) in additional rent and fees to the country’s airports, said the Council.
That’s an ambitious target, and it remains to be seen whether it will be met. But one thing is sure: it casts a welcome, positive light on the industry, and adds weight to the argument of other national associations pressing for Arrivals duty free too.
From 1 June, The Nuance Group plans to open two 1,000sq m Arrivals stores at Zürich Airport, the key international gateway in Switzerland (pictured). That’s fitting reward for both companies’ exertions over the past decade, when they have been in the vanguard of promoting the Arrivals business.
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