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The re-shaping of retail and food & beverage at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol continues apace with the ambitious remodelling of Lounge 3, due for completion over the next two months. With a series of brand new fascias for the core category stores plus bright, vibrant new concepts, travellers will soon see a very different commercial face at Europe’s fifth largest airport by passenger numbers.
On Friday, we paid a visit to assess the high-class, high-profile Trinity campaign around Johnnie Walker and Formula 1 – covered in detail on our home page – and saw Lounge 3 as a work in progress.
We’ll bring you full details later in the year, once the whole project is unveiled, but we were impressed by the sharp new look and range of concepts coming to market.
The latest of them, Victoria’s Secret, opened on Sunday in partnership with Gerzon, and is the brand’s first store at Schiphol, featuring its broad range of lingerie and beauty products.
We also liked the Fine Chocolate store (above), with its wide, welcoming store front and emphasis on premium confectionery. We’re looking forward to seeing the Hermès store when it opens its doors in the near future too.
Food & beverage, much of it on the mezzanine level, is also undergoing a facelift. Key concepts include Grand Café Amsterdam, Fine Food, East bar & bites, Pizza & Pasta di Mama, the ever popular Starbucks and Bread!, a superb themed unit from HMSHost that captures the attention of the passenger at they wander through the excellently lit, high-ceilinged lounge.
The House of Tulips is another favourite. It’s built as a green glass house, suspended in the air, and of course offers that staple of the Netherlands, the tulip, in all its vibrant colours.
There’s plenty more to come at Lounge 3, including an XpresSpa outlet, an even stronger fashion presence including Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Guess and Zegna among others, plus further expansion of the fine F&B offer. If the executions are as varied and eye-catching as those to date, Lounge 3 will set a new standard for retailing at Schiphol.