After closing all bar one store in the Pacific due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March, Lagardere Travel Retail (LTR) Pacific has reopened a handful of its stores across Christchurch and Auckland in New Zealand and Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne domestic airports in Australia. The company said the small selection of shops will be used as test cases with restricted trading hours, ultimately providing data that can be applied to further recovery eff orts when passenger numbers increase to more sustainable levels.
To ensure the safety of all customers and staff , the stores have strict hygiene and safety measures in place, including the use of protective equipment, personal hygiene protocols, thorough and regular disinfection of all facilities and social-distancing measures.
The company’s CEO, Przemek Lesniak, said: “Throughout this crisis, we have stayed positive and strong and focused on providing support to our teams impacted by store closures. We have been watching other parts of the world come through the other side, waiting for the right time to start our recovery in the Pacific. To reopen even a handful of our stores in Australia and New Zealand is a big moment. It will take time, but we are continuing to think positively about the future and hope to see passenger numbers continue to increase to allow more stores to reopen soon.”
LTR has the largest network of travel retail stores in the Pacific region, providing food services, travel essentials and duty-free outlets in 23 airports across Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
