Malta-based Salvo Grima Group has been awarded the anchor retail concession at Algiers International Airport, with the 2,000sqm airside space set to offer core duty-free items, fashion, jewellery and lifestyle brands.
The concession is set to begin operations in phases, starting from the second quarter of 2025.
Speaking to WhosWho.mt, CEO Karl Aquilina noted: “This new project reflects our group’s ongoing strategy to work closely with global and local partners in Europe and Africa, bringing quality travel retail services to international airports and ports in the Mediterranean region.
"We are honoured to be working closely with the Algiers Airport Services and Infrastructure Management Company (SGSIA) in Algeria who are transforming Algiers International Airport into a cutting-edge aviation hub for North Africa. We are also proud to continue our collaboration with our long-term partners, German travel retailers Gebr Heinemann, who will be our lead suppliers for this project.”
The concession will operate under the group’s new Horizon brand, which is the new umbrella branding for its travel retail business.
According to the Moodie Davitt Report, a travel retail industry publication, Salvo Grima Group signed agreements to supply and operate the duty-free retail offering at Oran Ahmed Ben Bella Airport in Algeria, and will supply existing concessions in Constantine (Mohamed Boudiaf International) and Sétif International airports with its Algerian partners.
Salvo Grima has also been awarded the ferry terminal duty-free concession at the Port of La Goulette in Tunis, Tunisia. All these operations are set to begin in 2025.
The Algiers International Airport concession is particularly significant, with the opening of a new terminal in 2019 consolidating the Algerian Government’s strategy to establish the hub as a gateway to Europe.
Although the country currently receives around 2.4 million visitors annually, the Government plans to increase this number to 12 million by 2030 – positioning Salvo Grima Group as a key beneficiary of this expansion.
With roots dating back to 1860, Salvo Grima Group was the first company to offer duty-free retail in Malta, when it opened the country’s first such offering in 1984 at Valletta Grand Harbour.
Since then, it has expanded this line of business, with offerings at Malta International Airport, Tripoli International Airport, and in cruise ports at Palma De Mallorca and Limassol.
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