East Rutherford, NJ - June 17, 2008 - A joint venture partnership that includes Hudson Group, the nation's leading transportation retailer, has won a competitive bid to provide all the retail concession services (10 stores in total) at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE). The contract, awarded by landlord BAA USA, Inc. on behalf of the airport, has a term of seven years.
The turnover was accomplished at a record pace. The Hudson team learned of the award on May 5. The group gained access to the previous operator's stores on Saturday night, May 31. All stores were open for business the following morning: Hudson News, Hudson Booksellers, Discover Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame store.
According to Hudson Group President and CEO Joseph DiDomizio, "The speed and accuracy of the turnover was impressive, and must have set some kind of record for our industry. Performance at this level is a capability that sets Hudson apart from other operators. I deeply appreciate the experience and can-do attitude of our operations team, working closely with our terrific business partners, the airport and BAA."
According to Mark Knight, President, BAA USA, "The Hudson team made the transition look easy. All the stores were open for business first thing Sunday morning without a hitch. Existing inventory, new merchandise, IT systems, phone lines, cash registers and signage had all been carefully staged beforehand and set up overnight, so the stores were ready to begin serving customers at 5:00 a.m."
"We are pleased to have such a top performing retailer set up shop in Cleveland Hopkins International Airport," said Airport Director Ricky Smith. "Hudson Group, along with BAA and the airport team, coordinated a flawless and seamless transition that did not impact the traveling public."
Hudson Group partners with dozens of local, woman- and minority-owned and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) businesses. In Cleveland, the joint venture includes United Concessions Group, Inc. and English Concessions, both local ACDBE operators with considerable business experience.
The joint venture will at first operate seven Hudson News newsstands, a Discover Cleveland gift store, a Hudson Booksellers bookstore and the popular Rock and Roll Hall of Fame store - the source for authentic gifts, souvenirs and mementos from the touchstone of rock and roll history. The joint venture will invest over $6M to refurbish the stores with an upscale image that reflects the genuine look and feel of the Cleveland metropolitan area. After construction, the final configuration of stores will include nine Hudson News newsstands (some with Discover Cleveland and Hudson Booksellers sections), along with a redesigned Rock and Roll Hall of Fame store.
About Hudson Group: Hudson Group is a travel retail specialist that operates more than 550 premier newsstands, bookstores, cafes and specialty retail shops in 69 airports and transportation terminals throughout North America. The company's flagship concept, Hudson News, is North America's only national newsstand brand. Under the familiar blue sign can be found the most complete selection of magazines in the aviation industry, along with newspapers and a wide variety of travelers' necessities, snacks and bottled soft drinks. Hudson Group's other concepts include such proprietary brands as Hudson Booksellers, Kids Works and Euro Café. Other national brands partnering with Hudson Group include Crabtree & Evelyn, Godiva Chocolatier, House of Blues, Life is good, Quiznos and Sunglass Hut. For more information, visit www.hudsongroup.com.