The Hudson Group (East Rutherford, N.J.), one of the continent's largest airport concessions retailer, has been awarded the opportunity to open four News and Gift shops and three specialty retail stores — Hudson News, the $10 Boutique and National Geographic — at the Calgary, Alta., International Airport, starting December 2002.
“This is our second Canadian venture this year,” said Joseph DiDomizio, Hudson Group executive vp. “The Hudson News stores planned for Calgary will feature over 1000 titles of magazines, books and newspapers, and our specialty stores will continue to make the Calgary International Airport a pleasurable shopping experience for travelers.”
Hudson Group says it will integrate the look and feel of the Canadian Rockies and Calgary's annual cattle stampede and rodeo as a backdrop for the store designs and the merchandise selection.
Calgary International Airport boasts 8 million passengers annually and more scheduled flights per capita than any other city in Canada.
Earlier this year, the Hudson Group's News and Gift concept, “Hudson News,” was honored as “Best News and Gift Operator” by Airport Retail News magazine for the fourth year in a row, and its “National Geographic” concept was awarded “Best Airport Retail Store Design.”