Airport Experience® News - ACDBE 2023

BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF

SECOND-HAND SUCCESS? Store Selling Pre-Owned Clothing And Accessories Slated For Helsinki Airport

BY C AROL WARD

opened the LXR pre-loved boutique in The Loop Duty Free at Montréal Trudeau International Airport (YUL). LXR of fers second-hand, authentic designer handbags and accessories from luxury fashion houses including Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo and more. Aer Rianta International says LXR promotes conscious consumerism and contributes to the circular economy by encouraging customers to buy pre-loved items. It also makes the luxury products more accessible to a wider audience, by offering authenticated products at a more affordable price. At HEL, Relove will be located in the former departures hall of Helsinki Airport, which has become part of the gate area as a result of a development program. In the autumn of 2023, the hall will receive a completely new look when the alteration work is completed and the new services are opened. “We are delighted with this unique and historic collaboration with Finavia,” say Relove’s founders Noora Hautakangas and EeroUkkonen. “It gives us an opportunity to promote the circular economy with a larger target group. At the airport, we will also reach international customers. We will bring an enjoyable oasis to Helsinki Airport, where second-hand shop and café services are intertwined in a fantastic way that has never been seen before in an airport environment,” Immonen says HEL is always seeking to expand its appeal to passengers. “We are proud that the revamped Helsinki Airport suits passengers’ preferences and continuously offers something new,” she says. “This is something that we have worked hard to achieve. Helsinki Airport recently won an award for being the best airport in Europe in its size category, which is a great achievement and an indication that our customers are happy with the end result of our work.”

ill travelers be lured by thrifting at the airport? Finavia , operator of Helsinki

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Airport (HEL), is betting that the consumer love of shopping for pre-owned goods - and the lack of environmental impact of conscious consumerism - will pay off. The company plans to open what it is calling the world’s first second-hand concept store in an airport. Finavia, which operates 20 airports in Finland including HEL, has partnered with the Finnish family firm Relove to bring the unique offering to travelers. The concept combines recycling culture with a popular café. “We are constantly developing the airport’s selection, following trends and the wishes of passengers,” says Nora Immonen, Finavia’s vice president and director of the commercial services business unit at HEL. She calls the deal with Relove “one of this year’s most anticipated new services.” Secondhand stores are extremely rare within airports – in fact, the upcoming Relove location may be the only one currently in existence as a stand-alone store. In 2021, Aer Rianta International

Top: Helsinki Airport operator Finavia plans to open a second-had store and café combination this fall. Above: LXR, a second hand luxury accessories boutique, opened inside The Loop duty free store at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in 2021.

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