Airport Experience® News - ACDBE Issue 2025

Left, Above: Onsite News is the flagship brand for the retail company, but it also operates news and gift stores under various names, depending on the market.

DIVERSIFICATION FOCUS Amidst Growth, OnSite Retailers Is Evolving

BY JOHN QUINNIES

Onsite made its entry into airport concessions at a time when Sandy and Terri Roberts were looking to branch beyond an earlier wholesale supply business. As a lawyer by trade, Sandy Roberts says he leveraged a connection with another attorney to attend the luncheon that placed him at the right time and place alongside a Hudson executive. That chance meeting led to a joint venture with Hudson in 2004, bidding for a contract at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). By 2007, the co-owners launched their flagship independent store at BWI, Onsite News & Gifts. “It was kind of unheard of for an ACDBE to compete against some of the primes,” Terri Roberts says. Expansion and Adaptation Backed by Sandy Roberts’ experience in law and Terri Roberts’ diverse retail leadership background, the co-owners have expanded to several airports past BWI to include Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and others. Like many small businesses, at the start, a key challenge was access to capital, Sandy Roberts says. But over the years, long-term relationship building has made it easier. “Building in an airport is not cheap – lots of rules, lots of regs, everything’s expensive. The rates are high… the whole process of getting a store open requires a lot of capital… that a lot

It was a fortunate seating assignment at a luncheon decades ago that led Sandy Roberts, president and CEO of Onsite Retailers , to hit it off with a Hudson Group executive. Years later, that meeting has led to extensive mentorships, partnerships and growth across airport concessions, marked by several businesses and multiple locations. Today, Sandy and Vice President Terri Roberts co-own Onsite Retailers and manage around 30 brands across dozens of airport locations in 11 airports, with another airport to be added soon. They say their journey from newcomers to veterans was fueled by strong relationship-building and a commitment to collaboration in the airport space.

Above Left: Sandy Roberts co-owns Onsite Retailers and also serves and president and CEO. Above Right: Co-owner Terri Roberts is vice president of Onsite Retailers.

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AX NEWS JUNE 2025