Airport Experience® News - Retail Innovation Issue 2024

LATEST BUZZ

Right: New concessions offerings will help transform the new terminal to meet the needs of today’s travelers. SSP America’s lineup will include Bad Egg, Camden Food Co. and others.

connected outdoor terraces help travelers embrace nature inside the airport. “In a post-pandemic environment, people want to go outdoors and spend time outdoors – we thought that was a very important element of the project,” says Hoback. “The dramatic new vision for the terminal is uniquely Pittsburgh: infused with nature, regionally-inspired artwork and the latest in travel technology, creating the airport that this great city and community deserves,” adds Carolyn Sponza, principal at Gensler and project manager for the Gensler+HDR in association with luis vidal + architects design team. “Working with the team at Pittsburgh International Airport has been a great example of the value of listening and exploring new ideas,” adds Bill Peduzzi, HDR’s aviation director and project manager for the firm’s work at the airport. “The airport welcomed us as true collaborators, and the creative solutions developed in the concept development phase set the foundation for all the passenger-focused design that followed.” The PIT team is also focusing on being good stewards of the environment, adds Hoback, noting that the new facilities are on track to receive LEED Gold and Park Smart certifications in recognition of sustainable design elements and construction practices. Initiatives like irrigating the terminal’s new outdoor terraces with rainwater and recycling concrete from the airport’s defunct aircraft ramp are all part of making sure that “sustainability is one of our top priorities,” adds Hoback. Concessions Refresh Concessions will also see a refresh. PIT is now managing the concessions program directly, a departure from the developer model that the airport used for decades. In September 2023, after years of disputes, PIT agreed to pay $10.5 million to Fraport USA in a settlement of litigation between the airport and its former concessions developer. In the renovated terminal space, passengers will be able to enjoy a bounty

PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — LD-3 CAMDEN FOOD CO. FOOD & BEVERAGE TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM

modernization project at Pittsburgh International Airport, especially when the evolution is the direct result of passenger feedback,” says Steve Johnson president and CEO of Avolta, North America. “Our goal is to provide something for everyone at any time of day,” says Scott Welding, SSP America’s senior vice president of development and pursuit of new airports. He says the airport’s diverse range of concessions offerings both provide travelers with a spate of highly requested flavors, and – as is the case with Shake Shack CEO Rob Lynch being a Pittsburgh native – an homage to the region. The PIT team hopes that the terminal’s renovations serve not only customers but also local workers. PIT estimates that the PIT Transformed project will add 14,300 direct and indirect jobs, and create more than 7,800 direct temporary design and construction jobs, due in part to the team’s decision to split the project’s contracts to include more regional firms. “We wanted this to be an airport that was built for Pittsburgh, and most importantly, by Pittsburgh,” says Hoback. “Coming right out of a pandemic when this region and the whole country needed it the most – we put people to work.” And as the PIT Transformed project barrels toward completion, Hoback notes that he already notices a change in the feel of the airport. “I stand there in the ticketing level and to me, it feels very different – it feels very special,” says Hoback. “This is the front door to Pittsburgh for 10 million passengers who travel in and out of the Pittsburgh region each and every year, and I can tell you how important it is to have that amazing front door entrance to this airport, and to this region.”

of new concessions and retail concepts, including locations of the popular Shake Shack burger and Mi Casa Cantina franchises, a Bad Egg breakfast bar, a Stack + Press Delicatessen, and Camden Food Co., all operated by SSP America . Hudson will manage the airport’s new MAC cosmetics store, Duquesne & Co. gift shop, Champion City Sports store, and Hudson News. PIT’s newcomers also include a Jimmy John’s sandwich shop operated by Atlas concessions; a branch of the popular Sambazon Açai Bowls, managed by Tailwind Airport Concessions , and the debut of local coffeehouse Café Conmigo, which will be operated by the brand’s owners. The airport also plans to expand their previously existing Johnson & Murphy store and the tech retailer InMotion. In curating their new concessions lineup, the PIT team selected a mix of national and local brands that would appeal to their travel base, Bryan Dietz, senior vice president of air service and commercial development at PIT told AXN after the airport’s concessions plan was announced. “We have a whole team that surveys [travelers] and scrapes the internet, trying to understand what people truly, genuinely want,” Dietz says. “[We want to] provide experiences that encourage people to want to get to the airport early, encourage people who maybe have one item in mind [for purchase] to walk away with five. These first 15 locations are to make sure we’ve got the basics in place, so that people feel good about the next tier of opportunities. And we don’t know what that even is yet, but we constantly want to make sure we’re in touch with what people could be wanting.” Concessionaires are equally enthused to be a part of the transformation. “It is exciting to be a part of such a significant

CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY

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AX NEWS SEPTEMBER 2024