The Thomas Pink concept store due to open in T5 in March should be interesting. As well as selling Thomas Pink merchandise of course, the store will have a mineral water bar in the centre where you can sip on the latest mineral waters whilst watching FTSE reports from the London markets. Shoppers will also be able to listen to music as they sip a drink by making use of the Pink IPod facility.
A home delivery service is also part of their offer.
This store is part of a growing trend to incorporate airport facilities such as beverages, seating, reading, music etc within a retail store – rather than disappearing into airline lounges or heading for the departure gates. This works well for the retailer, but how well does it work for the airport as these concept stores soak up increasing amounts of dwell time and hence potentially dollars?
