World Duty Free
World Duty Free is BAA’s wholly owned tax and duty-free business. It is recognised as a world-leader in airport retailing.
How we performed
Customer service continues to be at the heart of everything we do and this commitment was rewarded in October when World Duty Free’s Heathrow Terminal 3 beat more than 60 retailers to win the UK National Customer Service Award and also picked up a retail concept award for its ‘Think Customer’ programme. These achievements flowed through the business, with £310 million underlying revenue and £21 million underlying operating profit – this was despite the August security crisis and resulting ban on liquid products.
Future plans
To keep pace with changing passenger needs and aspirations, there were major developments across the World Duty Free ‘estate’. With the opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 less than a year away, plans are already well advanced for how World Duty Free will work within the stunning architectural surroundings to deliver more innovative product ranges and new levels of customer service.
Among other developments, Gatwick’s North Terminal and Aberdeen Airport saw major works to expand the retail space and introduce new outlets. Elsewhere, new stores were opened, older stores redeveloped and new tills were introduced to reduce transaction times and in-store efficiency. Spotting an opportunity in pre-planned duty-free purchases, we introduced a new dimension to the airport shopping experience through our website in October.
