April 20 (SeeNews) - The SOF Connect consortium, the concessionaire of Sofia Airport, said on Wednesday that it has signed a contract with Switzerland-based travel retailer Dufry to operate the airport's commercial areas for eight and a half years.
Dufry, which will run thirteen stores at Sofia Airport, was picked following an international tender procedure, SOF Connect said in a statement.
Under the contract, Dufry will take over 1,433 square metres of retail area and will set up two new shops at the airport's Terminal 2. A walk-through store, spread over 1,800 square metres, will be aimed at departing passengers immediately before they reach the flight gates, while the 170-square-metre second shop will be for arriving passengers.
"This change is part of the major transformation of Sofia Airport that we are already implementing," Sofia Airport CEO Jesus Caballero said.
Last week, the airport invited bids for a total of 5.5 million levs for renovation works, including getting part of Terminal 2 ready for the construction of a new commercial area.
Basel-headquartered Dufry operates over 2,300 shops in 66 countries, with annual turnover jumping 49% to 1.7 billion Swiss francs in 2021.
($ = 0.9246 euro)