Umdasch builds open travel retail concept for Setur Duty Free at Cologne Bonn Airport

"In this project Umdasch acted as a holistic one-stop shop – from the concept to shop fitting to general contracting – our duty free team accompanied this project from A to Z and did an excellent job," said Maik Drewitz, Umdasch Shop Consult Director.

For Setur, which was the first duty free operator in Turkey in 1965 and today belongs to the Koç group, Cologne Bonn Airport is the first airport location in Europe.

Ahmet Sonmez, CEO of Setur, adds, "With this investment in Europe, we are initiating the globalization step of our growth strategy. In the coming years, we want to expand the potential of Cologne Bonn Airport and create value for all stakeholders with our customer-oriented service philosophy."

Terminal 1 is visually reminiscent of a market hall. The 900-square-meter space consists of three areas, which are visually connected. This is achieved by the generous promenade and a pergola that reinforces the open impression. As a central element, a green display with all flight information is presented in the middle. The ceiling element is part of the staging and allows the boundaries between airport and retail to merge. Another important point in the conception was the flexible furnishing, which allows a quick and easy change of the product images. For this purpose, furniture on castors is used in some cases, which is moved out during the day for a pleasant shopping experience and then pushed back into the store after closing time. This makes it possible to use the space exactly as it is needed. Highlight and promotion points along the aisle attract passengers' attention and draw them to the areas. Numerous digital themes will also be found in the new terminal in the future, for example click & collect stations and self-checkout counters.

The design of Terminal 2 creates a marketplace atmosphere in the almost 600-square-meter area: the open design with numerous seating areas creates a high quality of stay that contributes to slowing down. At the same time, the concept optimally bridges the gap between the gastronomy offer, the shopping experience and the waiting time until departure. In autumn, the airport will add a green wall and a large LED wall for individual display to the retail area. Here, too, the furniture can be used flexibly, for example a rolling tasting bar in the spirits department. A 50-square-meter event area is also planned within the retail space. The horizontal textile shutters for night-time closing are also a novelty; the lockable security system is pulled out of the furniture after closing time and closes off the sales area, eliminating the need for disruptive façade elements.

An essential element of the concept development was to make the regionality of the Cologne Bonn location tangible. Therefore, the Umdasch designers integrated both traditional Cologne and Bonn elements. The "Cologne bridge green" – the typical color of the Cologne Rhine bridges – was taken up in the concept as the basic color for the façade design. In addition, pink blossoms suspended from the ceiling are presented as a reference to the annual cherry blossom in Bonn's old town. In addition to the famous composer Beethoven, whose birthplace is Bonn, the Cologne Carnival and the Cologne dialect are also thematized in the design. In this way, the mentality of the Rhineland is ideally made tangible at the airport. In addition, Setur focuses on regional products, but at the same time offers a wide variety of brands. This creates a modern mix of local and international assortments.

The topic of sustainability was considered holistically during the development of the concept. It is not only reflected in the materials used or the variable furniture in terms of eco-design, but also concerns local planning, furniture production in Europe, the use of a local craftsmen's network and much more. The flooring used is low-emission and the chipboards were made entirely from waste wood material.