DFS marks 50 years at San Francisco Airport
DFS has renovated its flagship store in San Francisco Airport’s Terminal A concourse (Photo credit: Sergio Gomez)
Leading luxury travel retailer DFS Group will unveil its newly renovated boutiques at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at an in-store event timed to coincide with its 50-year anniversary of operations in San Francisco.
The event will take place on 1 June at the airport’s Terminal G concourse, attended by official representatives, VIP customers and celebrities.
DFS has served millions of international travelers since opening its doors in 1972 as SFO’s only duty free retailer.
In recent months, to prepare for the return of international travelers to locations throughout the US, the retailer renovated its two flagship stores in SFO’s Terminal A and G concourses.
In addition, boutiques featuring luxury brands including Gucci, Burberry, Hermès and the world’s first in-airport Saint Laurent were remodeled to world-class standards befitting the brands’ images and in line with SFO’s standing as one of the world’s busiest hubs.
The event will kick off 50 days of celebration, highlighting exclusive products and gifts as well as local discoveries from the Bay area.
Featured products will include Benefit cosmetics, wines from the Napa and Sonoma vineyards, confectionery from the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company and See’s Candies, and spirits from Hangar 1 Distillery and Gold Bar Whiskey.
The products will be augmented by new digital experiences, such as interactive digital wine tables allowing customers to place a bottle on the table and learn about that brand and vintage displayed on the screen.
Boutiques featuring luxury brands including Gucci have been remodeled to world-class standards (Photo credit: Sergio Gomez)
DFS has also partnered with Inflyter, the duty free shopping app, enabling travelers to browse and buy duty free as soon as a flight booking has been made and alleviating the need to wait until the airport.
“DFS is honored to have served travelers to San Francisco and the Bay Area for more than five decades,” said DFS Chairman and CEO Benjamin Vuchot. “We are delighted to show our appreciation to them by expanding our retail offering here at San Francisco International Airport to include even more luxury brands, new products and elevated customer experiences that take airport retail to new heights.”
San Francisco International Airport Director Ivar C. Satero commented: “SFO forms the first impression of San Francisco for millions of travelers around the world. For more than half our history, DFS has been a part of the journey, creating an airport experience that travelers love. With this newest facility, DFS has brought a uniquely San Francisco sense of place to life, one which we know travelers will enjoy for years to come.”
DFS’ newly renovated stores are situated in the A and G concourses, past the newly expanded security checkpoints.
The design of the new stores reflects the laid-back yet cosmopolitan essence of San Francisco, with a façade that features iron-painted International Orange (the color of the Golden Gate Bridge) and natural wood.
The unveiling of the renovated stores at SFO marks the latest in a long line of DFS reopenings in 2022 as travel resumes around the world.
In recent months the travel retailer has fully or partially reopened its network in Honolulu and Maui, Saipan, Guam, Okinawa, Auckland, Cairns, Sydney, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Macau, Venice and Paris.
In addition, DFS recently added new stores to its global footprint. In January, it opened its first Galleria store in Hainan Island, China, with a local partner.
The following month DFS announced two new Galleria stores in Oceania: one in Queenstown, New Zealand, set to open in Q4 2022, and another in Brisbane, Australia, to begin trading by Q2 2023.
The company is also expanding its network in Macau SAR, where it operates seven stores.
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