New York, NY - July 7, 2009 – Two powerhouse travel brands have combined to create an exciting new travel-themed retail store in airports. Leading travel magazine Travel + Leisure, published by American Express Publishing Corporation, and leading travel retailer Hudson Group, famous for its national newsstand brand Hudson News, have jointly launched a new travel retail concept called Travel + Leisure.
Travel + Leisure stores will sell products aimed at enhancing the travel experience, such as luggage and travel accessories, along with convenient printed materials, such as local maps and travel guides, as well as current editions of Travel + Leisure magazine and its sister publication, Food & Wine.
Luggage brands will vary by location and include a selection of the following: Tumi, Samsonite, North Face, Burton, Crumpler, Eagle Creek, Jack Georges, Manhattan Portage, T-Tech, Timbuk2, and more.
The store will also sell books from Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine, including T+L 100 Greatest Trips, T+L World’s Greatest Hotels, T+L Unexpected Italy, T+L Unexpected France, F&W Cocktail Guide, and F&W Wine Guide.
The first store opened at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) on June 18. Additional stores are opening soon in Halifax International Airport and JFK International Airport (Terminal 2). New Hudson retail Galleries in Sanford Orlando and San Francisco International Airports will feature Travel + Leisure stores-within-stores.
"The Travel + Leisure concept grew out of Hudson’s relationship with the magazine publishing industry through our newsstand Hudson News, which sells millions of books and magazines each year," notes Hope Remoundos, EVP of Marketing for Hudson Group. "Hudson has successfully partnered with TV networks in the past, in our CNN Newsstand and CMT Loot stores. But this marks our first partnership with a magazine. We are delighted to take this step with such a strong market presence as American Express Publishing’s Travel + Leisure brand."
"As the first magazine brand to have its own signature retail space with Hudson Group, Travel + Leisure now has another touchpoint to engage and service our readers. It also provides us with unique marketing opportunities that we can share with our advertising partners," said J.P. Kyrillos, vp/publisher of Travel + Leisure.
About Hudson Group: Hudson Group is a travel retail specialist that operates more than 550 premier newsstands, bookstores, cafes and specialty retail shops in 69 airports and transportation terminals throughout North America. The company's flagship concept, Hudson News, is North America's only national newsstand brand. Under the familiar blue sign can be found the most complete selection of magazines in the aviation industry, along with newspapers and a wide variety of travelers' necessities, snacks and bottled soft drinks. Hudson Group's other concepts include such proprietary brands as Hudson Booksellers, Kids Works and Euro Café. Other national brands partnering with Hudson Group include Crabtree & Evelyn, Godiva Chocolatier, House of Blues, Life is good, Quiznos and Sunglass Hut. For more information, visit www.hudsongroup.com.
About Dufry: Dufry AG (SWX: DUFN) is a leading global travel retailer operating over 460 duty free and duty paid shops in airports, cruise lines, seaports, railway stations and downtown tourist areas. Dufry South America Ltd. Is a subsidiary of Dufry AG and is listed on the Brazilian and Luxemburg stock exchanges. Dufry employs around 7,100 people. The company, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, has about 60 subsidiaries to operate its business in 39 countries in Europe, North America & Caribbean, South America, Asia and Africa.