Hudson Reveals Transformed Brookstone Experience In North American Airports

Fully Reimagined Brookstone Stores Unveiled, Complete With Industry-Leading Brand Selections, Vibrant In-Store Design Elements, And Immersive Digital Experiences

East Rutherford, N.J., October 6, 2021 – Hudson, a Dufry company and travel experience leader with more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, landmarks and tourist destinations across North America, today shared the vision for its next-generation Brookstone airport stores, reflecting Hudson’s commitment to reinvigorating the powerhouse brand after becoming its exclusive airport retailer in 2019.

A visit to Brookstone is much more than a trip to an electronics store. Now with a sleek, ultra-modern store design and expanded product assortment, Brookstone celebrates a differentiated shopping experience for the traveler – driven by robust industry insights, built on brand accessibility, and positioned as an innovative, one-stop-shop. Elements of the new, reimagined Brookstone have been incorporated into the recent openings at Nashville International Airport (BNA), Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), and the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, with plans to open new stores with the full redesign in the coming months.

“Brookstone is such an iconic name. Our vision was to create a space that would become the ultimate lifestyle and experiential destination for the whole family by blending the electronics categories synonymous with Brookstone with newer product categories like STEM learning and wellness,” said Michael Levy, Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer of Hudson. “A big focus for Hudson has been expanding our merchandising assortment to create an all-encompassing shopping experience, and our evolution of the Brookstone brand is just the latest example of how we’re innovating to successfully deliver on these growth opportunities to serve the evolving needs of travelers.”

The new store exterior is warm and inviting, blending soft ambient lighting with signature shades of Brookstone blue. Inside, a spacious open floor plan and interwoven design elements encourage intuitive exploration and inspiration throughout the entire store. Combined with informational screens, hands-on product demonstrations from knowledgeable and passionate Hudson team members, and other interactive touchpoints, the store is a fully immersive oasis for travelers of all ages.

To further create an experience that’s uniquely Brookstone, the store is divided into branded discovery zones to promote ease of use. Each fixture within the zones is completely modular, allowing for a seamless transition of products to provide first-time and repeat shoppers alike with the latest game-changing innovations, the hottest on-trend products, and joyful seasonal favorites. Key zones featured include:

• Audio: Indulge in the best-in-class assortment of headphones from AfterShokz, Apple, Bang & Olufsen, Beats, Belkin, Bose, Sony, Samsung, Wicked, and more, with styles ranging from wireless to noise-cancelling and bone conduction. 
• Luggage: Travel in style with a selection of the most durable backpacks, carry-ons, checked bags, and storage solutions from Briggs & Riley, Samsonite, and Thule.  
• Massage: Discover the most powerful and portable back, foot, hand, and neck massagers for relief after any leisure or athletic adventures while on the go.
• STEM: Embark on an educational journey with build-your-own robots, learning toys, and the tech-savviest drones. 
• Tech Essentials: Never stress again about leaving the basics at home with a wide selection of adaptors, cables, chargers, power packs, and speakers for every device.
• Travel Essentials: Enhance the travel experience with compression socks, luggage tags, passport cases, and TSA-approved luggage locks. 
• Tech Toys: Celebrate the fun of life and work from anywhere with hand-held and wearable gadgets, vlogging accessories, and everything in between.
• Travel Comfort: Make travel easier – and more relaxing – with blankets, neck pillows, sleep masks, and other must-have accessories designed for ultimate comfort.
• Wellness: Lead a balanced lifestyle and prioritize holistic wellbeing with air purifiers, aromatherapy oils, sanitizing devices, and sleep assistance products from HoMedics.

Each zone in the store also features a prominent collection of Brookstone-branded products that deliver the brand’s best-sellers in all-new ways. New custom packaging has been meticulously customized to create a perfect illustration of how each product fits within today’s lifestyle – using contemporary product shots, expanded product information, and bold design elements that are a nod to the innovation, essence, and authenticity of Brookstone.

The redevelopment of the Brookstone airport brand furthers Hudson’s strategic transformation of its specialty retail portfolio, blending innovative ways to experience Hudson favorites with elevated brand experiences for modern travel. Today, Hudson operates more than 30 standalone Brookstone stores in airports and continues to expand the classic brand into new non-traditional formats, including automated specialty retail and Evolve by Hudson, a new shop-in-shop store that blends a specialty brand experience with the accessibility of travel essentials.