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Nuance group wins concession at Sydney airport

Analysis

Zurich (THE NUANCE GROUP) - The Nuance Group has confirmed that it has been appointed as new concessionaire for the Sydney Airport Duty Free Concession. The Nuance Group has operated the concession at Sydney Airport as Downtown Duty Free since 1991. The current concession will end on October 31, 2006 and the new concession commences November1, 2006. Subject to the exercising of options, the concession will last for eight years.

The Nuance Group currently operates more than 5,000 sqm of retail space at Sydney International Airport, generating annual sales of over AUD 200 million. The announcement comes after a highly competitive bid process which attracted significant interest from all over the travel retail world. Following the announcement by Sydney Airport, Nuance looks forward to working with the Sydney Airport Management team to take the retail experience to new levels.

Christian Strang CEO The Nuance Group Australia and New Zealand said: "Nuance and its partners should be proud of what has been achieved in winning the Sydney Airport concession. It is worth celebrating (briefly)! Our sleeves are already rolled up and we are well into delivering the first phases of our proposal. We made a very comprehensive proposal and the support and recognition we have received gives us great confidence as we enter a new era".

"We recognise there are more and more challenges in our industry and together with Sydney Airport we have developed a framework which manages risk and rewards high performance on both sides of the landlord/retailer equation".

Strang also commented: "This win is an important signal of our commitment to the region and is good news for all our staff and business partners. This was a lengthy, complex and challenging tender process. I need to thank my team here in Australia and the global support teams. The teamwork has been remarkable and has resulted in a high quality business plan. Customer service is at the heart of our operations and we are committed to this for the future. Nuance is also committed to promoting an improved value proposition for duty free pricing in the region."

SACL Chief Executive Officer, Russell Balding said, "We are delighted to have Nuance on board for this next, very exciting period in Sydney Airport's retail development."

"The decision followed an exacting process that began in November 2005. The proposals, from many of the top global duty free retailers, were of a particularly high standard, with those ultimately short listed more than satisfying the Airport's expectations," Mr Balding said.

SACL General Manager, Retail and Commercial Development, Bob McFadyen, added that "The Nuance Group was awarded the contract on the basis of its response across the full range of assessment criteria. Its proposal was of an exceptional standard reflecting the concerted effort of a team that clearly understands the duty free industry and particularly the opportunity at Sydney Airport."

The Nuance Group is a CAPA Member. For more information on the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation's membership service, please click the icon below. capagold.gif capaplatinum.gif

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