SWISS-BASED travel retail company which operates duty-free and duty-paid shops and convenience stores in airports across the world, Avolta, has considerably increased its investments in Nigeria with the opening of another duty-free store at the new terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) in Lagos.
CEO for Avolta, Middle East and Africa, Abdeslam Agzoul, who disclosed this during the official inauguration, said they had invested a significant amount of money in Nigeria and their investments include stores, innovations, infrastructure and products in Lagos and Abuja.
Agzoul said the company, which has operated in Nigeria since 2015 has stores at the Lagos and Abuja airports; invested in training personnel and brought in well-known brands in the perfume and cosmetics, alcohol, food and fashion categories, into the country.
Expressing excitement, he revealed that the new generation store integrates the latest technology such as the self-checkout which facilitate sales and purchases for the customers. During his speech, Agzoul thanked the company’s local partner, Olivier Meyer of Marport Services Nigeria Ltd.
Meyer, who is the Director of Marport Services which specialises in accompanying international investors in their Nigerian objectives, said: “We are proud to have partnered with the largest travel retailer globally, Avolta and FAAN to develop world-class outlets in Nigeria. Achieving this significant milestone amid challenging economic conditions underscores the company’s dedication to improving the travel experience for millions of passengers. We look forward to further supporting their expansion in the country.”
Speaking further, Agzoul said, “We have a strategy called ‘Destination 2027’ and one of its pillars is the travel retail customer focus. We aim to be customer-centric. We have over 50 staff in Nigeria and are looking to strengthen our presence here in Nigeria and Africa. Nigeria is one of the top three economies in Africa and for us, it is an opportunity to expand the business in the airport together with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to capture the maximum benefits for Nigeria,” he said.
He added that Avolta has a presence in over 73 countries with 5,100 outlets all over the world.
Also speaking at the event, the managing director, FAAN, Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku, said the event marks a remarkable journey in their growth, noting that she was delighted to see this level of investment coming into the country. Kuku said the store is of international standards and encouraged the company to sustain the standard and authenticity. She commended Avolta for leveraging technology and innovation to improve passenger experience, assuring of their commitment to making the airports an investment and business-friendly environment for investors.
