IRAQ. Financial Links-owned Iraq Duty Free this week opened a new 84sq m arrivals store at Basrah International Airport. It marks the completion of the latest phase of renovations of duty free shops at Iraqi airports by the company.
The new arrivals store at Basrah Airport is the latest investment by Iraq Duty Free and parent Financial Links in travel retail infrastructure across the country; beauty, confectionery and liquor lead the offer in the new store (above and below)
Iraq Duty Free said the store offers travellers “a new shopping experience on arrival” in Basrah. It features best-selling items in the key categories of fragrances & cosmetics, confectionery and liquor & tobacco.
Ahmed Kamal: Leading the investment and expansion drive at Iraq Duty Free
The retailer said: “The newly opened shop and the closure of the old one could not have been achieved without the support of the official government figures of Iraqi Civil Aviation, Basrah Airport management and personnel along with the dedication of the Iraq Duty Free management and staff members.”
It said that together they succeeded in bringing “a modern look and a world-class design” to the location, in addition to the modernisation of stores at the other airports in the country.
With phase four of the renovation programme complete, Iraq Duty Free now turns its attention to phase five and a major project at the new Kirkuk International Airport. There, a new 140sq m departures store and an arrivals store spanning 110sq m will open by July.
As previously reported, in late 2019 Iraq Duty Free Chairman & CEO Ahmed Kamal told The Moodie Davitt Report that the retailer had signed a ten-year contract with the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and Ministry of Transport to run shops at Kirkuk International.
The retailer has also invested substantially in its operations at Baghdad International Airport, with new arrivals and departures stores at the Iraqi Airways terminal and the international airlines terminal opened in the past 18 months.