DFS Group, one of the world’s leading luxury travel retailers, will unveil its newly renovated boutiques at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at an in-store event timed to coincide with its 50-year anniversary of operations in San Francisco. The event will take place on June 1 at the Airport’s Terminal G concourse, attended by official representatives, VIP customers and local celebrities.
DFS has served millions of international travellers since opening its doors in 1972 as SFO’s only duty-free retailer. In recent months, to prepare for the return of international travellers to locations throughout the US, the retailer undertook a comprehensive renovation of its two flagship stores in SFO’s Terminal A and G concourses. In addition, boutiques featuring luxury brands including Gucci, Burberry, Hermès, and the world’s first in-airport Saint Laurent were remodelled to world-class standards befitting the brands’ images and in line with SFO’s standing as one of the world’s busiest hubs.
The event will kick off 50 days of celebration, highlighting exclusive products and gifts as well as local discoveries from the Bay area. Featured brands and products will include Benefit cosmetics, wines from the Napa and Sonoma vineyards, sweet treats from the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company and See’s Candies, and spirits from Hangar 1 Distillery and Gold Bar Whiskey. The in-store delights will be augmented by new digital experiences, such as interactive digital wine tables allowing customers to place a bottle on the table and learn about that brand and vintage displayed on the screen. DFS has also partnered with Inflyter, the duty-free shopping app, enabling travellers to browse and buy duty free as soon as a flight booking has been made and alleviating the need to wait until the airport.
“DFS is honoured to have served travellers to San Francisco and the Bay Area for more than five decades,” said DFS Chairman and CEO Benjamin Vuchot. “We are delighted to show our appreciation to them by expanding our retail offering here at San Francisco International Airport to include even more luxury brands, new products, and elevated customer experiences that take airport retail to new heights.”
“SFO forms the first impression of San Francisco for millions of travellers around the world,” said San Francisco International Airport Director Ivar C. Satero. “For more than half our history, DFS has been a part of the journey, creating an airport experience that travellers love. With this newest facility, DFS has brought a uniquely San Francisco sense of place to life, one which we know travellers will enjoy for years to come.”
DFS’ newly renovated stores are situated in the A and G concourses, just past the newly expanded security checkpoints. The design of the new stores reflects the laid-back yet cosmopolitan essence of San Francisco, with a façade that features iron-painted International Orange (the colour of the Golden Gate Bridge) and natural wood.
The unveiling of the renovated stores at SFO marks the latest in a long line of DFS reopenings in 2022 as travel resumes around the world. In recent months the travel retailer has fully or partially reopened its network in Honolulu and Maui, Saipan, Guam, Okinawa, Auckland, Cairns, Sydney, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Macau, Venice and Paris. In addition, DFS recently announced a number of new stores to be added to its global footprint. In January, it opened its first Galleria store in Hainan Island, China, with a local partner. The next month DFS announced two new Galleria stores to open in Oceania; one in Queenstown, New Zealand, set to open in Q4 2022, and another in Brisbane, Australia, to open by Q2 2023. The company is also expanding its network in Macau SAR where it currently operates seven stores.
