IRELAND. Dublin Airport’s new T2, which was officially opened last Friday, looks set to greatly enhance the consumer experience at Ireland’s major gateway.
It’s bright, modern and airy, and features stunning use of natural light to illuminate the airside environment in particular. The 9,000sq m of commercial space features many “˜firsts’ for this market, some strong Irish elements that add to the all-important Sense of Place, and terrific visibility throughout. Crucially the 75,000sq m building, which will have capacity for 15 million passengers a year, is easily navigable for the traveller, with clear signposting on the concourse as well as inside the stores – and the distances to walk are relatively short, certainly compared to T1.
Come with us now as we take a tour of Dublin Airport’s new Terminal 2.
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The glass-fronted walls of the new terminal both landside (top) and airside afford great views of Dublin; (Above) passengers will get a feeling of height, space and scale as they enter the building |
Entering the arena
T2 dominates the skyline on the approach to the airport, with the steel and glass façade of the building rising three storeys above the ground. The walkway from the new multi-storey car park offers fine views of the existing Terminal 1, and the airport complex, as you enter the new facility.
Once inside the feeling of height and space is breathtaking, and a contrast to the relatively cramped facilities that greet travellers upon entering T1. Check-in is on the ground floor, with Arrivals one floor up and Departures on the top level.
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One of three WHSmith units in T2 (top) is located in Arrivals while the Oak Bar carries an iconic central design |
The Arrivals level houses the key commercial functions, including a 100sq m WHSmith outlet, a Spar convenience store plus a fine new addition to the airport’s food & beverage offer, the 725sq m Oak Bar. This is set to be one of the landmark locations in T2, with a dramatic wooden structure at its heart.
Other facilities landside include Thai restaurant Diep le Shaker, the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and O’Brien’s Sandwich Bar.
Arrivals also houses DAA Retail’s first Arrivals shopping outlet, a 150sq m unit catering to inbound passengers under The Loop branding.
Travellers can access the Departures level via escalators or lifts, and enter a wide open area pre-security, where the opening ceremony was held on Friday.
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The Slaney Bar is one of the central features of the high-class airside zone |
Breadth of offer
Impressive and bright through the landside zone is, it’s the airside arena that is the jewel in the crown. Once through security, the eye is drawn first to the main 1,100 DAA Retail store, with its open, inviting entrances and its sweeping walkways. Cleverly, the “˜cloud’ motif on the ceilings follows these same walkways to guide the passenger on the journey through the store.
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The 1.3m high gondolas allow superb visibility throughout the DAA Retail store airside |
Fragrances & cosmetics, which account for around 40% of travel retail sales for DAA, dominate the entrance immediately after security, with Chanel, MAC, Bobbi Brown and Dior the initial brands on show. Crucially, all brands were asked to deliver something a little different from their standard executions for this store, and it has paid off with a vibrant retail look, great finishes and a sense of newness throughout.
The 1.3m high gondolas afford good visibility too – although the store is deep the various categories, tills and exits are all within easy reach. Crucially too the curving back walls of the store add interest to the walk-through.
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Chanel, MAC, Bobbi Brown and Clinique have created high-class personalised displays for the new terminal |
There are some neat new features, including the Clarins treatment room, where passengers are encouraged to come for a 20-minute facial (free of charge), as well as the Lancôme display table.
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There are some neat touches, such as this Lancôme beauty counter displaying key lines to passing travellers |
Confectionery accounts for a sizeable space within the store, and while perhaps not quite as eye-catchingly striking as the P&C zone, houses a refreshingly strong array of Irish brands. Butler’s and Lily O’Brien’s feature their latest retail executions, while names such as Rachel Allen and Orla Kiely add to the local flavour.
Irish brands account for around two-thirds of chocolate sales at Dublin Airport, so wisely the national brands have been given their own dedicated space. There’s also the trademark aggressive merchandising on the key lines, with price-offs and multi-purchase offers helping to drive this key category.
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Butler’s is one of the popular Irish confectionery brands that boasts significant space |
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Lily O’Brien’s has a strong showcase in the main DAA Retail store |
Probably the highlight of this store for us is The Irish Whiskey Collection, which DAA Retail wants to become seen as the leading location for Irish whiskey ranges anywhere in the country.
It’s made a good start to delivering on that ambition. Aside from core ranges of Jameson, Bushmills and Powers, it carries the entire Midleton range, including a Midleton Single Cask 1991 bottling specially created for the T2 opening (with only 204 bottles available), plus a Greenore 19yo from the Cooley Distillery, featuring whiskey from the oldest Cooley cask ever laid down – only 300 bottles of this are on offer.
The store has its own livery and carrier bags for purchases, plus it aims to tell some of Irish whiskey’s great stories through shelf talkers and a booklet that will appear soon.
We love the high-class displays that house the exclusive items – giving the Greenore 19yo or the Midleton 1991 a stage and a showcase will generate a lot of interest. And the use of video and images helps bring the Irish whiskey story to life.
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The Irish Whiskey Collection aims to be a reference point for the country’s strong whiskey heritage |
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The Collection features the full range of the highly prized Midleton brand |
Beyond the main store, there’s much else to admire. To the right as you enter the airside area, there’s a 200sq m Pure Pharmacy, operated by an Irish company that won the right to operate here against the major international chains.
The sweep of the concourse past the pharmacy takes in a number of “˜firsts’ and also some secondary anchor stores that will draw passengers in.
There’s Jo Malone – operated also by DAA Retail, there’s a debut airport store for Irish fashion group Azure, there’s JD Sports and Sunglass Hut, with WHSmith towards the far end of the zone. At 400sq m this is one of WHSmith’s largest airport outlets (and one of three in the terminal). Importantly, around 25% of the offer will be dedicated to Irish authors.
There’s another first after WHSmith with the Swatch-owned Hour Passion unit offering a broad range of watch brands – and underlining the retailer’s ambition to drive growth in the airport market.
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Pure pharmacy (top) and Wright’s of Howth are two of the homegrown retail names in the diverse commercial mix |
Irish Memories is a new, simple but effective concept from DAA Retail, which mixes traditional souvenirs, food, fragrances and a strong Guinness branded zone while House of Ireland builds on the country’s strong reputation for high-class giftware, offering Waterford Crystal, Belleek China, Newbridge silverware as well as contemporary stemware from John Rocha and Louise Kennedy.
The 205sq m Dixon’s unit is one of the largest in the terminal, and builds on the retailer’s presence both at Dublin (it recently opened in T1) as well as at other key European airports.
The fashion offer housed under the Collezioni banner is one of the McArthurGlen Luxury Retail group’s best executions to date, we think. The finishes of the stores are excellent, the lighting brings out the brands terrifically well while the offer also adds a new, upscale dimension to the terminal. Brands featured include Kurt Geiger (Dublin Airport’s first shoe store), Hugo Boss (its ready-to-wear range is a welcome addition to the airport), Longchamp, LK Bennett, Pandora and The Collection, featuring DKNY, Orla Kiely and Texier.
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The strong Collezioni store executions run in a sweeping curve around the lounge |
Amid the breadth of the commercial offer, one or two concepts really stood out for us. We like SSP’s Flutes Champagne bar in the centre of the terminal. It adds an element of surprise and fun to the F&B offer, and it deserves to perform well. Whether it will do so against the backdrop of Ireland’s economic woes is another question.
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The SSP-operated Flutes bar is a neat addition to the food & beverage offer |
The centre of the terminal also houses Ladurée, a luxury French patisserie brand that specialises in macaroons sold from an antique-style handcart. Another niche service we like is the nearby Dylan Bradshaw Blow Dry Bar, a hair salon. It was one of a number of services that passengers requested when DAA was researching the options for T2, and offers not only hair services but also massages and manicures. It’s one of the services that is sure to stick in the mind of travellers, and reinforce the sense that T2 brings something different to the experience of flying from Ireland’s major airport.
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The Dylan Bradshaw hair salon adds an element of surprise to the consumer offer |
After that comes Best of the Best, the concept that has long been a feature of other airports, notably Heathrow, where passengers can win luxury cars as prizes. After walking around a terminal that offers so much that is different, it’s mildly disappointing to see a concept taken directly from another airport (one with which many Irish passengers will be familiar on their journeys through London), though DAA feels it makes good commercial sense.
One of the highlights for us is The Chocolate Lounge, a novel F&B concept tucked away in the corner of Departures, and a unit that benefits more than most from the striking views of the Dublin mountains and bay area that the open, glass façade of the terminal affords.
DAA Retail says that the unit “will be a conversation in itself” and we tend to agree. First opened at Harvey Nichols’ store in downtown Edinburgh, it’s got a sushi-style turntable that displays the wonderful array of chocolate-inspired creations as travellers look on. It’s a real point of difference to the generic F&B offer at many airports, and brings the food to life in front of the customers. We think it’s going to encourage a lot of impulse purchases, as travellers make their dining decisions based not on the menu, but on the food that they see going past as they sit at the bar.
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The Chocolate Lounge (above and top) is one of the most innovative new F&B concepts to appear at any airport recently |
Importantly, the offer does not replicate much of that in T1. For example, DAA eschewed what would have been the safe, sound option of a chain coffee concept, in favour of eclectic names such as The Chocolate Lounge and the beautifully designed Slaney Bar. There will always be a need for certain international anchors – there is a Burger King – but overall the impression is of a location that offers real points of difference.
The F&B portfolio is rounded out with HMSHost’s Harvest Market (the company also operates a series of outlets in the Pier E gate area, including Lavazza Coffee, Irish Meadows plus two mobile coffee units) – housed, like BurgerKing, on a sweeping mezzanine level that overlooks the main concourse.
Overall, the terminal layout is tight, with no long walks to the gates or services, while the FID screens inside the stores keep passengers well informed.
Passenger services began this week, with Etihad’s Abu Dhabi flights the first to move from T1, so full judgement on the success of the complex must wait until travellers deliver their verdicts in the weeks and months ahead.
Overall though, as a commercial and consumer environment, Dublin T2 ranks as one of the very best new European airports openings of recent years. It’s got style, a strong Sense of Place, great use of natural light, a neat flow to the retail areas and true points of difference. Amid some of the darkest days Ireland’s economy has witnessed, it’s an iconic building – and an achievement – in which the country can take great pride.
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Dublin Airport’s new Terminal 2, which opened last Friday, can be a source of national pride |
