Karen Millen debuts in travel retail with Gatwick store

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Apr 17, 2019

With travel retail being one of the most dynamic channels in the UK, against an otherwise-weak backdrop, Karen Millen has made its travel channel debut with the opening of a 780 sq ft store in Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal.

Opening its doors just in time for the Easter holiday getaway, it allows the brand to make the most of last-minute impulse buys as well as shoppers attracted by sales-tax-free bargains.

The store offers a mix of clothing, footwear and accessories and will have a year-round holiday selection of swim and resortwear that should maximise the impact of product under the brand’s new Heidi Klein swimwear licensing deal.

Company CEO Beth Butterwick said the opening reflects the lifestyle of its customers.

Travel retail is increasingly being seen as a major growth opportunity for both fashion and beauty retailers and only this week, cosmetics giant L’Oréal cited it as one of its key growth channels. 

Earlier this year, Oliver Bonas kicked off a number of store openings with a Gatwick North Terminal debut, in another affirmation of how important the channel is to premium and upscale fashion labels.

Gatwick is the second busiest airport in the world to only operate one runway and saw a combined 46.1 million passengers passing through its two terminals last year.