Coughing up before taking off – Airport Terminal shopping

Naturally, Mark Jennings, head of fashion at BAA, which owns both Heathrow and
Gatwick, is keen to push the idea of buy-before-you-fly.  He says: ‘It’s possible
to pick an outfit for your holiday before your flight.   Passengers can choose
from the same cutting-edge brands they might find on the high street but with
the added bonus of airport prices.’

Retail expert Alison Middleton (www.amretail.co.uk) believes the shopping experience
is about much more than duty-free prices, though: ‘Most people are savvy enough
to know they can easily match airport prices by shopping online. What they will
not get by doing that is the brand experience. If you don’t normally shop on Bond
Street, you can go to the airport, bowl into the Chanel store and buy something.
You get the service and the branded bag – that adds a certain glamour.’

While London’s major airports are leading the way in shopping facilities it seems
many of the regionals – which now service more flights thanks to the boom in low-cost
airlines – are catching up (see list below).   Manchester has just completed a
refurbishment of its Terminal 1, which has seen a range of new stores opening.

Middleton says: ‘Along with Birmingham International, Manchester is at the forefront of enhancing the shopping experience.

‘Regional airports spent a long time where they did not place much value on retail
space but that is beginning to change.’

She does offer a word of warning, though. ‘There is a mindset that once people
go through security, everything they spend comes out of their holiday money. You
don’t want to leave yourself short.’

PUTTING IT TO THE TEST

We tried shopping for an outfit at Gatwick’s North Terminal to see how it compared
to the high street.  We did a once-around and came up with a pair of Ted Baker
shorts, a Hugo Boss ‘Greco’ T-shirt and a pair of Lacoste sandals that came in
at a total of £148.84 – a saving of almost £25 on the equivalent high-street price.  
The saving allowed us to push the boat out and spend a little extra on a new bathing
costume from Lacoste while we were at it.

Ted Baker navy linen shorts – £55 (High street price); £46.81 (Airport price)

Hugo Boss Greco T-shirt – £78 (High street); £67.23 (Airport)

Fred Perry flip-flops – £40 (High street); £34.80 (Airport)

Totals – £173 (High street); £148.84 (Airport)

Total saving: £24.16

WHAT SHOPS HAVE THEY GOT?

Heathrow

T1: Barbour, Burberry, Collection, Fat Face, FC, Harrods. T2: Bally, Burberry,
Harrods, Pink. T3: Chanel, Dior, Emporio Armani, Gucci, Kurt Geiger, Paul Smith,
Reiss. T4: Cartier, Ermenegildo Zegna, Mulberry, Pink. T5: Cartier, Coach, Dior,
Gucci, Paul Smith Globe.

Gatwick

North Terminal: Harrods, Hugo Boss, Ted Baker, Lacoste. South Terminal: All Saints,
Harrods, Hugo Boss, La Senza, Monsoon.

Stansted

Hacket, All Saints, Hugo Boss, Kurt Geiger, La Senza.

Manchester

T1: Attitude, Fat Face, Kurt Geiger, Mango. T2: Accessorize, Best Of The Best,
Temptation. T3: Tie Rack.

Luton

Accessorize, Best Of The Best, Kurt Geiger, Monsoon.

Birmingham International

T1: Alpha Airport Shopping, La Senza, Claire’s. T2: Alpha Airport Shopping, Austin
Reed.

Edinburgh

Accessorize, Tie Rack, Naturally Cashmere.

Glasgow

La Senza, Sunglasses Hut, World Duty Free.

Bristol

Fashion Gallery (Henri Lloyd, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger and Radley), Street,
Surf & Sand.

East Midlands

Accessorize, Biza.