The new food and retail program at Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) will include a restaurant and bar that also serves as a music venue, a full-service craft beer bar and restaurant, and a food truck-style food court.
Those will be among the 50 new restaurants, retail establishments, and convenience and news stores at MSP if a review team’s recommendations are accepted by the Metropolitan Airports Commission’s Management and Operations Committee and full board.
“Minneapolis-St. Paul International is well known in the airport industry for its robust mix of food, retail and service amenities,” says Jeff Hamiel, executive director and CEO of the MAC, which owns and operates MSP. “As we modernize our concessions program, we want to build on those strengths and provide even more reasons for travelers to favor MSP over other transportation options.”
In the seven food categories, SSP America MSP and Midfield Concession Enterprises Inc. each were recommended in two categories. The first of SSP’s batches includes a casual full-service restaurant, bar and music venue and a craft cocktail bar and restaurant; the second has a 24-hour sandwich shop and a fast-casual restaurant.
Midfield was recommended in a batch that includes a wine bar with limited food service, “food truck alley”, and a full-service wine bar and restaurant. Its other batch includes two coffee venues and a quick-serve restaurant.
Other winners in the food category included Aero Services Group Inc., which was recommended in a batch including a casual full-service craft beer bar and restaurant; PhaseNext Hospitality, which was recommended for a nationally branded sports bar and restaurant, coffee and donuts, and a quick serve restaurant. Caribou MSP Airport was selected to provide another coffee concept.
There were two convenience and news batches. Hudson Group Retail LLC was recommended for one of those batches, and World Duty Free Group North America LLC was tapped for the other. Hudson is a fully owned subsidiary of Dufry AG, which also agreed to buy World Duty Free Group earlier this year.
Dufry MSP Retailers JV also was recommended for a batch including venues with a mix of duty-free and duty-paid retail.
Delaware North-CBR MSP LLC received recommendations in two batches. One includes requests for a bookstore, an outdoor lifestyle retail concept, a regionally themed gift shop, a bookstore and children’s concept, and a sunglasses store. The other batch includes a regionally themed art gift shop, a premium gift shop, a candy/confections store, and a retail women’s intimate apparel or spa services offering.
Reviewers recommended Pacific Gateway Concessions LLC for a batch including unspecified retail, men’s and women’s professional apparel and jewelry locations. And MSP Innovations LLC received a recommendation for its bid on a batch including technology retail, active-wear apparel, specialty apparel and luggage.
A total of 11 entities received recommendations as part of the 14 batches.
“One of the exciting aspects of the review team’s work is the number of different operators being recommended,” says Patrick Hogan, spokesman for MSP. “Competition is usually good for consumers and there is no single company that dominates the recommendations.”
The MAC’s goals for the process included enhancing participation by regional businesses, operators and suppliers, as well as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises; expanding the variety of price points available to consumers, including a broader selection of ethnic foods; enhancing duty-free shopping opportunities; reflecting national trends toward beer and cocktails; and attracting high-impact national brands, according to a statement.
The airport released just the recommended winners’ company names in the 14 batches. Under the Minnesota Data Practices Act, MSP cannot release further details until contracts are finalized, according to the statement. The Management and Operations Committee will consider the recommendations Aug. 3. That committee will forward a recommendation to the full MAC board, which will consider it when it meets Aug. 17.
