Qatar Duty Free, which is already home to many world-class luxury brands at the iconic Hamad International Airport, will have more than 70 retail outlets offering a selection of designer labels, high street fashion, electronics and gourmet foods before the year-end, said Keith Hunter, QDF Senior Vice President.
“We will have some luxury brand outlets opening before Eid and many more before the year-end,” Hunter told Gulf Times in Doha yesterday.
Qatar Duty Free is world-scale and among the largest in the region. It has 25,000 sq m of prime retail space to rival the world’s leading department stores and establish HIA as a “prestigious shopping destination in its own right”.
In addition to many world-scale luxury brands and boutiques, QDF has many original concept stores developed exclusively for HIA.
‘AU’ is QDF’s gold and jewellery boutique, which has been designed for “lovers of fine jewellery”. At ‘Bazaar’ customers can soon find a “rich and colourful” market of “original and eclectic range” of souvenirs including arts and crafts.
‘The Boulevard’ has on display multi-brand fashion accessories including watches, jewellery, designer sunglasses, handbags and leather goods.
QDF has ‘Bumble Tree’ a children’s toy emporium and ‘Cedar Room’ for premium cigars and liquor. ‘Chocology’ is the home of “fine chocolates” while ‘Esquire’ is the gentlemen’s boutique. ‘GMT’ has on display luxury watches and accessories while ‘Junction’ is a brand fashion store. ‘Pulse’ has line-up of electronic goods, other devices and luxury items. ‘Marmalade Market’ targets food lovers, where they can taste and discover fine food from around the world.
Jamocha Café offers a tempting selection of high-quality food and beverages, allowing passengers to enjoy everything from a cup of organic espresso, to a creamy gelato, or a freshly-baked croissant.
QDF’s Marché restaurant is another example of a highly passenger-focused offering. Open 24-hours-a-day, Marché can accommodate up to 560 guests at a time, and has been designed to satisfy the tastes of every passenger, with a broad range of international cuisine prepared from the very freshest of ingredients.
Similarly, the QDF seafood restaurant, Caviar House and Prunier, is the only such outlet in the world that produces its own caviar and salmon, and everything is prepared fresh in front of the passengers, creating a unique culinary destination for seafood lovers.
Now HIA passengers can enjoy Farggi’s premium ice creams, with superb latte coffee, and delicious crepe and waffle creations all while waiting for their flights. Farggi, the Barcelona-based producer of premium ice-cream and cakes has been delivering delicious treats to consumers since 1957.
In addition to the above, the food court at HIA, called ‘Eat Street’, has a diverse range of food outlets, featuring Camden Food Company (healthy snacks and meals), Negroni (Italian cuisine), Yum Cha (Asian cuisine), Azka (Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine), BK (burgers), Red Mango (frozen yogurt, coffee & pastries) and SOHO (organic coffee).
With more than 30 cafés and restaurants spread across 15,000 sq m, passengers can now enjoy a sumptuous selection of global and regional cuisine at a series of exclusive food and beverage outlets.
“As QDF is part of a major international five-star airline, we understand the needs and expectations of our passengers, and so we have developed a unique and comprehensive food and beverage offering,” Hunter said.
“We wanted to create a renaissance in airport dining, and to develop a complete culinary experience based around our passengers’ needs. We have therefore built an environment that promotes high-quality, healthy and authentic cuisine, matched with efficient and exceptional service,” Hunter added.