- Spencer Sheen’s 30 years of experience includes M&S and international positions
- Current projects include £21m transformation of South Terminal retail space
- Questions can be asked live or in advance using #askgatwick via @Gatwick_Airport
2013-08-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — A one-hour live Twitter Q&A will be held from 11am on Thursday 22 August with Gatwick Airport’s Head of Retail Spencer Sheen. As well as discussing all things retail, Spencer will answer questions on anything from the extensive retail development programme at the airport to future plans.
Spencer joined the Gatwick retail team in November 2011, bringing nearly 30 years of experience in the industry. Previously he was Head of Property and Development Planning for Marks and Spencer. His international experience includes three years in Bangalore, India and time based in Israel and Turkey managing retail franchise accounts.
He has led the transformation of the retail scene at Gatwick over the past two years. The latest investment of £21m in the South Terminal has seen 10 new stores open in the last month including a flagship Harrods department store, along with airport ‘firsts’ for Aspinal of London and Ernest Jones.
This further enhances the mix of retail offered in the South Terminal adding to the improvements made in summer 2012, with the opening of Europe’s largest World Duty Free store. An additional 12 new or refreshed retail outlets will complete the transformation of the South Terminal departure lounge later this year.
The North Terminal has also seen significant change under Spencer’s guidance. By October 2014, Gatwick will have opened 15 new or modernised stores, which continues the momentum from milestone openings such as Jamie Oliver’s first airport restaurant last year.
Gatwick’s retail strategy has been developed with passenger feedback at the centre of its plans1. Spencer and his team work closely with all retail partners to develop a unique understanding of Gatwick’s diverse range of passengers, ensuring that the experience offered truly reflects passenger needs.
A full transcript of the Q&A session will be taken and will be available to share shortly after the live session.
Notes to Editors
1Source: YouGov research (Sept 2012) based on 2,060 passengers revealing that 56% want more high street and international brands, 38% want a premium department store and 22% want more designer brands.
About South Terminal retail
- A new marketing campaign to tie in with the new openings in the South Terminal was launched on the 1 July giving passengers the chance to download or print an exclusive voucher passport enabling them to save up to £400 at the airport: http://www.gatwickairport.com/voucherpassport/
- Ten new or refreshed stores opened in South Terminal on 18 July including Sunglass Hut, Kurt Geiger, Ernest Jones, Hugo Boss, Case, Lacoste, World of Whiskies, Aspinal of London, Caviar House and Dixons.
- Harrods opened on 1 August. Brands available in the store include: McQ by Alexander McQueen, Love Moschino, Michael Kors, DKNY, Hackett, Zegna Sport, Paul Smith Jeans, Armani Jeans, M Missoni, Gottex, Melissa Odabash, Monica Vinader, Seafolly, Orlebar, Heidi Klein, Swarovski, Carat, Elizabeth Hurley, Pamela Love, John&Pearl, Deepa Gurnani and Harrods of London.
- An additional 12 new or refreshed stores are set to complete the South Terminal transformation project in December 2013.
About Gatwick’s Twitter Q&As
- Gatwick has been at the forefront when it comes to interaction with passengers via social media, which has helped the airport gain over 78,000 followers.
- Spencer Sheen’s Q&A will be the fourth live session after the success of previous sittings with Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate, former Head of Terminals Paul Fitch and HR Director Tina Oakley.
For more information contact:
Gatwick Airport press office
t: + 44 (0) 1293 505000
e: gatwickmedia@gatwickairport.com
About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second largest airport and the busiest single-runway airport in the world. It serves more than 180 destinations in 90 countries for around 34.2 million passengers a year on short- and long-haul point-to-point services. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 23,000 on-airport jobs and a further 13,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is 28 miles south of London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the largest shareholder.
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatwick_Airport
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Spencer Sheen, Head of Retail, London Gatwick