Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) has awarded its five-year retail concessions contract to The Paradies Shops. Paradies won in a bid process that included 158 proposals from 22 bidders, the company said. The Paradies contract includes all 34 retail concessions at the airport.
“We are very excited about The Paradies Shops coming to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It’s a win-win for our customers and the airport and personifies our vision of providing the highest-quality product for the lowest possible cost to our customers,” says Haley Gentry, public affairs manager for CLT. HMSHost is the current retail concessions operator.
“We look forward to offering great national brands, including Brooks Brothers, Brighton and PGA TOUR and introducing shops with regional appeal, such as Charlotte’s Got a Lot,” adds Gregg Paradies, president and CEO of The Paradies Shops.
Justin Marlett, project manager for The Paradies Shops, says the airport was seeking a mix of local and national brands.
“We try to be cognizant of keeping some Carolina feeling to it, with Charlotte’s Got a Lot and some of the other local concepts that we created for them,” he says.
Marlett explains that Charlotte’s Got a Lot is a take on the city’s Regional Visitors Authority tagline of Charlotte’s Got a Lot …, ending with phrases such as “of excitement” or “of entertainment.”
“We wanted to work with them to create a store that embodied that excitement and entertainment value that the city of Charlotte has,” Marlett adds. The store will offer local gifts and gourmet foods from local Charlotte and Carolina vendors.
Paradies will also debut the first location of an EA Sports store in an airport. EA Sports will offer an interactive sports experience with the EA Sports Play Zone, where gamers can play the latest titles. EA Sports will also feature officially licensed apparel from all pro and college Carolina teams, as well as EA Sports games across all platforms.
Other Paradies retail offerings will include its CNBC News concept and LACOSTE, among others. The company said it will contract with seven airport concessions disadvantaged business enterprise partners at CLT.
