MarketPlace Logan LLC has been awarded a new 10-year contract with the Massachusetts Port Authority for the management of the majority of concessions operations at Boston Logan International (BOS). MarketPlace is a subsidiary of Boston-based New England Development.
Currently, the four terminals of the airport are managed under two concessions contracts. Airmall currently manages Terminals B and E, while Westfield manages Terminals A and C.
Development, under the new contract, is expected to begin in mid-2018.
“We look forward to working with everyone at Massport and Logan to bring the very best in food and beverage and retail to the traveling public at our hometown airport,” said Paul McGinn, president of MarketPlace Development.
With the win MarketPlace beat out two other bidders, Airmall and Mexican airport operator ASUR. Westfield did not bid on the new contract. MarketPlace currently operates concessions programs at Philadelphia International (PHL), Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) and Washington Dulles International (IAD).
Massport issued the Request for Proposals in July 2016. The agency said it formed an internal committee and hired Ann Ferraguto from Air Projects Inc. as a concessions consultant and retired Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Robert Cordy to oversee the process.
“The management of the many concessionaires at Logan is a complex and, most importantly, customer-centric responsibility that deserves the intense and serious review process that has been undertaken in the past few months,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “Consolidating our concessions management under a singular contract with industry leader MarketPlace will ensure consistency, continuity and choice for the millions of passengers that travel through Logan every year.”
Massport said that providing diverse offerings – both in product choice and price points – in retail and restaurant choices was a priority in selecting a winning proposal. The agency also placed importance on showcasing some of the highlights of the region’s culture and flavor, but said that it “strives to balance the local, regional, national and international retail and food/beverage brands so that everyone traveling through Logan can find something they enjoy.”
Massport also implemented requirements and parameters in the RFP that created opportunities to encourage Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and minority-owned and women-owned enterprises. The RFP also sought to ensure that labor needs and requirements are properly addressed and handled and asked for the implementation of a receiving and distribution “commissary” program to smooth out arrival and distribution of goods while reducing curbside traffic and streamlining critical security screening procedures.
