The Ottawa International Airport Authority (OIAA) is excited to announce that Miami-based DFASS Group of Companies has been selected as the exclusive operator of the airport’s duty free concession through a Request for Proposal process that began in late 2015 and concluded in March 2016.

The OIAA established several priorities for its new duty free concession, including:

• unique and welcoming store designs;
• a “Sense of Place” (reflecting the city of Ottawa in its own right and as the capital of Canada);
• a commitment to service excellence; and
• product offerings that are high quality, sourced locally, and engaging.

Effective September 1, 2016, DFASS will assume responsibility of the airport’s two existing duty free shop locations, one of which serves international passengers and the other, transborder passengers.

DFASS’s portfolio includes over 25 airport locations, namely Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando International, Newark Liberty, Chicago O’Hare, and recently Huatulco and Veracruz, Mexico. DFASS is also Air Canada’s onboard provider of duty free services, and operates numerous land-border and cruise ship terminal duty free outlets.

The Authority’s CEO and President, Mark Laroche, noted that the winning company was selected in no small part due to the boldness of its store designs. “We’ve seen the passion and creativity that DFASS has brought to the table with their recent project in Terminal D at Dallas-Fort Worth, and the fact that the same design team was engaged to work on this project here in Ottawa shows the priority that DFASS has given this opportunity and the enthusiasm with which they approach new markets. We’re confident that they will offer the best of Ottawa to our international travellers”.

DFASS President of Ground Stores Jonathan Potash added: “We are very excited about the opportunity to develop the new duty free stores at the Ottawa International Airport. Our global duty free experience, and our familiarity with the Canadian duty free environment by way of our program with Air Canada, will allow us to create a unique retail program. The store designs reflect the ideas and concepts we have developed with our creative design partners for Dallas and other international airports. Our retail strategy is focused on expanding our footprint in North American airports and Ottawa represents a key pillar in our targeted Canadian expansion”.

Implementation of the new store concepts will begin in September 2016, with renovations scheduled to be completed in early 2017. 

About the Ottawa International Airport Authority

OMCIAA manages, operates and develops airport facilities and lands in support of the economic growth of the National Capital Region, generating more than $2.2 billion annually in total economic activity in Ottawa and Gatineau.

About DFASS

DFASS, one of the largest duty-free operators in North America, is headquartered in Miami, Florida. The $600 million company is segmented into four distinct business divisions including In-flight Retail, In-flight Pouring, Airport/Ground Store and Wholesale Distribution. The Airport/Ground Store division operates over 40 duty free and specialty retail stores in major global airports and travel destinations including Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Newark, Belize, Bogota, Cozumel, Salvador, and soon in Ottawa.

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For more information:

Krista Kealey
Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs
613-248-2050

Jonathan Potash
President, DFASS Group Ground Stores
305-654-9200 ext. 1211