Expanded Concessions
With Phase II behind Northwest, Nick Biello is hopeful an increase in business will soon follow the recent completion of the McNamara Terminal Expansion.
Biello, President of Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services (DNCTHS), recently signed a three-year extension to its prime retail concessions contract at the WorldGateway with the Wayne County Airport Authority.
"It is a great terminal and we have great opportunities there for passengers to shop and eat, so it is a pretty exciting place to be," Biello said. "Now we just need the people back."
She-Chic women's fashion boutique and The Stylish Paw pet products are two of the newer concepts Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services has bought to the concessions scene at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport's McNamara Terminal.
Since opening in conjunction with theWorldGateway debut in February 2002, Biello reported robust sales and creative opportunities.
"The nice part about Detroit is the people are creative," Biello said. "They want to give you opportunities to bring in new ideas." Some new concepts brought to the airport that were not part of the original bid include She-Chic women's fashion boutique, Gadgets-to-Go, and The Stylish Paw pet products.
DNCTHS has not only expanded its offerings, but also its dimensions as the McNamara Terminal has grown. "When we originally bid the contract, we had the A and a small B regional jet concourse down below," Biello said. "Since that time, the new B and C concourses have been added. We were very fortunate to win three packages when those extensions were bid."
Under these extensions, DNCTHS has added a Three Irish Pub as well as a four-concepts-in-one outlet with Gayles Chocolates, Coffee Beanery, Gadgets-to-Go and Vito's Market in the B Concourse.
On the other side in the C Concourse, a Fuddruckers eatery "is doing tremendous business," as are a Grey Goose Martini Lounge, Detroit 500 Sports Bar and a combination CNN Newsstand/Coffee Beanery location. At the far end of the concourse where the props are landing, a CNN and Everything ASAP beauty products and sundries store is beginning to come up to speed
Biello said he believes construction-restricted traffic flow has yet to bring these concessions to their full potential.
"We haven't seen the growth that we have anticipated, but I think we are going to see that now with everything coming on line now," Biello said.