Lagardère Travel Retail to Open Five Stores at Bristol Airport
Lagardère Travel Retail will open five new outlets at Bristol Airport by summer 2027, including co-branded Waitrose stores, as part of a £400 million transformation plan.
Lagardère Travel Retail UK & Ireland has secured a long-term contract to operate five stores at Bristol Airport, totaling nearly 750 square meters. The rollout will begin in stages starting in summer 2027 and includes a bookstore, a Tech2Go electronics outlet, and three RELAY stores co-branded with Waitrose & Partners. This partnership introduces Waitrose food-to-go offerings to the airport for the first time.
The retail expansion is a component of a £400 million transformation program designed to double the number of shops and restaurants and expand the departure lounge by 2028. The largest of the new outlets will be a 362-square-meter RELAY/Waitrose store in the departure lounge, complemented by a landside store and a boarding gate kiosk. Other planned terminal additions include restaurants such as Bill's, Cosy Club, and wagamama.
Executives from the partnering organizations described the move as a strategic growth step. Peter Newbould of Lagardère Travel Retail noted the contract demonstrates the strength of the company's proposition following a recent debut at Heathrow T2. Charlotte Di Cello of Waitrose characterized the expansion as a significant next step in the supermarket's travel retail growth, citing Bristol's status as a major hub for the South West.
