What: The new strategy involves offering travelers an assortment of brands and checkout options.

Why it is important: As airport-based retailers were hit hard by Covid, Hudson's strategy aims to ramp up average purchases.

Hudson, a Dufry company, is introducing Evolve by Hudson, a concept shop format geared for its stores in airports. The retailer has more than 1,000 stores in airports, commuter hubs, tourist locations and other points of interest.

The Evolve by Hudson debut is a shift by the company to larger, more integrated store concepts. Shoppers will find different brands in sunglasses, electronics and entertainment, personal care and wellness, luggage and writing instruments, accessories and apparel, local goods and souvenirs, and travel essentials and snacks.

A variety of national and global brands will be offered in the new concept such as Sunglass Hut sunglasses, Apple products, Burt’s Bees personal care products, Tumi luggage, Happy Socks and different travel essentials.

Each store will have at least 2,000 square feet and will be designed with an open format to simplify shopping. Consumers will be able to choose from different checkout options like a traditional one, as well as self-checkout kiosks and Hudson’s newly developed mobile point of sale capabilities. The latter will enable Hudson employees to complete transactions for shoppers from anywhere on the sales floor in the brand shops-in-shop.

Hudson to Launch New Retail Concept in Select Airports