On location: Alfarag Duty Free’s game-changing flagship opening in Addis Ababa

ETHIOPIA. Alfarag Duty Free’s new flagship store at Bole International Airport, inaugurated yesterday (19 June), can serve as an example to all African airports, according to Managing Director Anwar Farag.

“We worked very hard to develop something unique,” he told The Moodie Davitt Report (listen to The Moodie Davitt Podcast below for the full interview).

“Africa has always been perceived as usually having low-standard outlets. We’re trying to change that perception and get people to understand there is a different vibe in Africa in the travel retail industry. And this is an example of it.”

As reported, ‘Raising the bar’ was the adopted mantra for the inauguration of the 1,000sq m flagship store. The Moodie Davitt Report is on location to report on the opening, which represents a step change for African airport retail.

{Click on the Podcast icon to hear Alfarag Managing Director Anwar Farag in conversation with Martin Moodie} 

Farag paid tribute to the company’s brand partners for their commitment to the project. “We really appreciate the support we’ve been getting from all the brands, which have been very supportive, all wanting to uplift the standards of travel retail in Africa.

“A very good example is what you see from the different brands that are represented in this store. And the good thing is that we have more niche brands coming up. That is something different and new to the travel retail industry in Africa.

“One of the reasons we have put such an investment behind the retail environment here is what you see with Ethiopian Airlines becoming one of the leading airlines in Africa and the world.

“We needed to provide travellers travelling from all over the world – into Africa and out of Africa – with an experience of the same quality and image.

“We see a lot of passengers flying through the airport, appreciating what they see. They were not expecting such a presence of brands and such an environment. I think this is something that will uplift the travel retail industry in Africa.”

Abdullah Al Alawy, Managing Director of Berkshire Design, which designed the store, said Alfarag Duty Free’s requirements underlined the retailer’s heady ambitions.

“Our client reached out to us in 2020 with a very clear brief of what they wanted,” he told The Moodie Davitt Report (also listen to Podcast below for more).

“They wanted to develop a next-generation store within Ethiopia to showcase the international quality they felt they can achieve as a hub for African tourism and as a destination. They said we want a store that can match Dubai, Istanbul or Hong Kong airports.

{Click on the Podcast icon to hear Berkshire Design Managing Director Abdullah Al Alawy in conversation with Martin Moodie} 

“We’re happy with the results. And I believe that it’s a stepping stone for other high-quality stores to come within the African region.”

Alfarag Chairman & CEO Ayderus Farag told The Moodie Davitt Report (for more, listen to the Podcast below): “I am very happy. This is a great, great thing for my country, my family and my people.

“We are a family. My grandfather was a businessman. My father was a businessman. I am a businessman, and now my sons are joining here with me and we are preparing our grandchildren to follow. So to see this in my life is something that gives me great happiness. I am very proud of what we have done.”

Earlier, he told guests at the opening ceremony: “This is a shop that refines what is possible and a symbol of a rising Ethiopia. This is more than a retail space, it is a statement that Ethiopia is raising the bar.

“For over 90 years, since 1932, Alfarag has been driven by a single guiding principle, to raise the standard in everything we do. From trade and import to retail and employment, we have always believed Ethiopia deserves the best.

“This new duty-free store stands proudly alongside the finest in the world, not just as a shopping experience, but as proof of what can be built here at home when passion and purpose come together.

{Click on the Podcast icon to hear Alfarag Chairman & CEO Ayderus H.M. Farag in conversation with Martin Moodie about the significance of the Grand Opening} 

“It mirrors the broader transformation happening all around us. Our government’s efforts to beautify and modernise Addis Ababa are visible everywhere. New roads, vibrant public spaces and a renewed sense of possibility.

“Our city is becoming a global destination, but government alone cannot achieve this. It takes all of us – private businesses, communities and citizens – to lift the country together.

“This shop is Alfarag’s contribution to that shared vision. It creates hundreds of jobs. It brings global standards to Ethiopia’s gateway, and it proves that Ethiopian businesses can lead, inspire and deliver.

“We hope this is just the beginning, that it inspires others to raise the bar in their own fields and that together we continue building an Ethiopia we can all be proud of.”

That sentiment was echoed by his son Anwar Farag, who concluded: “We look at this as just the start, and we are expecting better and more vigorous work in the future.”

AN ALFARAG DUTY FREE PICTURE GALLERY