Tesco's Glasgow airport move a mere toe-in-the-water?

News of Tesco's first foray into airport retailing is obviously an initial step on a new route to consumer, an opportunity for the company to get a feel for opportunities in the travel environment. However, whilst every little helps via an airport-by-airport roll-out, Tesco may soon be tempted to consider additional options to take some high ground in travel retail.

For instance, with sales of €5.8bn and a market cap. of €2.5bn, Autogrill may present a no-brainer opportunity to leap forward on a number of fronts.

Think about it:
Autogrill SpA is an Italian company involved in the restaurants sector. The Company operates mainly in three sectors of activities: Food & Beverage, Travel Retail & Duty free and In-flight. In the Food & Beverage division its offer includes restaurants supplies, sale of daily use products such as newspapers and magazines, cigarettes, etc, offered to people travelling by plane, train or car. Travel Retail & Duty free offers products consisting primarily of fragrances and cosmetics, spirits, tobacco and confectionary. The In-flight Catering division is involved in the supply of catering products for over 100 airlines. The Company operates over 5,500 points of sale in over 1,200 locations. The Company operates also railway outlets in Europe. In addition, it operates in shopping centers, trade fairs and high streets. The Company's direct subsidiaries include Autogrill Deutschland GmbH, HMSHost Sweden AB, Restair UK Ltd, Autogrill Hellas EPE and Nuova Sidap Srl.

And think of the scope for Clubcard promotions…
(See Ci Corporate Information for a financial report on Autogrill  or go direct to Autogrill for latest annual report)