World’s largest duty free shop to open in Istanbul

IGA, the operator of the third Istanbul Bridge, has signed an agreement with the German company Heinemann and its Turkish partner Unifree to build the largest duty free shop in Istanbul with an investment of 120 million euros. The CEO of IGA and Limak board member, Nihat Özdemir, announced that after an investment worth 26 billion euros including VAT, they will be overseeing the biggest investment in the history of the Turkish Republic. "Since Istanbul is the largest transport center in the region, with this shopping mall, Istanbul will also contribute a great deal to the country's economy," Özdemir said. Heinemann's CEO Claus Heinemann also highlighted that they have been doing business in Turkey for the last 30 years; therefore, they know Turkey and Turkish businessmen well. "Istanbul is a crucial center, and we believe that Turkey will benefit from our international experience. We also have great trust in Turkey," Heinemann said. The Assistant CEO of Unifree, Kerem Üstünkaya, announced that the new shopping complex will be different from the classic shop concept, and passengers will spend time trying luxury products, have fun at the game center and benefit from services such as a spa and hair dresser. The complex will host more than 400 brands on a 53,000 square meter area and employ around 7,000 people. It will also offer various high-tech products such as smart shopping carts and three dimensional hologram systems. The shopping complex will also be built using architecture that will help to facilitate a comfortable shopping experience. Moreover, Turkish products will be displayed on 3,000 square meter area. Luxury products will be displayed in a 6,500 square meter shop, and a 12,500 square meter shop will be located in the arrivals section. The duty free shopping complex will be designed as a shopping mall with intermediate sections and sales centers that will also offer special amenities for disabled passengers. The Hamburg-based Heinemann is the largest duty free company with 135 years of experience and 30 years of experience in Turkey.