 STRUCTURE
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Aerofirst was formed as a joint venture in 1988
between Aeroflot and Aer Rianta of Ireland. A
third partner, the Sheremetyevo Airport Authority,
joined the group a few years later.
Today, Aerofirst is a joint stock company consisting
of three shareholders: Aeroflot, Aer Rianta International
and the Sheremetyevo Airport Authority. Each shareholder
provides two representatives that form the Board
of Directors. The Director General of Aerofirst
also forms part of this group.
The Management Board, which is appointed by the
shareholders, deals with the day to day running
of Aerofirst. The Management Board includes the
Director General, who is also the Chairman of the
Management Board, the General Manager and four other
directors.
Aerofirst employs over 500 people working in
sales, warehouses, transport, procurement and
purchasing, finance and accounting, customs clearance,
marketing, personnel and administration. There
is additionally a department dedicated to managing
and supplying Aerofirst's in-flight duty free
programme.
Aerofirst operates in both Sheremetyevo 1 and 2
and organises the supply of duty free goods to a
number of Russian airlines.
FIRST STEPS
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In the late 1970's, Aeroflot was searching for
convenient routes for flights to the west. Shannon,
in Ireland, proved to be just the place. Additionally,
and more interestingly for Aerofirst, the 1947
Customs Free Airport Act in Ireland had allowed
Shannon to establish the world's first airport
duty free shop.
This gave transit and international departing passengers
the opportunity to purchase an assortment of goods
exempt from normal taxes and customs duties. Shannon's
duty free shop opened in 1947 as a small kiosk manned
by one girl.
Soon, Holland, Belgium, Great Britain and Germany
followed Shannon's duty free shop idea and today,
as every traveller knows, there are hundreds of
duty free shops all over the world, not only in
airports but also onboard aircraft, at land border
crossings, on ships and at seaports.
Shannon airport grew and its duty-free shop along
with it: today, there are around 35,000 square feet
of retail space filled with thousands of different
products.
In May 1988, following a decision by the Council
of Ministers to create a duty free shop in Moscow's
Sheremetyevo Airport, an agreement was signed between
Aer Rianta International and Aeroflot which resulted
in the birth of both Aerofirst Moscow Duty Free
and the first duty free shop in the former Soviet
Union to sell goods supplied directly from the leading
manufacturers of the day. The Sheremetyevo Airport
Authority joined the original members to become
the third partner a few years later.
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| DUTY FREE
SHOPPING IN MOSCOW |
In Sheremetyevo 1, Aerofirst (Moscow Duty Free)
operates both duty free shops and the "Irish
Bar".
In Sheremetyevo 2, Aerofirst (Moscow Duty Free)
operates two large duty and tax-free shops and
perfumeries offering a wide range of goods.
The central mall of shops includes "Troika"
(Russian crafts and souvenirs), "More Than
Music" (compact discs, cassettes and video),
"Versace Boutique" (selling the latest
goods from Versace, Trussardi and other famous
brands), "Central Duty Free Shop" and,
last but not least, the "Irish Bar"
- a place to relax before travelling and to enjoy
famous beers, liquors, soft drinks, tea, coffee
and snacks.
Then there is the sky-shop, a division for in-flight
sales with Aeroflot as the major client
Another recent innovation is the fully IT-supported
self-service order facility in the VIP lounge.
Aerofirst (Moscow Duty Free) offers their customers
a comprehensive range of merchandise at advantageous
prices from some of the world's leading manufacturers:
Liquor
Cigarettes, Tobacco & Cigars
Perfume & Cosmetics
Food, Delicatessen & Confectionery
Fashion Accessories & Furs
Watches & Jewellery
Pens & Lighters
Photographic & Electronics
Music & Video
Toys & Travel
Glass & China
Souvenirs
Major suppliers include Chanel, Christian Dior,
Cartier, Hermes, and Frank Muller. Aerofirst wants
every salesperson of to know about a camera or
the best way of applying makeup and they are enjoying
their suppliers' special support. With the sales
mix exceeding 27,000 products, they are very satisfied
with this cooperation.
| AEROFIRST'S
ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUPPORT TO THE COMMUNITY
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The Aerofirst team is very proud of its achievements
over the years:
*The Frontier Magazine's award for the world's
best duty free retailer in Cannes in 1988, the
industry's top accolade;
*Three awards over the years from the American
magazine Onboard Services;
*Highly commended in Cannes 1997 in the Liquor
Retailer of the year category.
Aerofirst is actively involved in various charities
and cultural and sporting sponsorship. The company
has made sizeable contributions to "The
Children of Chernobyl Fund" and "The
International UNESCO Project ", whose aim
is to publish books for the blind. Each year, Aerofirst
is actively involved in the St Patrick's Day Parade
and Emerald Ball, which is presided by the Irish
Ambassador to Russia, and whose proceeds go to various
orphanages.
Sponsorship is also given to the Bennios De La
Dance ballet group for their international competitions
and the annual Moscow Ski Track competition, held
under the patronage of Moscow Mayor, Yuri Luzhov,
and which attracts over 10,000 competitors.
Many smaller donations are also given to worthy
groups in and around the airport.
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