Har sikret åtte nye taxfree år – venter salgsnedgang

Avinor, the Norwegian state-owned airline operator, has secured eight-year tax-free retail agreements with Travel Retail Norway and Airport Retail Group, effective from January 1, 2028. The Norwegian travel retail company will manage tax-free stores at Oslo Lufthavn, Sola, Flesland, and Værnes airports, while Airport Retail Group will handle the remaining regional airports.

Avinor's Commercial Director, Joachim Lupnaav Johnsen, expressed satisfaction with the deals, but anticipates market downturns. He noted that the tax-free business accounted for nearly 20% of total earnings in 2025. Johnsen attributed the decline to a drop in alcohol and tobacco consumption, as well as conflicts and instability in the Middle East and Gulf regions.

To make the contracts more attractive, Avinor extended the agreement period from five to eight years. The airline also included risk mitigation in case of changes to tax-free quotas and offered more flexible solutions for sales and product offerings. The bidding process took two and a half years, with only one international tax-free operator responding to each of the three contracts.

Johnsen stated that Avinor received positive feedback from the market regarding the execution. Travel Retail Norway currently operates 15 tax-free stores at airports in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, and Trondheim. In 2025, the company generated 4.9 billion Norwegian kroner in revenue, an increase of barely 1% despite fewer customers, due to reduced purchasing per product category.