FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September
14, 2012 New Orleans As part of the ongoing transformation at the Airport,
a widespread revamp of concessions program is taking place, the New Orleans
Saints opened their Saints store at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International
Airport today. The store of the Super Bowl XLVII Champions is located
pre-security in the East Lobby near the entrance to Concourse B and is one of
the star concessions coming to the Airport. The Saints store features a wide
selection of licensed Saints merchandise, apparel and collectibles currently
only found in their team store located in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of
the New Orleans Saints.
The new Airport location will be
1,522 sq. ft. and will provide jobs for 9 employees operating from 5 a.m. to 8
p.m. daily. The store will operate under the Airport Master Concessionaire,
Hudson Group, in conjunction with local partners New Orleans Air Ventures II
(NOAV II). The New Orleans Aviation Board (NOAB) has entered into an agreement
with NOAV II to provide a series of new and renovated properties for a total
expenditure of over $4.7 million. Other store additions will come online in the
next several months, with a full concessions revamp complete by early 2013.
"Our New Orleans Saints have a
huge fan base across the country, even around the world. We are excited to be
able to offer fans of the Saints that travel through Armstrong International a
first-class retail outlet in an airport environment, " said Nolan V. Rollins,
New Orleans Aviation Board Chairman. "It will be spectacular.
"Securing an agreement with the
Saints organization to place their store in Armstrong International Airport is
a big win for us at the Airport, said Iftikhar Ahmad, Airport Director of
Aviation. "I want to thank Saints Owner/Vice Chairman Rita Benson LeBlanc for
working on this project with us. This is another way to showcase our home team
to our visitors and residents alike.
"The New Orleans Saints store is
a great anchor store for all of the new concessions that we are adding at our
Airport. Even if our passengers cannot attend a Saints game, they can still
take home a unique souvenir of the finest NFL football team in the country.
Youre going to continue to see major improvements at the Airport as we march
toward the 2013 Super Bowl, said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Joe DiDomizio, President and CEO
of Hudson Group, pointed out, "Strong cooperation with the Saints management
and design teams enabled us to create a retail environment that will feel very
familiar to Saints fans, including an exact replica of the Mercedes-Benz
Superdome built above the checkout counter.