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 Saint’s 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. You’re 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.”