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Houston Airport System
April 16, 2007
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She travels the world in search of bargains. Like many of her globe-trekking predecessors – Carmen Sandiego and Where’s Waldo, just to name a few – Sue Venir is best known for her mysterious persona and unforgiving travel agenda.
The main difference between Sue and the rest of these fictional characters, however, is that she brings savings to the bottomline of travelers at George Bush intercontinental Airport (IAH).
Sue is the newest warehouse prototype of the concessions management company Paradies in Houston. She is also the latest of an ambitious mall-type chain of retail and restaurant stores opening up inside of Houston’s airports terminals.
Randy Goodman, commercial development manager for the Houston Airport System (HAS), says Sue Venir is the result of a partnership between HAS and various outside sources to add a little more spice to the shopping options at Bush and Hobby airports.
“The overall goals for our concessions programs are to provide first-class service while offering a broad variety of quality merchandise, food, beverage and services at reasonable prices to the traveling public,” he says. “We also want to provide facilities with innovative designs to promote sales and optimize concession sales and thus revenues to the airport.”
To do so the airport system has been working with outside consultants, designers and the concessionaires in developing more exciting retail and restaurant options.
For Paradies, the end result has been very fruitful. According to Howard Harmon, regional director for the concessions management company, the Sue Venir prototype is the most successful they have ever experienced.
“The Houston location is doing so well, we’re between 30 and 40 percent more business than any of our previous prototypes,” he notes. “This particular concept will be rolled out to all new Sue Venir stores we open across the country. |
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Nancy Whitaker, a school teacher from Loganville, Georgia, was drawn in immediately. As she traveled through IAH, recently, on her way to Mexico with a group of friends the shop caught her eye.
“My girlfriends and I were walking around, waiting for our next flight when we came across this great store,” she says. “It’s just so colorful! I’ve never seen anything like it in an airport before.”
Harmon says that is a reaction he has become very familiar with since the concessionaire first opened its doors in 2006.
“The whole concept of Sue Venir is ‘Sue’ travels the globe, bringing new items in every month and that’s pretty much what we do here,” he adds.
Over at Hobby Airport, another concession management company is paving the way for airport restaurant and retail options of the future. The 4 Families of Houston is looking to leave passengers from across the country craving for more of the city’s local flare.
Their approach to concessions management is creating a synergy between the city’s local identity and the shopping needs of the traveler. Currently, 4 Families operates seven eateries at the airport.
Robert Riedel, general manager of the 4 Families of Houston, wants people to see the difference when they travel through Hobby.
“Our vision for 4 Families is to make Hobby the showpiece for airport dining in the country,” says Riedle. “It’s all made here in Houston, so travelers get to taste the freshness that we provide in all of our restaurants.”
One of their newest openings includes Hunan: Return of the Phoenix, a Chinese restaurant owned by the Huang family. All of the same traditional family recipes created in their kitchen 30 years ago are served in the airport for millions to devour.
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