Two new duty free border shops to open in Holyhead and Fishguard

Swedish retailer R&F Travel Retail has announced plans for two new duty free border shops in Wales. The first new outlet has opened its doors in Holyhead Port this week, with the second opening in Fishguard Port later in the year.

The stores will offer duty free bargains on products such as drinks, perfume and cigarettes, which can be purchased at prices up to 60% cheaper than regular retail prices due to Brexit.

Both stores will be located with the ports themselves, allowing travel passengers to and from Wales to take advantage of R&F’s deals. Duty Free has been permitted to be sold again on ferries from the UK to the EU since January, following a 22 year absence. But this is the first time Duty Free will be sold separately in retail outlets within the ports.

“It is are very exciting time for R&F as we take this next step in our expansion towards becoming a pan-European travel retailer. Now that full international travel is resuming between Britain and Ireland we expect Duty Free to become hugely popular, with users of both Holyhead and Fishguard ports. We are confident that we can offer the best prices on the market due to our purchase volumes and we look forward to welcoming travelers with great deals and fantastic offers”, says Jari Virtanen, Managing Director of R&F Travel Retail.

A subsidiary of the Stena AB group, R&F Travel Retail is one the largest travel retailers in Northern Europe. The company has been supplying premium duty-free and travel value products to shipping companies, embassies and airports for over 40 years.

Earlier this year the company opened the first store of its own stores, in Cologne Bonn Airport. It now wants to bring this successful concept to Wales.

The company is also a launching fun, practical and environmentally sustainable way to efficiently develop the new border shops. They will be housed in re-used shipping containers, providing a quick and low cost way to develop the stores, and provide commercial flexibility allowing them to easily expand if demand requires.

The Holyhead container was already in place, so only the shop’s interior needed to be fitted. R&F Holyhead will offer an exciting and surprising shopping experience with a user-friendly layout making it easy for customers to find the bargains they are looking for.