Alpha Retail at Manchester Airport

Alpha Retail at Manchester Airport: "Beauty to behold

Natalie Hamer, Perfume Department Manager at Manchester T2, loves the way the whole shop - incorporating liquor and tobacco, confectionery, electronics, fashion and accessories, and perfume & cosmetics works as a seamless unit.

'There's a huge variety between the three departments but also a nice cohesiveness,' she enthuses.

'We expanded by about 1,500sq ft at the front and opened it up around 18 months ago and over the past two months we have added a new YSL wall bay,' she says.

'It's much more inviting and friendly - you've got a nice flow and passengers can meander about.'

Adds David King: 'T2 was our big launch in upgrading our perfumes and cosmetics offer back in 2002.

The principle was brands, brands and brands - with a lot of suppliers putting in customised fittings. We created big space for big images. If you look around you'll see huge light boxes for example. It's the most fantastic, glamorous imagery.' The subsequent extension in 2004 was highlighted by the introduction of a MAC area and other leading brands.

There is also an emphasis on what King describes as 'Alpha grey'. He explains: 'We use it to de-feminise the area to some extent, knowing that around 50% of the passengers going through are men. We know that men are not comfortable with the white beauty parlour approach and are less likely to shop. Grey acts as a nice generic background for the brands' own fittings.'

Today, the beauty area has many highlights, including a men's bar, a new Givenchy wall bay and a dazzling Clarins area in prime position. MAC, a smash hit at Manchester, is very prominent at the front of the store while a new designer fragrances area is working well in the middle of the sho"