Latin America – Avolta
Avolta maps out the next steps in Latin America
We assess performance and the latest developments at Avolta, the dominant travel retailer in Latin America.
While Avolta’s Latin America & Caribbean business represented 14% of group turnover in Q1 (at CHF417 million/US$510 million in the period), the region is among the most diverse in the travel experience player’s eco-system.
It spans 429 outlets across 22 countries, and while duty free dominates market share by channel – Avolta is by far the leading regional player in this sector – the company has ambitions to be present across its food & beverage and travel essentials business lines.
A key project that accelerates those ambitions came recently at São Paulo Congonhas Airport, as Avolta made its F&B debut in the vital Brazil market. This is part of a wide-ranging dining to duty-paid retail contract struck earlier in the year.
The F&B space is for a 334sq m full-service restaurant with a grab-and-go section named Vista Corona. It offers modern local cuisine and a selection of craft drinks.
The move also ensures that Avolta is heavily involved in the latest upgrades at Aena-managed Congonhas, a key airport platform in Brazil.
Extending the Avolta footprint at Los Cabos Airport, Mexico
With an investment of R$2.4 billion (US$416.7 million), Congonhas Airport is developing a new passenger terminal more than double its current size, with new boarding bridges and other improvements.
It will involve the creation of what Aena terms “a cutting-edge space that seamlessly integrates innovative experiences and world-class services”.
In the past 18 months in Brazil, Avolta has extended its multi-airport partnership with Aena and has been constructing new stores in both duty free and duty paid in Recife, plus a duty-paid store in Maceió, alongside the expansion of activities at São Paolo Congonhas Airport.
Other openings included a duty-paid store at Vitória Airport, retro-fitting of the Porto Alegre Airport duty-paid store, and a consolidated presence at Belo Horizonte Airport.
In early 2025 Avolta opened the first of four stores that integrate its duty-free and duty-paid operations at Manaus Airport.
Beyond Brazil it has renewed its duty-paid contract at Santiago del Chile Airport, as well as bringing new contract wins and extensions to life across the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Aruba and the Bahamas.
Making the most of additional space at Santiago de Chile Airport
In Mexico, new stores are planned across all major airports, while there are upgrades to arrivals and departures stores in Argentina and Uruguay.
The combined weight of these openings filtered through to Q1 performance, with reported turnover in Latin America climbing +11% year-on-year and organic growth at +8.5%.
Addressing the wider picture for the market in a recent Moodie Davitt Report interview, Avolta President & CEO LATAM & Caribbean Enrique Urioste said: “We are focused on continuing to enhance the customer experience – making the journey as exciting as the destination – and optimising our duty-free, duty-paid, convenience and F&B offerings by continuing to strengthen our collaborative relationships with our airport partners.”
A key focus, he noted, is the accelerated roll-out of loyalty programme Club Avolta, leveraging data insights that help to personalise offers and create “a seamless shopping journey with multiple touchpoints”.
Urioste added, “Avolta is also investing in retail innovation, frictionless payments and AI-powered solutions to further enhance the customer experience.”
Increasing penetration rates and spend per passenger in Latin America are central goals, in line with the company’s Destination 2027 strategy. “We are fully committed to achieving this with the modernisation of our stores, intensive training programmes for our staff, and by incorporating the latest digitalisation, cutting-edge technologies and services,” he said.
Local flavour to the fore in Mexico
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The Moodie Davitt eZine
Issue 345 | 4 June 2025
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 6 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (MA Travel Retail). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please email kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com