In an exclusive interview, Americas Duty Free caught up with Erasmo Orillac, Director of Motta International, to get the details on the upcoming openings of two new walkthrough stores in Bogota Airport. Not surprisingly, Orillac confirmed that Motta’s plans are much more comprehensive than simply opening two new locations; the company is taking important steps toward ensuring that design and staff training play a pivotal role in this latest venture.

The stores
 
According to Orillac, the decision to open these stores came about after careful consideration of the benefits that such an undertaking may bring about: “Bogota Airport put out the bid in mid-November and we sat down and looked at the numbers, ultimately deciding that it was in the best interest of the company to go ahead with this. The opening of these two stores, one measuring 555 square meters and the other measuring 145 square meters, is planned for about 120 days from now.”

While the sizes of the new stores are certainly impressive, perhaps more impressive is the presence that Motta has secured within the airport when the company’s other stores are considered: “When all is said and done, we will have about 72% of all retail space in the airport and 90% of the duty free space, which is really quite a dominant position to be in,” says Orillac.

Indeed, many of the nine Attenza-branded stores that Motta already has in the airport are rather small. In fact, the largest existing store measures 120 square meters. Orillac asserts that opening the 555-square-meter store will provide the company with a yardstick of sorts by which it can measure growth: “Both of the new stores will be bigger than anything we have in Bogota at the moment. Because of this we feel that the larger of the two new stores will give us a good idea of how things will play out in the future as Motta continues to grow. It will be interesting, to say the least.”
 
Given the comparatively small sizes of Motta’s existing stores in the airport, it’s no surprise that most are dedicated to only one specific category. Another first for Motta in Bogota is the fact that the larger of the two new stores will allow the company to have a multi-category location.

“We’ll offer perfume/cosmetics, liquor, confectionery, luxury items, and consumer electronics, all in an environment that the brands deserve,” says Orillac. “The stores are downstream from security and we’re planning on making the stores as aesthetically pleasing as possible in order to attract the maximum number of travelers. The front entrance of the larger store is about 11 meters, which we feel will allow for a nice, visually pleasant showcase of what lies within.”
 
The design
 
When asked about any challenges present in the current venture, Orillac confirmed that design is a concern that Motta is already addressing: “We’re working very closely with two highly respected designers in the area to ensure that we use the space in the best way possible, that the stores are attractive, and that the products are displayed in a way that makes them very accessible to the passengers, meaning that we want isles to be large enough to accommodate luggage and so on and so forth.”
 
Along with the multi-category approach, the size of the larger store will permit building a small section dedicated to liquor tastings: “This is very exciting for us as spatial restrictions in the airport have previously prevented us from having a dedicated tastings area,” says Orillac. “The liquor section itself has a back wall of approximately 15 meters, although we’re still in the planning phases.”
 
Interestingly, the opening of these news stores will also bring about changes in other Attenza stores in the airport. Motta is currently considering taking some brands out of stores dedicated to one category and giving the brands space in the new stores. Orillac asserts that this will allow the company to play with the mix in its smaller, existing stores and that “visitors to Bogota Airport will have a lot of new experiences in store for them.”
 
Training
 
Of course, design and product mix matter little if the staff isn’t knowledgeable about the items it’s selling. For this reason, Motta has already started a staff training program. Indeed, as opposed to being familiar with one category when working in one of Motta’s smaller stores, staff in the new stores will have to be knowledgeable about a number of different categories and all the brands within those categories. Orillac notes that everyone is going through intensive training sessions that encompass three important facets of the retail experience: product knowledge, the art of selling, and customer service.
 
“Customer service is very important and all employees in all Attenza stores are currently attending customer service training sessions,” concluded Orillac. “When you go to your local mall, you can return if you have a problem with the product or the service. However, it’s unlikely that a customer will be returning to an airport as the average person travels perhaps once or twice a year. This means that we have one shot at pleasing the customer; indeed, we don’t take this challenge lightly.”