In observance of St. Patrick’s Day, international travel agency Aer Rianta International (ARI) welcomed 100,000 people worldwide, or “céad míle fáilte,” to influential members of Ireland’s political elite in recent days.

Airport retailer ARI

 

The airport retailer used St. Patrick’s Day to highlight its global reach and remind customers of its distinctive contribution to the duty-free industry.

The company has stores in several markets, including Canada, Cyprus, India, Oman, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to Ireland.

Politicians paid trade visits to ARI

 

During the annual week of celebrations for the Irish diaspora running up to St. Patrick’s Day, today, prominent politicians paid trade visits to ARI stores worldwide.

 

Shamrocks, the three-leaved clover that the Irish patron saint is supposed to have used as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity—and green clothing were prevalent in several places, including parades in New York on Saturday and London today. In its 263rd year, the event in New York City drew an estimated two million attendees.

Irish soft power

 

VIPs were entertained at different places by ARI, the retail division of the state-owned Dublin Airport Authority (DAA). Seán Ó Fearghaíl, the chairperson of the lower house of the Irish parliament, was welcomed at Portugal Duty Free in Lisbon Airport.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin, a lawmaker in the lower house of the Irish parliament, was at Montréal Duty Free in Montréal–Trudeau International Airport in Canada; and Simon Coveney, Ireland’s minister for enterprise, trade, and employment, went to Delhi Duty Free in Indira Gandhi International Airport in India.

 

CEO of ARI

“We are delighted to see ARI continue to prosper and expand,” said Ray Hernan, CEO of ARI. “We wish a very joyous St Patrick’s Day to everyone.” Slainte.

With the opening of the world’s first duty-free store at Shannon Airport in Ireland in 1947, ARI has good reason to celebrate.

it was the pioneer of duty-free retailing (see top image). From a tiny kiosk, the company has grown to become the leading international travel merchant in the Middle East, operating in 27 locations across 13 countries.

ARI and daa International (daaI)

 

Through ARI and daa International (daaI), Daa’s global retail, consulting, and management business has been expanding. After the pandemic’s effects, passenger volumes increased in the first half of 2023, which ended in June 2023, bringing total revenue to €121.7 million ($132 million), a 49% increase over the same time the previous year.

Unparalleled Middle East influence

 

However, ARI’s influence extends farther as, in the early 1980s, a team from the business created the first duty-free program at Dubai Airport.

Since then, one of the prominent figures in the Irish diaspora has been former ARI executive Colm McLoughlin, who held the position of general manager at Shannon Airport’s Freeport Shop (as it was known at the time) in the mid-1970s.

He became Dubai Duty Free’s CEO and changed the way the business operated.

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Dubai Duty Free

Dubai Duty Free achieved a record-breaking $2.16 billion in sales last year. According to McLoughlin’s most recent biography, A Life Well Spent, trade between Ireland and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) increased from virtually nonexistent in the early 1980s to €5.3 billion in 2021.

The book claims that former Irish ambassador Pat Hennessy confirmed the critical roles McLoughlin and Dubai Duty Free have played in this ongoing geopolitical alliance.

 

St. Patrick’s Day

 

Meanwhile, ARI has expanded its reach while being led by Hernan. With the opening of a new location at Edmonton Airport in Canada in January, the business expanded its operations throughout North America.

There, it is currently managing the duty-free concessions in collaboration with Marshall Retail Group, a WHSmith business.

Futuristic new outlets at Abu Dhabi’s new Terminal

 

Attention has also been drawn to the retailer’s futuristic new outlets at Abu Dhabi’s new Terminal A. Every retail outlet in the cosmetics, jewelry, and sunglasses categories has its own unique design cues.

One such example is the Gem & I jewelry line (seen above), which features a lot of Swarovski crystals. Both foreign and well-known regional brands are represented, such as Authur, which is only available through ARI in the area, and PDPaola from Spain.