Investing in Arlanda’s future

Stockholm Arlanda Airport’s operations are now being adapted to handle the rapid recovery in air travel, and at the same time Swedavia is taking major steps in its work with the airport’s long-term development to make it more modern and efficient.

Next year, a brand-new security checkpoint will be inaugurated, but so will the first part of The Marketplace, which is Arlanda’s biggest single investment ever in food, drinks and shopping. The Marketplace, with 12,000 square metres, will have some 20 new concepts in food and drinks – from “grab and go” to fine dining, as well as 30 shops and services.

On June 15 2022, Arlanda’s Terminal 4 reopened, at which time the new connecting walkway between Terminals 4 and 5 also opened. Linking the terminals together is an important step in Arlanda’s development, given that next year Terminal 5 will have a brand-new modern security checkpoint and the first phase (of three) of a central marketplace open.

More than 47 million travellers visit our airports, and we meet 120,000 passengers each day throughout the year. During the pandemic, we have worked intensely to create a more efficient, modern airport. Arlanda will be Sweden’s and the Nordic region’s leading transport hub, and naturally we shall have a commercial offering that is adapted to the travel and passengers of the future. This is Swedavia’s biggest ever investment in food, drinks, shopping and other services.

Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Sky City

New commercial strategy – a focus on the passenger and a price ceiling

In 2020, Swedavia decided on a new commercial strategy for its airports, an important goal has been to develop Arlanda’s range of food, drinks and shopping on offer. The strategy is based on extensive customer and market analyses, as well as trendspotting.

We have taken our passengers’ experiences and views into consideration. At the same time, we have conducted searches, both in Sweden and internationally, to come up with an offer that is attractive over time.

Nordic and locally sourced products have been an important starting point in determining the assortment and commercial design but also flavours. Swedavia has also given sustainability priority so it can place demands on its partners to take measures to support the climate transition.
Other key components of this strategy have been quality and affordability. Swedavia will now introduce a price ceiling, which means restaurants and shops at the airport may cost no more than 10 per cent than equivalent products of the same quality “in town.”

Exterior of Terminal 5.

Our airports and Arlanda in particular shall offer a wide range, also in terms of prices. There shall be less costly alternatives as well as premium products, and everything in between. We shall be able to offer something for everyone’s taste and budget.

As a company owned by the Swedish State and in compliance with the Swedish Act on Procurement of Concessions, Swedavia is obliged to submit all contracts for commercial concessions at the airport to public tender. Tendering concessions is also common at other European airports. The tender contracts run for approximately five years, after which time they are subject to a new tender process.
In all, Swedavia is conducting more than 100 tender processes. The tenders are the most extensive to be carried out, also from an international perspective, in the past year. The total turnover value that have been or will be tendered at all 10 Swedavia airports is more than 10 billion Swedish kronor.

Marketplace to open in 2023

The new Marketplace in Terminal 5 will bring together the entire commercial offering of shops, restaurants and other services in the terminal. The Marketplace will be located in the new addition of Terminal 5 and is now under construction. The first phase of this venture is expected to open during the summer of 2023.

Together with our partners, we have an average of 600,000 customer interactions each day at Arlanda, and we have just as many opportunities to contribute to a positive customer experience. Food and drinks will be a key part of this experience.

The next phase of the Marketplace is a 3,500 square metre veranda in Terminal 5 with a glass facade, timber beams and eight-metre ceilings that will mainly have premises for food and drinks. It is expected to open later in the end of 2023/beginning of 2024. The third and last phase, as is situated in the centre of the marketplace, is planned to open in the end of 2024.

The new Marketplace in Terminal 5 will bring together the entire commercial offering of shops, restaurants and other services in the terminal.

The new addition in Terminal 5 will also house Arlanda’s new security checkpoint, which will open at the same time as the first phase of the Marketplace, during the summer next year. The security checkpoint will have state-or-the-art equipment for faster, more convenient throughput.

Arlanda’s biggest commercial investment ever

The Marketplace will have premises for some 20 new concepts for food and drinks, most of which will be brand-new for Arlanda. The range of options will have a greater focus on healthy options and on “grab and go,” food that can be taken on the plane and that can be ordered in advance.

The Marketplace will have a brand-new food market, including a totally new food concept from the Middle East. Another new feature is that Arlanda will have its first Asian fusion restaurant on airside, something that many passengers have asked for.

Going forward, Arlanda will also offer fine dining. The tender process for this premium concept is in its final phase, and the concept will be run in partnership with a well-known food personality and restaurateur. Swedavia expects that it will be able to present, together with its new partner, both the food personality and concept, along with more details about the new concept, in the autumn.

A number of new features

Arlanda’s range of shopping and shops has been a priority in Swedavia’s new commercial strategy and the new Marketplace. Arlanda’s entire range of shopping options today has been overhauled, and tender procedures for the new Marketplace concepts have been launched and will continue in 2023.
The work is in full swing. We are looking at Swedish as well as international brands and want to be able to offer more niche and local products, something that we want to have more space for at Arlanda going forward. Just like with Arlanda’s range of food and drink options, our goal is for some of the new shops to have a Nordic focus and a range of prices.

The Marketplace will offer some 30 shops, along with the big new tax-free store. The first shops are expected to open in 2023, and more openings will follow in 2024. So, watch this space!