The role of the buying function in airport retailing

Airport retailing has undergone a series of significant developments over the last two decades and now occupies a central position in the revenue generating strategies of many airport authorities. This paper identifies briefly the factors that have prompted these developments before examining in detail how these changes have affected the role of buying within airport retailing. It outlines the buying and negotiating process common in many European airports and details the methods used for both buyer and supplier evaluation. It concludes that airport retailers have experienced a significant increase in their market power and the process of supplier negotiation has consequently changed to reflect this.