Hartsfield-Jackson celebrates $1 billion sales milestone in concessions

Hartsfield-Jackson celebrates $1 billion in concessions sales July 11 with an array of food and gifts from more than a dozen retailers. Photo courtesy of Atlanta Business Chronicle.

By Anika Robertson
Senior Editor/Assistant Public Relations Manager

 

The concessions program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) hit an unprecedented peak in 2016, topping $1 billion in gross sales in a calendar year. ATL leaders, joined by Airport concessionaires, announced the milestone with food and fanfare July 11 .

Airport Assistant General Manager of Commercial Development and Business Ventures Cortez Carter said the $1 billion achievement – which includes revenue from the Rental Car Center – speaks to the quality of ATL’s commercial venues and the sheer volume of passengers traveling through.

“Very few airports in the world can boast that accomplishment,” Carter said. “It shows that beyond being a hub airport and an international airport, we are also a major hub for very successful concessionaires who operate at Hartsfield-Jackson.”

The concessions program, recently rebranded as ATL Skypointe, consists of more than 300 dining retail and service locations.

Concessions Director Chilly Ewing recognized ATL’s primary customers: the traveling public.

We also want to thank our passengers, 104 million a year and counting,” Ewing said. “Because of you, our concessions program is one of the best in the aviation industry.”

The event at the Domestic Terminal featured more than a dozen restaurant brands serving food samples. Restaurants included Chick-fil-A, TGI Fridays, Fresh To Order, Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen.

Daniel Halpern, CEO of Atlanta Restaurant Partners, said it is a “great honor” to contribute to ATL’s billion-dollar milestone.

“ATL Skypointe represents the collaboration with us as business owners and entrepreneurs and the [Department of Aviation],” said Halpern, who operates restaurants including TGI Fridays and Charleys Philly Steaks.

“For us, that point was no better illustrated than when we collaborated with concessions management and developed One Flew South eight years ago,” he said. “One Flew South has created a whole industry now in the airport dining space.”

Randy Hazelton, co-founder of H&H Hospitality, said opening a business in Hartsfield-Jackson was a “game changer.”

“To go and say that we operate in the Atlanta Airport changes the conversation,” said Hazelton, who has been operating in ATL since 2012 with eateries such as FLY Burger and Little Azio Pizza & Pasta.

Opportunities for aspiring ATL concessionaires are right around the corner. Later this month, Hartsfield-Jackson plans to issue Requests for Proposals for more than 80 new retail venues.

“We often say here at Hartsfield-Jackson that change is in the air,” Carter said. “As you can see, and will see … change is a positive thing for us and represents an upward trajectory that we believe will carry us for years to come.”