They have some stores here in Cali called flight 101, they are designed to look like the interior of an aircraft. They sell relatively high end goods, and seem to have some success. They have 3 locations SF, LA, and NYC. I'd suggest starting your business in a regional airport, one with connecting international flights would probably be best. In my opinion, you will get much better margins through luggage as opposed to cremes, etc as they are all for sale at the news stand. Regional airports may have :
a. lower rental rates
b. available spaces (vacancies)
c. less competition
Another option would be to rent kiosks in larger airports where rents will run much higher.
i buy my luggage from hideo wakamatsu, a Japanese designer with a store close to mine in sf. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy luggage in a mall. My feeling is that a stand alone location will help you to establish your new businesses identity better than a strip or even indoor mall. Having said that I still think having the store in the airport is the way to go.
good luck with your endeavor!
|