MONTEGO BAY, St James – Dufry Jamaica plans to increase its staff of 100-plus by about 40 per cent and the bulk of these jobs are expected to be filled by locals.

"We currently operate in more than 72 countries with the same philosophical principles. Out of all the staff we have only one non-Jamaicanl, that is our GM [general manager]. All the rest of the staff, more than 100 people, are Jamaicans and especially local people, and we are in the process of hiring at least 40 more," CEO of Dufry Group AG Enrique Urioste disclosed.

"Additionally, we are also working with more than 30 local Jamaican suppliers and in a process of trying to on-board more suppliers in order for them to bring them up to the scale of international customer profile that obviously will feed back [into] the Jamaican economy. We believe that nothing can be done alone, we believe that those days of 'I have to make the most' are gone. We are here to grow the pie. We are here to share the profits of the pie," he added.

Urioste was speaking at the inauguration of Dufry Jamaica's new walk-through shop at Sangster International Airport last week.

Dufry Jamaica is part of Dufry Group AG, a leading global travel retail player out of Switzerland. The local operation has had a presence in Jamaica for 12 years. Seven of its eight shops are at the SIA.

Obviously pleased with the performance of its Jamaica operations at SIA, Urioste is looking at how aspects of it can be replicated.

"I think it's a milestone and it's a leading example for the rest of the airports in the Caribbean, in the Americas, this kind of model. It can be bigger, it can be smaller, it all depends on the passenger flow that you are forecasting. But this basic concept, when executed, will bring success to all of us," he said.

"I can say with no doubt that is the most modern concept of retail not only in the Caribbean, [but] in the world. This concept of walk-through stores with strong personalisation, in a very strong sense of place, augurs well for success. We believe that whenever a passenger goes through an airport it is the first impression of a country and it is the last impression of a country," Urioste added.

Also among those who think Dufry Jamaica is doing something right is president of the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) Audley Diedrich who lauded them for their sterling contribution to the economic viability of the facility.

"Concessionaires provide a significant and relevant revenue source to the airport operators, enabling them to absorb costs that would otherwise be passed to the airlines and the passengers. They contribute significantly to the economy, to employment, use and promotion of local production; they export, they pay taxes, and they contribute to the revenue of MBJ [Airports Ltd which manages the SIA] who pay taxes," Diedrich noted.

"The MBJ concessionaires, including Dufry, must also be recognised and commended for their role on our airport's performance. They provide a range of product and services to travellers and other airport users to complete their travel package and their travel experience. Imagine our airports without our concessionaires. Just imagine. Imagine boredom, that's what you will be imagining. You will be imagining unfulfilled needs, discomfort, and the list goes on," he added.

He also lauded Dufry for their exemplary customer service track record, which he believes played a factor in the SIA repeatedly copping World Travel Awards. SIA was rated the leading Caribbean airport in 2022 for the 14th consecutive years and 15 times overall.

"Customer service is the first, second and third pillar of the success of the airport's concessions. Dufry's track record speaks for itself across the world and of course at SIA," said the AAJ president.

Dufry is travel retailer which operates duty-free and duty-paid shops and convenience stores in airports, cruise lines, seaports, railway stations and central tourist areas.