duty-free
(3)
The Airport Store That Learned to Sell You Time
Hudson built an airport empire on the things travelers forget. Its next act is turning dead time at the gate into a locally flavored, digitally streamlined retail business.
utu
utu is a Singapore-based travel-technology and fintech company that helps international shoppers get more from their VAT and GST refunds. Instead of accepting the standard cash refund (often only 55-60% of the tax paid), travelers use utu to upsize their refund - taking up to 40% more value in airline miles or hotel points, or converting refunds into retail vouchers worth more than the tax paid. Founded by tax-free-shopping veterans Asad and Ameer Jumabhoy, utu links travelers, retailers, duty-free operators, VAT refund companies, airlines and hotels into a single rewards ecosystem across markets including Italy, Switzerland and the UAE.
Morpho Travel Experience
Morpho Travel Experience is a Latin American travel-retail and food-and-beverage operator that turns airport corridors, hotels and tourist hubs into theatrical, locally-rooted stores and restaurants. From a single Costa Rican airport shop opened in 2001, it has grown into a roughly US$160 million operation with more than 2,800 employees and 300-plus commercial spaces across 11 countries, built on a 'sense of place' philosophy that puts regional craft, food and culture at the center of the traveler's journey.