Major breakthrough for RELAY as Lagardère Travel Retail wins Blended Travel Essentials concession at London Heathrow Terminal 2

In a major breakthrough for the company’s flagship brand RELAY, Lagardère Travel Retail is delighted to have been appointed to operate the Blended Travel Essentials concession in Heathrow Terminal 2 (The Queen’s Terminal), starting early Summer 2026. This appointment marks the debut of the RELAY concept at a UK airport, and further reinforces Lagardère Travel Retail’s leadership in the Travel Essentials business line. The concession covers four RELAY stores, three airside and one landside, with a total retail space of 1,360m².

The store on the upper level of T2 Departures, at 420m², will feature a pharmacy alongside RELAY’s diverse mix of travel essentials. The RELAY store on the lower level spans 490m² and will offer a wide range of books & press, souvenirs, toys and food & drink to go. A further satellite store (at 340m²) will include Lagardère Travel Retail’s Discover souvenir concept. Completing the RELAY offer in T2 will be a brand new 100m² store in the landside check-in hall.

RELAY’s debut at Heathrow is a significant step forward for the brand and for Lagardère Travel Retail’s operations in the UK, which also include duty free concessions in London Luton, London City and Belfast International airports, plus gifts & souvenirs stores in other London airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, plus Glasgow and Aberdeen in Scotland. In Ireland, the company operates duty free onboard Irish Ferries plus F&B outlets in Dublin Airport.

RELAY is the leading Travel Essentials brand worldwide, with a presence in more than 30 countries across multiple continents.

Peter Newbould, CEO of Lagardère Travel Retail UK & Ireland, commented: “Heathrow is among the very best airports in the world for its commercial mix and customer service, and we are absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to bring RELAY to The Queen’s Terminal. Our aim is to meet and even exceed the high standards Heathrow has set, with a dynamic concept that blends convenience with a product range attuned to travellers’ needs. Opening the first RELAY stores at Heathrow is an extremely exciting prospect and I’m grateful to my team for their hard work on this project so far, and to Heathrow for their trust. I’m confident that by making RELAY a success at Heathrow, we will open up further opportunities to develop our three business lines across the UK market.”

“RELAY’s debut at Heathrow is a huge satisfaction for our company,” added Frédéric Chevalier, Chief Executive Officer of Lagardère Travel Retail. “It is a sign of trust in our ability to deliver retail concepts that resonate with travellers in the UK, and to adapt our offer to each travel environment. Heathrow is renowned for its progressive and inventive approach to commercial activities and we are delighted with this opportunity to build our partnership with them. Following on from RELAY’s recent debut in Türkiye at Antalya Airport, this is another major development for our flagship Travel Essentials brand – and there are more to come.”

Fraser Brown, Retail Director at Heathrow, said: “Our passengers are at the heart of everything we do, and we are excited to launch our new blended essentials approach for travel essentials as part of our transformational retail strategy. We look forward to welcoming RELAY to both Terminal 2 and the UK to broaden our category offer as we work towards becoming an extraordinary airport, fit for the future.” 

About Lagardère Travel Retail
One of the two priority divisions of Lagardère group, Lagardère Travel Retail is a leading global Travel Retailer, with the longest standing expertise of serving the needs of travelers and partners across Travel Essentials, Duty Free & Fashion and Dining. Lagardère Travel Retail operates over 4,970 stores in airports, railway stations and other concessions in 51 countries, and has generated €7.6 bn in sales (100%) in 2024.
We harness our pioneering culture to make travel more enjoyable with bespoke offers and experiences. We invest our world-class global expertise and local knowledge to design value-creating partnerships and experiences for our stakeholders: landlords, brands, travelers, employees and communities.
We actively champion the more sustainable future of Travel Retail through our comprehensive CSR strategy, covering all aspects of where we, as a business, have an impact and can make a difference.
www.lagardere-tr.com  ●  @LagardereTR