The French travel retail giant has doubled its presence at key Saudi Arabian travel hubs over the last 12 months
Lagardère Travel Retail has launched its proprietary So! Coffee café brand in Saudi Arabia as it seeks to ramp up its foodservice and duty-free retail presence at airports across the Kingdom.
The global travel retailer launched So! Coffee in January 2016 and currently operates 65 outlets in airports, train stations and shopping centres across Poland, Romania, France, the Czech Republic and Spain.
The 320sq ft So! Coffee store at Madinah’s Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport is part of Lagardère’s master retail concession agreement at the transport hub, which welcomes eight million passengers annually. Paris-based Lagardère has also opened a Trib’s outlet at the airport’s International Departures Lounge, offering on-the-go sandwiches, paninis and pastries.
“These successful openings mark just the beginning of a long-term collaboration, supported by a multi-year contract and a strong pipeline of upcoming projects,” said Mélanie Guilldou, CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail Saudi Arabia.
The retail concession launch at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport means that Lagardère Travel Retail now has a presence at 10 airports in Saudi Arabia. The business has doubled its unit network in the Kingdom over the last 12 months to reach 44 stores across its travel essentials, duty-free and foodservice segments.
Lagardère Travel Retail is one of the largest travel hub F&B operators in the world, with approximately 1,600 restaurants, cafés and bars across 150 airports and 100 train stations in 30 markets globally.
Alongside So! Coffee, the group operates a licensed portfolio of coffee shop brands, including Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Pret A Manger, EL&N and Paul.
Lagardère Travel Retail achieved 15.8% year-on-year sales growth last year to reach €5.8bn ($6bn), with revenues in the first half of 2025 up 5.1% year-on-year at €2.9bn ($3.4bn).
