When the London stylist Bella Higett went to Portugal in Portugal in the last April, she knew that one of her customers was in the market for a second hand Louis Louis Wuiton Neverful Tot. Still the last place she expected to find one – in the exact shape and cloth she was later at the Hamberto Delgado Airport,
In Lisbon.
“I was there early, so I had a look all around and was excited to come beyond,” Higet says. For her customer’s pleasure, she rode back to England with an additional designer bag in Tow. Still better? He paid just $ 540 for a piece that retails for $ 2,030 new.
Although it is D Rigur to find a luxury store at airports, which Higate discovered, which Higet discovered, is at the forefront of second hand shopping in terminals.
Lisbon Airport merchant is just more than a year old and is already a hit, Cladia Karwalho, a spokesman of Portugal Duty Free, says, who operates the shop. Its sometimes rotating selections include certified pieces of Veneta, Channel, Dyer, Louis Wuiton, Prada, and St. Laurent, Carwalho says, prices begin at $ 400 and grow in highly iconic five- Which includes Birkin and Kelly Bags. From harmes.
This demand is a faster growing market reflection for secondhand luxury, which the industry viewers say to $ 50 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, overall the airport retail market is estimated to be a hit of $ 65 billion by 2030. Demand for high quality, timeless pieces-but also a more accessible price point and low environmental impact.
Diana Varde Neto, the cofounder of the Sustainable-Paljari Consultancy Positive Luxury, says, “The airports are high-crown hubs with diverse global audiences, so they provide the perfect settings for pre-adding luxury.”
The first major airport to embrace the concept was Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International, with the opening of 2021 LXR, specialized in a boutique pre-owned bag. Today, passengers can find luxury secondhand shops in many European destinations including Copenhagen, Zurich, and Helsinki, Finland. In New York, Lagardia Airport recently added a revolve boutique.
“The selection is always changing,”, an executive of the Zurich Airport, called Heidi Koppal, the store is a pre-load luxury. “Now every trip to the airport becomes a treasure prey.”
It is definitely the word of Aruba, where Queen Beatrix International launched the Relux Collection Boutique in September, with about 50 purse, cross-body bags, and tots from the label including Gucci and Louis Wuiton. “Most of our pieces have been closed by luxury brands and have become classics in the wish list of passengers,” says Liza Jensen, a spokesman of retailer avolta. Sales, she notes, already above estimates.
A version of this story first appeared in the February 2025 issue. Travel + holiday Under the title “good as good.”
