Schiphol International • going Dutch

The shops at the Amsterdam hub are a bit too utilitarian looking because they still don’t have too many branded stores. But this may change in the coming year

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OK, so the white-fronted store fascias shouting ‘Electronics’, ‘Fashion’ or ‘Sports’ may make you feel like you have stepped back in time to shopping mall from the seventies, but step through the entrance and you will see that the offers inside are, in fact, as good as anywhere else in Europe.

True, the airport misses a trick by not having the undeniable emotional pull of a Gucci store so that women can lust after this season’s It bag, or perhaps in the case of a business man, an Ermenegildo Zegna suit in a shop front of the same name, but that is not to say products of this quality or price can’t be found at the airport.

In fact, the fashion and accessories collections at Schiphol have been improving in the past few years and are, in many ways, more on-trend than elsewhere in Europe. Buyers here are very knowledgeable about fashion trends in capitals such as Moscow and Milan • or any city that is a big destination for the airport, and they order in current hip and trendy brands that will appeal to passengers on these routes.

In any case, the airport management look like they will relent on their long-held generic fascias and introduces some branded stores soon. The plus-side to the quite boring current look of the shops is that, due to their department store nature, brands can be turned around fast, whereas standalone branded stores tend to be there from one year to the next. That means every time you travel through Schiphol you should see a fast-changing fashion offer, for example, depending on what’s selling and what’s not. The airport is also keen to offer value so it regularly issue’s special-offer booklets to give passengers a heads up on bargains that week or month.

So far, we have just talked about the airside offer, which is for passengers only and which uses the now famous ‘See Buy Fly’ logo. But Schiphol is one of those airports that is called a multi-modal transport hub; that is to say it also has a train station directly below the airport that connects into the whole of Europe and allows passengers to come to it directly from places like Belgium and Germany. As such it also has a large landside shopping area called Schiphol Plaza where you can find brands that you would commonly see in any high street such as H&M, Esprit, Nike, The Body Shop and Mexx, as well as a good choice in bulbs and yes, even tulips from Amsterdam! It is only a 20 minute ride by train to Amsterdam Central station so the airport is also a good option for city shoppers looking for a wide selection of stores in one place.

Last thing: if you missed anything important in the departure halls, the airport is installing new Vizzit stores at the main gates and piers so you still have the chance to splurge on perfumes, liquor, souvenirs and special offers before you board. And if you are travelling within the EU, spending at least Eu20 and returning to the Netherlands you can pick up your purchases when you get back.

Schiphol International Factfile
Passengers 47.4 million in 2008
Terminals 3 departure halls containing eight main piers.
Main retail areas Lounges 1 and 2 which run side by side plus Lounge 3 contain the majority of the stores. These areas are connected by the Holland Boulevard which also has a few retail units.
Hub airlines KLM, Transavia, Martinair