Britt Shop airport stores will complete the transition to a new brand in 2025

More than 150 Britt Shop stores located in airports in 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in New Caledonia (Oceania) will complete the rebranding process by mid-2025, and so far, 80 of these locations have already made the transition.

From that moment on, all stores will bear the name “Rumbo,” each identified by an appendix reflecting its specific location. For example, at Juan Santamaría International Airport, the store is called “Rumbo Pura Vida,” the first location to adopt the new name.

This is how he explained it to him. NationAdriana Echandi, CEO of Morpho Travel Experience, the company that operates these stores. Morpho is part of Grupo Arribada, formerly Grupo Britt. This company holding company Its portfolio includes five companies: Café Britt, Morpho Travel Experience, Délika Gourmet, Swiss Travel Costa Rica and Inmobiliaria Robusta.

According to Echandi, the campaign to achieve this change began in 2020, but was interrupted by the pandemic. However, in 2022, they resumed the initiative and the first store bearing the Rumbo name was the one at Juan Santamaría Airport, in July of that year. Meanwhile, the new brand made its international debut in June 2023, specifically at Jorge Chávez Airport, in Lima, Peru, with the Rumbo Perú store.

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“We have already completed the renovation of 80 of these stores. The majority are expected to be finished in 2024, although there are some, such as Bogotá Airport, whose conversion will be finished in the middle of next year, due to contractual considerations.

Echandi acknowledged that Morpho is looking to completely separate itself from the Britt name. Six years ago, Arribada’s subsidiaries decided to separate Café Britt and Morpho, each with its own staff, executive management and investment plan.

Adriana Echandi: “Morpho has a different build than Britt.”

“Pret Café is just a supplier. We have over 800 suppliers in stores in Costa Rica alone. On the surface, it’s a challenge because people say they’re Pret stores, but that’s not true. We’re a different team, we have a different board. The last thing missing is removing the store name,” he explained. Starting in August, invoices will say “Morpho Travel Costa Rica.”

“The change is not minor. There are contracts tied to the names, we have to talk to the commercial partners of the airports, etc. It is not just taking the sign down and lowering it.”

— Adriana Echandi, CEO of Morpho Travel Group

In 2023, Grupo Britt changed its name to Grupo Arribada, after the company. holding company I have been involved in various business models for several years.

Morpho will invest $7 million in openings and expansions.

Morpho’s CEO announced that the company will invest $7 million over the remainder of 2024 as part of its growth plans. The funds will be distributed across three expansion projects at the airports it currently operates in.

The first will consist of expanding the floor at Daniel Oduber International Airport in Guanacaste, increasing the commercial and terminal space by 630 square meters, with an investment of $2.5 million.

The second project involves the construction of a new 1,000 square meter store in the national terminal of Arturo Merino Benitez Airport in Santiago, Chile, also with an investment of $2.5 million.

Morpho Travel Experience’s Britt Shop stores are undergoing a rebranding process. As of July 2, the company has completed the relocation of 80 stores in airports across the 11 countries in which it operates. Pictured is the first store to be relocated, the one at Juan Santamaría Airport. (Courtesy: Morpho Travel Experience)

Finally, $2 million will be allocated to build stores in the new Jorge Chavez Airport terminal in Lima, Peru, with operations scheduled to begin in late December 2024.

Morpho has more than 300 commercial spaces in 27 airports across 11 countries, including Costa Rica, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay and New Caledonia. Echandi said the company sees significant growth potential in these existing markets, with no immediate plans to expand into new markets.

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Although the company's flagship chain is Rumbo stores, Morpho operates more than 38 brands in its portfolio, which includes toy stores like Whoops!, Emprende, Casa Tica, California Pizza Kitchen, and Avocato. Some of these brands are owned by the company, while others are company-operated franchises, such as Bar Imperial.

The company operates under three business models, the largest of which is airport wholesale, which accounts for about 50% of its revenue. In second place came stores in hotels and tourist attractions with 30%, then food and beverage trade in airports with 20%, concluded Ichandi.