“The Belgian Chocolate House” (five shops at Brussels Airport) wins Mercurius award

This year International Duty Free (IDF) wins the Mercurius award with the innovative concept “The Belgian Chocolate House”. This prestigious award is reserved for the most successful store concept and is presented by the sector organisation Comeos each year. Currently, there are nine stores in Belgium and Luxembourg, five of which at Brussels Airport.

Each year, Comeos, the Belgian Federation of Commerce and Services, presents the Mercurius award, a prestigious prize reserved for the most successful store concept of the year. From the many entries, 11 nominees were selected by a jury of retail experts including Claude Boffa (Solvay Retail Management Programme), Gino Van Ossel (Professor of Retail and Trade Marketing at Vlerick Business School), Malaika Brengman (Professor of Marketing & Consumer Behaviour at VUB) and Silvie Vanhout (The Retail Academy).

Over the past few months, the independent jury visited the nominees anonymously and when selecting between the applications sent in, the jury was mainly looking for a store concept where innovation and experience are key. “The Belgian Chocolate House”, a chain of International Duty Free (IDF) stores, carried off the Mercurius award this year thanks to its ingenious store design, extensive range and strong niche concept.