Avolta Duty Free Perth Airport

Overview

Proven Project Management was engaged by global travel retailer Avolta to deliver a major retail fit-out at Perth Airport’s international terminal.

Building on an established partnership since 2019, Proven oversaw the delivery of a new, world-class Duty Free store designed to enhance the passenger experience and align with Avolta’s evolving global retail brand.

The project was delivered over 12 months, within a live airport environment, requiring meticulous planning, stakeholder coordination and staged construction sequencing to meet critical operational milestones.

The Challenge

Operating in one of the most complex project environments in Western Australia, the team faced:

• Tight procurement and construction timeframes, requiring staged delivery over four key phases.
• Live terminal constraints, with the need to maintain uninterrupted airport operations and passenger flow.
• Multiple stakeholder interfaces, including Avolta, Perth Airport, Byte Construct, Geyer, tenants, and brand partners.
• Stringent operational and safety requirements, typical of high-security aviation environments.

These conditions demanded exceptional collaboration, rapid problem-solving, and clear communication to ensure milestones were achieved without disruption to trading or passenger experience.

Proven’s Approach

Led by Project Director Gavin Tucker, with Project Managers Mark Touhey and Bethany Garside, Proven applied a structured, collaborative, and solutions-driven methodology to manage risk and maintain delivery momentum.

Key strategies included:

• Weekly Project Control Group (PCG) meetings with Perth Airport, Avolta and the contractor.
• Fortnightly look-ahead programs and out-of-hours scheduling for noisy or disruptive works.
• Stakeholder engagement protocols to ensure airport tenants and operational teams were notified of works in advance.
• A strong focus on communication and adaptability, allowing quick responses to changing site conditions and scope variations.

Through this approach, Proven maintained positive working relationships across all parties, ensuring safety, quality and stakeholder satisfaction throughout each project stage.

Outcomes

• Successful delivery of all four construction stages, meeting every airport milestone.
• Completion of a premium retail environment aligned with Avolta’s global design standards.
• Zero operational downtime during construction within the live terminal.
• Strengthened Proven’s long-term relationship with Avolta and Perth Airport.

The project demonstrates Proven’s capability to manage complex fit-outs within high-security, operational environments, balancing efficiency, precision, and collaboration.

Project Learnings

• Early stakeholder engagement is critical in live environments.
• Structured change management improves clarity and reduces delays.
• Realistic contingencies should be built into accelerated programs.

Success relies on teamwork across all tiers, from clients to subcontractors

Client Outcome

Avolta’s new Duty Free store sets a benchmark for the next phase of Perth Airport’s retail transformation, a contemporary, world-class shopping experience achieved through precision planning and trusted project delivery.