Hudson Group (NYSE: HUD), a Dufry company and leader in North American travel retail, today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire assets related to the operation of Brookstone stores in U.S. airports from Apex Digital, Inc. Hudson has also obtained the right to be the exclusive airport retailer to operate Brookstone stores through a license agreement with Bluestar Alliance, LLC, owner of the Brookstone brand and trademarks.

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Philadelphia International Airport

Philadelphia International Airport

Brookstone is an established American brand well known for its unique selection of innovative products in the travel, wellness, home and entertainment categories. As part of the agreement, Hudson will also have the exclusive right to sell select Brookstone merchandise in its travel convenience stores.

The agreement covers 34 airport stores, of which 30 are currently open and operating. Of these 34 stores, 33 stores are in airports where Hudson has existing operations.

“The addition of Brookstone to our already diverse portfolio of branded concepts further strengthens our retail offering and nicely complements our travel convenience business,” said Roger Fordyce, Hudson Group CEO. “We are pleased Bluestar has entrusted Hudson to grow Brookstone’s brand across U.S. airports, which underscores our strong reputation of successfully operating branded and specialty stores in the highly-regulated travel retail environment.”

Joey Gabbay, CEO of Bluestar Alliance, owner and manager of the Brookstone brand, said, “We are proud to announce our new partnership with Hudson Group, the preeminent leader in the industry, who will now operate, manage and most importantly, grow our Brookstone branded retail footprint in North America.”

Added Ralph Gindi, COO of Bluestar Alliance, “We look forward to the exciting continued expansion of the Brookstone brand under the guidance of our new, best in class partner, Hudson Group.”

About Hudson Group
Hudson Group (NYSE: HUD), a Dufry Company and one of the largest travel retailers in North America, is committed to enhancing the travel experience for over 300,000 travelers every day in the continental United States and Canada. The Company is anchored by its iconic Hudson, Hudson News and Hudson Bookseller brands and operates over 1,000 duty-paid and duty-free stores in 89 locations, including airports, commuter terminals, hotels and some of the most visited landmarks and tourist destinations in the world. Our wide range of store concepts include travel essentials and convenience stores, bookstores, duty-free shops, branded specialty stores, electronics stores, and quick-service food and beverage outlets. For more information, visit www.hudsongroup.com and www.dufry.com.

About Brookstone
Brookstone wellness, entertainment, and travel products are fun to discover, smart to use and beautiful in design. Brookstone products are available at 30 Brookstone retail locations throughout the U.S., online at Brookstone.com and through select premium retailers worldwide. The Brookstone brand is owned and managed by Bluestar Alliance, LLC.

About Bluestar Alliance, LLC
Bluestar Alliance, LLC owns, manages, and markets a portfolio of consumer brands that span across many tiers of distribution from luxury to mass market with a heavy emphasis on department store retail brands. Bluestar Alliance specializes in licensing, branding and marketing consumer brand companies through extensive relationships with leading retailers, brand licensing manufacturers and a network of media and strategic partners. Bluestar Alliance’s current international and domestic partners offer the opportunity to take a niche brand to a visible worldwide lifestyle brand.