[ 111 ] ONBOARD referendum, the return of duty-free sales was factored in from the very first sketch. On the Spirit-class, the 240m² midship retail outlet was located inboard on Deck 8, accessed from both the starboard and portside concourse. Reflecting the new post-Brexit situation, the World Duty Free store onboard P&O Pioneer takes up the entire Dover-end of Deck 8. With 588m² of retail space, the Ship of the Future’s duty-free store is the largest in the P&O Ferries fleet, being directly accessed from the Dover-end stair lobby with the entrances on either side doubling as exits. Outfitted by China’s North Sea Offshore (NSO) in close cooperation with World Duty Free, the shopping experience is reminiscent of an airport walkthrough shop, with staffed and self-serve, card-only tills — a first for P&O Ferries — located at both entrances/ exists. Even the all-white flooring and blackcoloured walkway have the distinctive airport feel with a swooping ceiling that follows the entire way around the shop. Customer experience research identified that passengers didn’t want to lose the sea view, quite a difficult balance in retail as that’s about maximising the square footage. To make sure that customers can retain some of the view, the shelves are interrupted by windows, also letting in natural daylight. First introduced on the Spirit-class, passengers making round-voyage shopping trips can leave their car in individual parking bays on Deck 7 with purchased goods delivered to the car. The duty-free store also has a designated reserve and collect area. For obvious reasons, the doors that give access from the duty-free store to the outside deck can only be used in case of emergency with the Dover-facing side terraces and sundeck accessed from the stair lobby. Commercial drivers can find a small selection of duty-free items in their own restaurant while the self-serve area in the Food Market boasts impulse-buying cabinets selling chocolate, sweets and crisps, etc. “ First introduced on the Spirit-class, passengers making round-voyage shopping trips can leave their car in individual parking bays on Deck 7 with purchased goods delivered to the car”
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