Blackjack Promotions launches airport retail and staffing solutions in the Middle East

Blackjack Promotions, the staffing solutions, travel retail and experiential specialist, is to launch into the Middle East and North Africa following an agreement between its parent company OmniServ and the Lakhraim Business Group.

OmniServ, the European subsidiary of American aviation facility services provider Air Serv, and Zain Capital LLC, part of the Lakhraim Business Group, have established a joint venture company, Air Serv Hospitality Services MENA.

As a leading airport service contractor in the UK, serving over 15 airports including Heathrow, OmniServ is well positioned through the joint venture company to provide staffing solutions for Retail, Travel Retail and Operations to airports and airlines across the Middle East.

Through the new partnership, Air Serv Hospitality Services MENA will work inside the Dubai Duty Free stores under the known trading name for retail activities, Blackjack Promotions, to provide promotional staff and brand experts to promote a number of Duty Free brands, enhance the traveller experience and boost sales.

Sally Alington, managing director, Blackjack Promotions, said: “This new partnership between OmniServ and the Lakhraim Business Group offers a brilliant opportunity for us to take the Air Serv and Blackjack names into new territory. Together we already work across the USA and in a number of key European airports, for major international brands, airlines and the airports themselves. Both myself and the team are excited to expand into Dubai Airport, which is experiencing significant growth in passenger numbers, and look forward to building more relationships with the Airport, retailers and travel retail brands.”

Air Serv Hospitality Services MENA officially launches its services in September 2015. Following this, the new company plans to offer a similar full service portfolio, including both marketing and operational support solutions, to airports and airlines across the region.

Commenting on the new partnership, Ernie Patterson, chairman of OmniServ Ltd. said: “We are delighted to have joined forces with the Lakhraim Business Group to launch a new venture in the Middle East. Dubai in particular, is such a focal point for aviation and at OmniServ, we are proud to provide services in the most significant locations worldwide so that we can take a truly global approach to enhancing the end-to-end traveller experience.”

Ali Hamad Lakhraim Alzaabi, the chairman of Lakhraim Business Group, added: “We are excited to be working with ABM and OmniServ Ltd to provide services to airports and airlines across the Middle East. We are delighted to launch these services at Dubai International Airport, regarded as a centre of excellence in aviation, ranking as the number one global airport for number of international passengers in 2015 and with Duty Free stores, which are consistently voted as the best in the world. We see great potential for extending our services to major airports across the region and we believe through the knowledge and expertise of ABM and OmniServ Ltd we can enhance the passenger experience to complement the exciting expansion plans of these airports.”