Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports and The New Terminal One (NTO) announced today the Competitive Evaluation Process (CEP) for the Food Hall and Travel Essentials tenders, marking another significant milestone in the development of the commercial program for the privately funded all-international terminal. The New Terminal One is being constructed in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as part of the agency’s $19 billion redevelopment of JFK Airport, with the terminal’s $9 billion first phase scheduled to open in 2026. The iconic, once-in-a-generation New Terminal One, dramatic in its scale with moments of wonder, is designed to showcase brands at their best and cater to one of the world’s most attractive customer bases, while creating opportunities for local businesses and residents.
“As two of the most anticipated airport commercial tenders in North America, today marks another exciting milestone in our partnership with The New Terminal One and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to deliver a world-class commercial program,” said Dany Nasr, CEO of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Airports. “Building on our Duty Free tender launch in March, our future Food Hall and Travel Essentials offer will create an experience that amazes our guests with a curated mix of New York’s signature global cuisine, local favorites and the best of local retail products.”
“As New York’s world-class international terminal, The New Terminal One will offer a dining and retail experience that reflects the cultural richness of our great city, while driving opportunities for local business participation,” said Jennifer Aument, CEO of The New Terminal One. “We are delighted to build on the momentum of our commercial program launch in March with our partner URW Airports by embarking on these two new tenders, as we progress towards our scheduled opening in 2026.”
Food Hall
The Food Hall tender provides an incredible opportunity for innovative local and global market leaders that are well-versed in introducing new concepts and ideas and thrive at bringing new thinking to deliver best-in-class design, food, service and guest experience. Structured as a single package of one landside and five airside units totaling 3,736 square-feet, the tender will cover approximately half of the Food Hall in The New Terminal One. The team is seeking a partner with a long-term vision that celebrates the best and most famous New York brands to provide a high range and quality of choice to guests while promoting a unique sense of place.
With an overall program goal of 50% New York local food and beverage brands, the operator will work with the vibrant and unique local food and dining community to create genuine moments of wow. The tenderer should offer a variety of menu offerings that are presented in the latest in outlet layouts, design, innovation and concepts. All guests will be able to order food according to their preference whether it is directly with an associate, through a kiosk or on a mobile device.
Travel Essentials
The Travel Essentials tender provides a unique platform for the industry’s leading innovative players to develop the best global, U.S. and New York merchandise mix to provide a high range and quality of choice to guests and promote a New York sense of place.
The team is seeking a partner to develop and operate a significant business that draws on global best practices and builds on proven concepts they have implemented to entice guests and enhance the travel experience. With a minimum 5% local product placement requirement, the partner will work with the vibrant and unique local maker and vendor community to create new pathways into the airport.
Structured as a single package of three landside and four airside locations totaling 6,427 square feet, the travel essentials operator will offer an array of snacks, beverages, pharmacy items, magazines as well as specialized offers such as luggage, books and gifts.
Tenderers must demonstrate an efficient and convenient solution to meet guest needs, including state-of-the-art logistics, order, fulfillment and delivery that leverages digital tools to drive ancillary revenues such as pre-order, in-store collection points, gate and lounge delivery.
Potential bidders for both tenders must submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by May 13. Visit this link for more information.
Diversity Participation
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently announced a record $2.3 billion in contracts awarded to Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) in the ongoing transformation of JFK International Airport.
The URW/NTO team is creating a dynamic offer of right-sized opportunities to provide flexible entry points for Airport Certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (ACDBE) and local businesses that balance customer preferences and commercial objectives while growing the capacity of local businesses to help them reach their ultimate success. Both the Food Hall and Travel Essentials tenders require bidders to propose a minimum of 30% ACDBE participation.
URW Airports is committed to lowering barriers to entry and providing technical assistance and support to ensure The New Terminal One reflects the rich diversity of its communities, creates strong career paths for local students and workers, and fosters impactful partnerships with local organizations and programs including the Port Authority’s Institute of Concessions (IOC).
When fully complete, the New Terminal One will be the largest terminal at JFK, with 23 gates and more than 300,000 square feet of retail, dining and lounge space over a total footprint of 2.4 million square feet.
Click here to join our list and stay up to date on news and events about the NTO commercial program.
About John F. Kennedy International Airport’s The New Terminal One
The New Terminal One is being built on sites now occupied by JFK’s Terminal 1, the recently closed Terminal 2, and the former Terminal 3, where it will anchor the international airport’s south side. Construction is taking place in phases. The first phase, including the new arrivals and departures halls and first set of 14 new gates, is expected to open in 2026.
At completion, which is anticipated in 2030, the New Terminal One will be 2.4 million square feet, making it the largest terminal at JFK and nearly the same size as LaGuardia Airport's two new terminals combined. NTO will be a state-of-the-art international-only terminal with 23 gates. Sustainably designed and future-focused, the terminal will feature expansive, naturally lit public spaces, cutting-edge technology and an array of amenities, all designed to enhance the customer experience and compete with some of the highest-rated airport terminals in the world.
The New Terminal One consortium of labor, operating, and financial partners is led by Ferrovial, JLC Infrastructure, Ullico and Carlyle. NTO is being built by union labor and the consortium is committed to local inclusion and labor participation, focusing on diversity and capacity-building opportunities, including ambitious participation goals of 30% for minority and women-owned enterprises, 10% for local business enterprises and 3% for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. More information on the NTO project is available here.
About Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) is an owner, developer and operator of sustainable, high-quality real estate assets in the most dynamic cities in Europe and the United States. The Group operates 72 shopping centers in 12 countries, including 38 which carry the iconic Westfield brand. These centers attract over 900 million visits annually and provide a unique platform for retailers and brands to connect with consumers. URW also has a portfolio of high-quality offices, 10 convention and exhibition venues in Paris, and a $3.25 billion development pipeline of mainly mixed-use assets. Currently, its $56 billion portfolio is 87 percent in retail, 6 percent in offices, 5 percent in convention and exhibition venues, and 2 percent in services (as of Dec. 31, 2023). URW is a committed partner to major cities on urban regeneration projects, through both mixed-use development and the retrofitting of buildings to industry-leading sustainability standards. These commitments are enhanced by the Group’s Better Places plan, which strives to make a positive environmental, social and economic impact on the cities and communities where URW operates. URW’s stapled shares are listed on Euronext Paris (Ticker: URW), with a secondary listing in Australia through Chess Depositary Interests. The Group benefits from a BBB+ rating from Standard & Poor’s and from a Baa2 rating from Moody’s.
About Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Airports
A division of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), for more than 25 years, URW Airports has leveraged its expertise as a premier retail developer and operator to deliver seamless journeys by creating uplifting retail travel experiences that put people at the heart of everything. Partnering with airports and airlines, across some of the world’s busiest airports, including Los Angeles International (LAX), Chicago O’Hare International (ORD), and John F. Kennedy International (JFK), URW Airports has a proven track record of delivering elevated travel experiences that drive commercial revenue above U.S. benchmarks. Learn more at www.urwairports.com.
Redeveloping JFK Airport in Lockstep with the Local Community
In 2018, the JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council was formed. It is co-chaired by U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and is composed of elected officials, community boards, business and nonprofit organizations, civic organizations, and clergy leaders from the targeted local communities of southeast Queens, southwest Queens, the Rockaways, and western portions of Nassau County.
Since its inception, the council has been working with the Port Authority and its private partners to expand community outreach efforts and develop community-focused programs, ensuring that this ambitious project solicits ongoing feedback from local stakeholders and provides meaningful opportunities for local businesses, minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE), students and jobseekers. This includes programming to advance the Port Authority's commitment to a 30 percent MWBE contracting goal in all categories of work, and a special focus on opportunities for local businesses across all aspects of the redevelopment of JFK, including terminal projects, which will be built by union labor under project-labor agreements.
