King Power Group has won the bid to operate duty-free shops at Suvarnabhumi airport for another 10 years and six months and another to run commercial space at the airport, Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) said on Friday.
AoT executive vice-president Wichai Bunyu said that of the three contenders, King Power received the top score of 90 in terms of financial returns.
"The promised return is higher than what we've received and exceeds our expectations," he said, adding that the first runner-up, a group led by Bangkok Airways, got 80 points.
King Power Duty Free, a subsidiary of the group, has operated duty-free shops at Suvarnabhumi since the airport opened in 2006. The contract will end in September next year.
The other contender was Royal Orchid Hotel (Thailand) Plc.
In the afternoon King Power Suvarnabhumi Co, another subsidiary of the group, won the bid to develop and operate commercial areas at the international gateway, also for 10 years and six months.
Mr Wichai gave the same reason for the company's victory. He said the company offered higher returns than the other bidder, Central Pattana Plc. The financial offers of both were higher than what AoT currently receives from an existing contract and exceeded its expectations, he added.
The overall commercial space covered 22,000 sq m — 18,000 sq m in the main passenger terminal and 4,000 sq m in the first satellite terminal, he said.
Mr Wichai said he expected the AoT board to approve both contracts on June 19.
King Power Group through King Power Suvarnabhumi Co also plans to bid for another contract to run duty-free shops at Phuket, Hat Yai and Chiang Mai airports.