Qatar Airways opens new retail loyalty venture

Qatar Airways has moved into retail by opening a boutique in Doha dedicated to rewarding its Privilege Club members who collect Qmiles. The airline has opened Oryx Galleria, spread over two floors and located close to Doha International Airport, offers more than 600 branded products which can be swapped for "cashing" in their Qmiles, the carrier said in a statement. The products in the shop range from a Mini Cooper "priced" at just over 7.5 million Qmiles to a perfume for 10,500 QMiles. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said Oryx Galleria was a "unique retail proposition, different from the airline’s airport and in-flight duty free business". Privilege Club members can redeem their Qmiles on any in-store products, effectively giving them another redemption option aside from flights with Qatar Airways and partner airlines. Oryx Galleria is Qatar Airways’ latest business venture which also includes hotels, duty free and airport operations. Al Baker said: “This latest initiative reinforces our commitment to provide our most loyal customers with new and unique benefits that are fitting for being members of the best frequent flyer programme in the region. “Customer research has shown our loyalty club members are looking for more redemption options and greater flexibility, so Oryx Galleria was conceived not as a paper catalogue but a real boutique where customers can walk in and browse through the large variety of products available for redemption using their Qmiles.” Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in 15 years of operation, currently operating a fleet of 105 aircraft to 112 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America. As part of its 2012 expansion programme, Qatar Airways recently launched flights to the European capital cities of Tbilisi in Georgia and Baku in Azerbaijan. The Doha-based carrier will launch scheduled flights to a further seven destinations this year.