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By Jennifer Faull, Deputy Editor

September 12, 2013 | 2 min read

Ducati test driver Darren Fry was recently given free rein of Manchester Airport, as the motorcycle brand opened its first airport store outside of Italy.

To mark the opening of the Terminal 1 store, Fry undertook a series of test runs on Runway 2, a passenger-free pier and through the main shopping concourse into the store.

The stunt formed part of a short promotional film made by specialist design agency, Designate.

“It was an interesting opportunity presented to us by the airport and one we wanted to try out,” explained Stuart Wilson of Global Retailer, operators of the new Ducati airport shop.

He continued: “There’s already a diverse audience of travellers in Terminal 1 and we wanted to use that captive audience to showcase the Ducati product. It’s the largest terminal in the North of England and hosts millions of passengers every year and we’re already seeing several motorcycle enthusiasts visit the new shop.”

Beth Brewster, retail director for MAG, owners of Manchester Airport, added: “We continue to work on bringing big brands to the airport retail offer and welcome the addition of the Ducati store to Terminal 1. It’s a bit different for an airport but we believe it’s the right audience as there’s a large international contingent using Terminal 1. We’ve already seen that there’s a lot of motorbike enthusiasts using Manchester for travel and many have unsuccessfully tried to buy the display bike already.”

To further promote the opening of the store the airport is also running a competition, with two Qatar MotoGP 2014 Ducati paddock passes, flights with Qatar Airways and accommodation for two up for grabs.