{"id":225311,"date":"2026-04-09T20:17:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/225311\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T20:17:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:17:08","slug":"tpa-opens-183m-concessions-program-to-bids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/225311\/","title":{"rendered":"TPA opens $183M concessions program to bids"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tampa International Airport<\/a> plans to rebid its concessions program as part of a broader overhaul tied to a new airside terminal, with the first solicitation expected by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n

The reset comes as current concession contracts approach expiration between 2028 and 2031 and will reshape who operates one of the region\u2019s largest airport<\/a> retail<\/a> and dining programs.<\/p>\n

The stakes are material. The airport\u2019s<\/a> concessions generated $183 million in sales in fiscal 2025 across 66 locations totaling about 107,000 square feet. The rebid will determine which operators capture that revenue in the next contract cycle.<\/p>\n

\"BarConcessions sales at Tampa International Airport increased from $142.9 million in fiscal 2022 to about $183 million in 2025, highlighting the scale of the program set for rebid.<\/p>\n

It will also open the program to new competition, putting incumbent operators at risk of losing space.<\/p>\n

Shift toward dining and convenience<\/p>\n

Airport officials are restructuring the program around how passengers use the terminal today.<\/p>\n

Travelers are spending more time in the airport and are shifting their spending toward food, convenience and quick-service formats. Nearly 60% of passengers spend one to two hours in the terminal, with another 27% staying longer.<\/p>\n

\"BarCasual dining and quick-service lead per-passenger spending at Tampa International Airport.<\/p>\n

That behavior has already reshaped sales performance. Food and beverage categories continue to grow, while specialty retail has weakened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started out with the passengers,\u201d said Laurie Noyes, vice president of concessions and commercial parking. \u201cWhat we found was that passengers are looking for more food and beverage. They\u2019re looking for convenience. They\u2019re looking for grab-and-go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next phase of the program will expand dining and introduce formats such as gourmet markets that combine prepared food, packaged goods and convenience retail. The airport is also studying hybrid retail concepts that blend traditional categories.<\/p>\n

New airside anchors overhaul<\/p>\n

The overhaul is anchored by a new airside terminal scheduled to open in 2029, adding roughly 23,000 square feet of concession space along with lounges, retail and dining.<\/p>\n

Airport officials view the expansion as an opportunity to rebalance the entire concessions footprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this new airside, it is a major part of our long-term strategy allowing us to modernize, rebalance concessions across the airport,\u201d said Stacey Nance, director of concessions.<\/p>\n

READ: TAMPA BAY BUSINESS NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

Tampa International handled just under 25 million passengers in fiscal 2025 and expects traffic to grow more than 4% in 2026. The airport ranks as the 27th busiest in the U.S. and generates more than $11 billion in regional economic impact.<\/p>\n

Beyond the new terminal, the airport plans to reconfigure existing concourses by consolidating concessions in higher-traffic areas and shifting dining closer to gates, where passengers spend the most time. Retail will move closer to checkpoints and main circulation paths to capture impulse purchases.<\/p>\n

Contracts and competition<\/p>\n

The structure of the program will remain consolidated. The airport\u2019s 66 units are currently grouped into 11 contracts, and future solicitations are expected to bundle multiple locations into single awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That model favors larger operators capable of managing multiple units across different terminals.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur selection process is not the typical leasing process,\u201d Noyes said. \u201cIt will be a public procurement process.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE LOCAL NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

Operators will compete through a formal request-for-proposals process, with awards approved by the Hillsborough County Aviation<\/a> Authority board.<\/p>\n

Running a concession inside the airport also carries different economics than a street location. Operators must staff from the first flight of the day through the last and navigate security, logistics and centralized delivery systems, along with rent structures tied to minimum guarantees and percentage-of-sales agreements.<\/p>\n

Small business participation in flux<\/p>\n

The rebid comes as federal changes reshape how small and disadvantaged businesses participate in airport concessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program is in flux because of comprehensive changes to the certification process,\u201d said Lalita McMillan, assistant general counsel overseeing business<\/a> opportunity programs.<\/p>\n

New participation goals have been paused nationwide while firms undergo recertification. Tampa International will begin its own review May 1, with a 60-day evaluation period.<\/p>\n

Airport officials said they intend to maintain small business participation once federal requirements stabilize.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to continue to include opportunities for small businesses,\u201d McMillan said.<\/p>\n

The airport is finalizing merchandising plans and financial<\/a> models ahead of the release of its leasing strategy.<\/p>\n

The first request for proposals is expected by year-end, marking the start of a multiyear reset of one of the airport\u2019s largest revenue streams.<\/p>\n

Stay Informed<\/p>\n

\n Stay up to date on Tampa Bay<\/a> business news<\/a>, executive profiles and the companies shaping the region.\n <\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t\tPost navigation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tampa International Airport plans to rebid its concessions program as part of a broader overhaul tied to a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":225312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-225311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}