Another restriction to working in an airport environment is that all employees of a kiosk must be badged, which requires a screening process that can take weeks. This means if someone calls in sick or can’t make their shift, a cart owner couldn’t just call a friend to take over like they could at a mall location. “This is why we tell all of our operators


that they need at least four employees,” Del Rosario says. “You need back up. The hours here at PHL are longer than at a mall, 365 days a year, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. You also need to be conscious about who you hire, because they will go through extensive background checks.” The process to screen and badge employees usually takes about two to four weeks at PHL. Latimore admits that “the hiring process is


more time consuming” at an airport, and at ATL can take anywhere from a week up to 30 days, depending on the situation.


Disadvantaged Business Enterprises There is a program that can help many prospective specialty retailers. Owners who are socially or economically disadvantaged can often qualify as an Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE). The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) defines an ACDBE as a for-profit small business where socially or economically disadvantaged individuals own at least a 51 percent interest and control management and daily business operations. Airports receive financial assistance


restricted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the good news to potential kiosk operators is that the list isn’t as restrictive as one might think. “Most retail merchandise can be shipped into and out of an airport without any issues. For example apparel, gift items and books,” Latimore says. Each airport has its own rules and regulations, in addition


to the TSA rules. At PHL, for example, there are no water hook- ups at the kiosks for workers to wash their hands, so food sales are restricted to wrapped or packaged items that do not require workers to handle them directly.


80 Specialty Retail Report n Winter 2011


from the DOT through the Federal Aviation Administration to support their ACDBE programs. The objective of the ACDBE


program is to remove barriers for socially and economically disadvantaged business operators and create a level playing field for all companies to compete. Groups considered to be socially and economically disadvantaged are African Americans, Hispanics, Native Amer icans, Asian-Pacifics, Subcontinent Americans and women. To meet the requirements of “economically disadvantaged,” a business owner must have a personal net worth that is less than $750,000. Other companies can qualify


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