Aymeric Faucheux ǀ Director Buying & Merchandising ǀ Fashion & Luxury Retail ǀ Entrepreneurship
Senior Buyer, Luxury & Accessories
Duty Free Americas, Panama/Miami, 2008-2014
Duty Free Americas, Inc. (DFA) is the largest duty-free operator in the Western Hemisphere, with a network of over 180 duty-free shops and luxury travel retail boutiques.
The company is structured into two main regions: USA and Latin America.
In the USA, DFA operates more than 40 airport stores—including key hubs such as Miami, JFK, Dulles, and Atlanta—as well as approximately 30 border stores with Canada and another 30 on the Mexican border. The Miami store serves as the flagship of DFA’s airport operations.
In Latin America, DFA has achieved significant growth, particularly in Brazil, Uruguay, and the Caribbean (with a strong presence in Punta Cana). The company also operates in Colombia, Venezuela, and El Salvador, among others.
Beyond the Americas, DFA has expanded globally, with additional operations in Macau and Israel, further strengthening its position as a major player in international travel retail.
was initially recruited as a Fashion Buyer to support DFA’s Latin America operations. However, my prior experience with leading airport luxury brands such as Bvlgari and Hermès quickly expanded my responsibilities to cover the entire network, with a particular focus on U.S. airport stores and Mexico border operations.
My portfolio spanned 15 fashion, watches, and jewelry brands, ranging from Hermès, Bvlgari, and Emporio Armani to more accessible labels such as Guess, Fossil, and Xoxo, giving me hands-on expertise across both luxury and mid-market segments.
Duty Free Americas was in a phase of rapid expansion, and despite the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on U.S. operations, the overall business continued to grow at pace.
Over my six years with DFA, I played an active role in more than 30 store openings and renovations across the network. During this time, I significantly expanded the scope of my responsibilities—both by taking on new brands and by scaling existing ones to new levels of performance.
One standout example is Guess (including accessories and watches), which I successfully grew from $150K to $3M in annual sales, demonstrating my ability to unlock brand potential and deliver sustained growth within the travel retail environment.
In 2011, DFA’s owners made the strategic decision to enter luxury fashion retail at Miami International Airport—a significant step for a company previously focused on fashion accessories and watches within multi-brand spaces. Four brands were selected for standalone boutiques: Coach, Montblanc, Thomas Pink, and Emporio Armani. I was entrusted with the launch and management of Thomas Pink and Emporio Armani.
This move required a major internal transformation, from adapting systems to manage large SKU counts, seasonality, fashion trends, and markdown cycles, to reshaping the organizational mindset toward true fashion retailing.
The openings were a resounding success, marked by a high-profile fashion show at the launch event. Thomas Pink, in particular, exceeded expectations and performed so well that the owners decided to open a downtown boutique in Panama, a project I also led to completion.
 Hermes - Miami Airport |  Opening Event Emporio Armani - Miami Airport |  Victoria's Secret - Punta Cana Airport |
|---|---|---|
 Bvlgari - Miami Airport |  Tommy Hilfiger - Miami Airport |  Emporio Armani - Miami Airport |
 Thomas Pink - Miami Airport |  Atlanta Airport Store |  Thomas Pink - NY JFK Airport |
 NY JFK Airport Terminal 7 |  Victoria's Secret - Miami Airport |  Emporio Armani - Atlanta Airport |
 Emporio Armani - NY JFK Airport |  Thomas Pink - Miami Airport |  Guess store - San Andres, Colombia |