Hudson, one of the largest travel retailers in North America, is a wholly owned subsidiary of international travel retailer Dufry AG of

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

. Based in

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

, United States, the Company operates more than 970 Hudson, Hudson News, Hudson Booksellers, cafes, specialty retail and duty-free shops in 87 airports and transportation terminals in the United States and Canada. The company's holdings include Hudson News, the world's largest operator of

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

newsstands.

History

In 1918, Isaac Cohen founded Hudson County News in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...

. In 1947, under the leadership of Robert B. Cohen, Hudson County News began delivering magazines in Hudson County, New Jersey. In the 1980s, Cohen took over a bankrupt newsstand operator the company was supplying at

Newark Airport Newark Liberty International Airport , originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport straddling the boundary between the cities of Newark in Essex County and Elizabeth in Union Count ...

. In 1987, he set up the first branded Hudson News store in LaGuardia Airport. This led to the acquisition of other stores in airports by the Cohen family. This was a separate subsidiary from Hudson News Distributors also owned by the Cohen family. In 2008,

private equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a ty ...

firm Advent International acquired the Hudson Group, and merged Swiss duty-free retailer

Dufry Dufry AG is a Swiss-based travel retailer which operates duty-free and duty-paid shops and convenience stores in airports, cruise lines, seaports, railway stations and central tourist areas. The company, headquartered in Basel, employs almost 36,0 ...

of Basel, Switzerland with the Hudson Group. Under the terms, Hudson Group became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dufry. The Cohen family retained ownership of Hudson News Distributors. In 2011, Hudson Group was given responsibility for all of Dufry's duty-free operations in North America, expanding its travel retail scope. Later, in 2013, Hudson Group debuted the new “Hudson” travel essentials concept, which had evolved from its "Hudson News" roots to focus on travel essentials. Over time, Hudson Group's retail portfolio expanded even further, and it is now one of the largest travel retailers in North America. In February 2018, Hudson Group was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ″HUD″. On November 25, 2019, Hudson Group rebranded to Hudson. To promote the rebranding the executive team rang the closing bell at the NYSE. In August 2020, Hudson announced that Dufry AG has agreed to purchase the rest of its Hudson Ltd worth around $311 million which will delist Hudson from the New York Stock Exchange.

Locations

The Company operates more than 970 stores throughout North America, mainly in airports and commuter terminals. Hudson News operates in 24 of the 37 busiest airports in North America. Reflecting its roots in the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

, the company also operates stores in

New York Penn Station Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, is the main inter-city rail, intercity railroad station in New York City and the List of busiest railway stations in North America, busiest transportation facilit ...

, Newark Penn Station,

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...

, the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving abo ...

, the United Nations Gift Centre inside

United Nations Headquarters The United Nations is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States, and the complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1951. It is in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neig ...

(not to be confused with the UN's own bookstore), the

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James ...

, and the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...

. In 2016, Hudson Group expanded its footprint to also operate retail outlets in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

hotels. In 2013, Hudson Group opened 13 specialty retail stores in LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT).

References

{{reflist Companies based in Bergen County, New Jersey Bookstores of the United States East Rutherford, New Jersey Mass media in New Jersey Retail companies established in 1918 1918 establishments in New Jersey