Relay
Relay is a travel-retail chain selling newspapers, magazines, books, snacks, and convenience products in transport hubs.
Last updated October 25, 2026
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Overview
Relay is a French travel-retail brand operated by Lagardère Travel Retail. Its stores are primarily located in high-footfall transportation environments, including railway stations and airports, where the business combines news and publishing retail with convenience shopping. Its assortment traditionally centers on newspapers, magazines, books, snacks, drinks, and other products intended for travelers who need reading material, refreshments, or essential purchases during a journey. The business originated in 1852, when Louis Hachette acquired the railway-station bookstall network then known as the “train stations' libraries.” The early model was closely connected to the development of mass transportation and the growing demand for accessible reading material while traveling. Newspapers soon became a particularly important part of the offer. To support book sales, the business also developed serialized publishing initiatives and commissioned authors to write works suited to recurring station-based retail demand. For most of its history the chain operated under the Relais H name. In January 2000, the stores were rebranded Relay. At the time of the rebrand, the network comprised approximately 1,000 stores across ten countries in Europe and North America. The new name provided a more unified international identity for a business that had expanded beyond its original French railway-bookstall roots into a broader travel-convenience format. Relay operates within Lagardère Travel Retail rather than as an independent publicly listed company. The travel-retail division has developed the brand through direct operations, concessions, partnerships, and local operating arrangements. In North America, Relay locations are operated by Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail. In October 2012, Lagardère Travel Retail established a joint venture with Indian Travel Food Services to develop Relay in India, extending the concept into another major transportation and food-service market. The brand's strongest concentration remains in France, although its historical network has extended across multiple continents. Its competitive proposition is based less on destination shopping than on convenience, availability, and location: Relay places familiar products close to passengers at airports and stations, often in environments where customers have limited time and few nearby alternatives. The format can therefore combine editorial retail, impulse purchases, travel essentials, and food-and-beverage convenience. Relay should be distinguished from unrelated businesses using the word “Relay.” The subject covered here is the travel-retail chain identified by the Wikipedia article “Relay (shop),” not a telecommunications company, logistics provider, or another brand with the same name.
History
Relay traces its origins to the railway bookstall business acquired by Louis Hachette in 1852. The operation served passengers through book outlets in railway stations, an environment that gave publishers and retailers direct access to a growing traveling public. Although books were central to the original concept, newspaper sales rapidly became more significant. The company responded by developing publishing and merchandising techniques intended to sustain interest in books, including serialized collections and works commissioned from particular authors. The business operated for many years under the name Relais H. Its model gradually broadened from station bookstalls into a wider travel-retail format. In addition to newspapers, magazines, and books, stores increasingly served travelers' immediate needs through snacks, drinks, and convenience products. This evolution reflected changes in transport infrastructure and passenger behavior: airports and modern railway stations became commercial environments where customers expected fast access to both information and everyday essentials. In January 2000, Relais H stores were renamed Relay. The rebranding unified the network under a shorter name and supported its international development. At that point, the chain had approximately 1,000 stores in ten countries across Europe and North America. Relay subsequently remained associated with transport hubs, with France as its principal market and additional operations or partnerships in other countries. Lagardère Travel Retail expanded the brand through a mixture of group operations and local arrangements. In North America, the Relay concept is operated by Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail. In October 2012, Lagardère Travel Retail created a joint venture with Indian Travel Food Services to develop Relay in India, demonstrating the company's interest in applying the format to new airport and transportation markets. The ownership context changed as Lagardère's corporate structure evolved. Lagardère Travel Retail became part of the Louis Hachette Group, which is controlled by French businessman Vincent Bolloré. Relay therefore sits within a broader travel-retail and media-oriented corporate environment rather than operating as a standalone listed company. The brand's history is defined by continuity of location and adaptation of assortment. Its original role was to provide books at railway stations; its contemporary role is broader, combining publishing products with food, beverages, and convenience goods in airports and stations. The format depends on high passenger traffic, recognizable branding, and quick transactions. Because the available reference material does not provide a complete store-by-store account or current global location list, the precise present-day footprint cannot be established here.
- 2016
Belgian travel-retail operations sold
[1]Lagardère sold its travel-retail operations in Belgium to the bpost group.
- 2012
Indian development joint venture
[1]Lagardère Travel Retail created a joint venture with Indian Travel Food Services to develop Relay in India.
- 2010
Network reaches four continents
[1]Reference material describes the Relay network as having approximately 1,100 shops across four continents in 2010.
- 2000
Relais H becomes Relay
[1]The chain adopted the Relay name. The network reportedly had about 1,000 stores in ten countries across Europe and North America at the time.
- 1852
Louis Hachette acquires railway-station bookstalls
[1]Louis Hachette acquired the railway-station bookstall network known as the train stations' libraries, establishing the historical foundation of the business that later became Relay.
Products and positioning
A convenient, location-led travel retailer combining news, publishing, refreshments, and everyday essentials for passengers in airports and railway stations.
Publishing retail · 1852
Newspapers and magazines
Newspapers and magazines are core products in Relay's traditional travel-retail proposition. They provide passengers with current information and reading material for journeys, while also supporting frequent, low-consideration purchases in stations and airports.
Publishing retail · 1852
Books
Books were central to the business's original railway-station format. Relay's historical predecessor supported book sales through serialized collections and other publishing initiatives designed for station shoppers and travelers seeking longer-form reading.
Food and beverage convenience
Snacks and beverages
Modern Relay stores extend beyond publishing into packaged snacks, drinks, and other refreshments. These products suit passengers looking for quick purchases before departure or during transfers, and help the chain function as a broader convenience retailer.
Travel retail
Travel convenience goods
Relay stores also carry selected everyday and travel-oriented essentials. The exact assortment varies by location and concession, but the role of these products is to address immediate passenger needs in transport hubs.
Brand decisions
2016
Divest Belgian travel-retail operationsM&ABackground
Lagardère reviewed its travel-retail portfolio in Belgium.
Action taken
Lagardère sold its Belgian travel-retail operations to the bpost group.
Aftermath
The transaction changed Lagardère's presence in Belgian travel retail, although the available reference does not specify its detailed effect on individual Relay locations.
2012
Enter India through a joint ventureM&ABackground
Lagardère Travel Retail sought to develop its travel-retail concepts in the Indian market.
Action taken
The company established a joint venture with Indian Travel Food Services to develop Relay in India.
Aftermath
The arrangement extended Relay's airport and travel-retail model into India.
2000
Adopt the Relay international brand nameStrategyBackground
The Relais H network had expanded beyond its original French railway-bookstall identity and operated across multiple European and North American markets.
Action taken
The stores were renamed Relay, creating a unified identity for the international network.
Aftermath
The renamed chain continued developing as a travel retailer combining publishing products with convenience merchandise.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Lagardère Travel Retail secures Bristol Airport concession[3]
Reported:
Lagardère Travel Retail UK & Ireland secured a long-term contract to operate five retail stores at Bristol Airport. Three Relay stores will be co-branded with Waitrose & Partners; the stores are set to open in stages from summer 2027.
Relay shuts down its workflow automation tool[4]
Reported:
Relay, an AI-powered workflow automation tool, shut down entirely in August.
BMS Re partners with Relay[5]
Reported:
BMS Re partnered with insurtech Relay and integrated Relay’s F1 Platform in the US as its electronic placement system for reinsurance placements.
Sources5 sources
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