INTERNATIONAL. Kappé Schiphol is rethinking its airport retail strategy in a bid to target the rising number of low-cost airline passengers travelling through Amsterdam Schiphol airport

MIDDLE EAST. The region?s biggest duty-free retailers have reported impressive double-digit sales growth in the first quarter, as the market bounces back from the slump of early 2003

Kappé International chairman Jacques Parson talks to DFNI about his plans to target low-cost carrier passengers and how he foresees the Competence Partnership model for airport contracts driving the future of the duty-free business.

Middle East operators are benefiting from a surge in sales in early 2004, as pent-up demand from last year translates into a rush of new business. But there are challenges, chiefly the falling value of the dollar, which has presented problems for suppliers and retailers alike. Dermot Davitt assesses the mood among the region's leading operators.

As consolidation gathers pace in the beauty arena, L?Oréal has been quick to jump on the acquisition bandwagon with several mass-market purchases. But how will the company's buying strategy impact on its travel-retail growth? Tina Milton talks to its luxury products travel-retail team.

Even within the beauty market, there is fierce competition for shelf space. But as skincare and cosmetics prepare to swipe market share from fragrances, the latter is getting ready to strike back. Tina Milton reports.

Watches may not be the biggest category in travel-retail, but the sector has long been a key component in the product mix. According to Generation, watches accounted for 3.5% of the value of the travel-retail business in 2002, a figure that has been consistent in the past few years. So how do operators go about presenting their range of watches in stores where space is at a premium? Jonathan Brown reports.

For an established brand such as Frédérique Constant, a presence in travel-retail is about maintaining the brand's image, as well as reaching out to new customers

Brasif restructures as Brex development gathers pace; Motta re-elected at IAADFS; In Memoriam: Sandy Lightfoot;

US. The IAADFS said 90% of exhibitors at this year's Duty Free Show of the Americas were "very positive" about the show's move to Fort Lauderdale next year

The low-cost travel boom shows no signs of slowing in Europe and now the model is gaining currency among cash-strapped airlines in the Middle East and Asia

INTERNATIONAL. The Duty Free World Council, the fledgling organisation that aims to represent the interests of the global trade, met on March 21 in Orlando and agreed several new initiatives

US. As reported in DFNI sister title Duty-Free News Orlando, Border Shoppers Duty Free has just opened a third border store between the US and Mexico at Nogales, Arizona

PUERTO RICO. San Juan duty-free operator SMT Puerto Rico Duty Free is to open a new duty-free outlet in the Alaskan town of Ketchikan

ITALY. Increased passenger traffic and new routes will continue to drive growth at Venice airport in 2004 after retail sales rose by 85% in 2003, according to SAVE Group-owned Airport Elite retail group director Fulvio Fassone

SINGAPORE. Duty-free sales at Singapore Changi airport rose by 15% in January and February compared with the same months in 2003, despite negligible growth in passenger traffic

ESTONIA. Ferry operator Tallink celebrated the maiden voyage of its vessel M/S Victoria I on March 20 with 3,000 guests in attendance

SPAIN. Barcelona travel retailer Areas, which owns Aeroboutiques de Mexico, has just announced profits for 2002/03 of Eu21.2m ($25.8m), an increase of 17.6% on the previous financial year

CAYMAN ISLANDS. One of the biggest duty-free projects in the Caribbean has just been completed by leading retailer Kirk Freeport, which is opening the first phase of its new 12,000sq ft (1,115sq m) store in the new Bayshore Mall in Grand Cayman

VENEZUELA. Duty Free Americas (Venezuela) has reaffirmed its right to operate duty-free at Maiquetia, following dissent from rival Motta Internacional and leaseholder Fundacion del Niño

CHINA. Paragon Brand Management, which has represented top international brands in Chinese duty-free for several years, is to terminate its Chinese business, citing fundamental flaws in the structure of the local duty-free industry

URUGUAY. Duty Free Uruguay, concessionaire at Montevideo Carrasco airport, has unveiled plans for its new-look departures store at the airport, due to open in July

ISRAEL. Sakal Brothers will aim to build on its current business at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport after winning the concession to operate watch and gifts outlets at the new international terminal three

JAPAN. Osaka Kansai fashion boutique operators have been told to expect a 5% increase in concession fees, to 25% of sales, as Kansai - Japan's second biggest airport - plans to open its new duty-free fashion areas

ASIA/PACIFIC. Tax Free World Association (TFWA) has said that advance buyer interest in this year's TFWA Asia Pacific show in Singapore is at an all-time high, with the region bouncing back from the downturn of 2003

UK. Alpha Airports Group has announced preliminary results for the year to January 2004, with sales surging 9% in the second half

Germany's second biggest spirits producer Hardenberg-Wilthen wants to expand its duty-free business this year

The travel-retail arm of the world?s second biggest spirits group achieved an increase in sales volume of 11% in 2003

French restaurant chain Maxim's de Paris has introduced a range of own-label champagnes into the duty-free market

Duty-free distributor Imagination Unlimited International (IUI) introduced a new melon-flavoured vodka from Van Gogh Vodka at last month's Orlando show

Liquor distributor Maxxium Global Duty Free will distribute Cruzan rum in selected duty-free and travel-retail markets following an agreement with Cruzan partner V&S Absolut Spirits.

New Zealand vodka and gin maker 42 Below last month signed a sales and distribution agreement with Australian brewer Foster's covering the Australian and Pacific duty-free markets

Canada-based tobacco supplier Rothmans Benson & Hedges has won the licence for Canadian distribution and production of Gauloises and Gitanes cigarettes for France?s leading cigarette supplier Altadis

The Canadian duty-free industry has expressed relief that this year's federal budget makes no mention of further increases in the export tax on Canadian tobacco products

Greek cigarette supplier Karelia is hoping to improve on the 58% surge in international sales it enjoyed last year by expanding its interests in both north and Latin America

Fresh flavours for Villiger

Flavoured cigar company Havana Honeys has made its first move into airport retail, with a pre-security outlet at Las Vegas McCarron airport

Sports apparel brand Umbro plans to kick-off its first year in the duty-free market with a range of men's fragrance and bodycare lines

Cosmopolitan Cosmetics expects sales to rise by 22% in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2004, according to Latin America/Caribbean president Thierry Rouquette

New fragrances and a strong existing portfolio have helped beauty house Mäurer + Wirtz win a number of new deals

Cartier unveiled its first women's fragrance for nine years at the IAADFS show last month

New York-based company Slatkin & Co is to make its debut in the travel-retail market by 2005

Boxing brand Everlast is set to hit the fragrance scene by unveiling its first offering

Beauté Prestige International has revealed its next key launch in the men's fragrance sector. L'Eau Bleu D'Issey Pour Homme will be introduced worldwide in October

Fashion brand Alviero Martini unveiled its new men?s and women?s fragrances at the IAADFS show in Orlando, and is targeting Brazil, Mexico and Columbia for their roll-out

Distributor Tairo International has found renewed energy for expansion after signing agency agreements for P&G Beauty and Lancaster Group across the Caribbean, in July 2003 and January 2004 respectively

P&G Prestige Beauté changes name; Elizabeth Arden shows Provocative Woman fragrance

Beauty brand Elizabeth Arden is planning to hone the sales skills of its 75 beauty advisors across Europe and the Middle East as part of several initiatives to refine its brand strategy

L?Oréal?s luxury division for the Americas, Parbel, is planning an initiative with its local market counterparts to drive Biotherm cosmetics sales

Indonesian duty-free operator PT Inti Dufree Promosindo is planning to renovate the cosmetics counters at its main downtown store in Bali

Australian skincare brand Jurlique is planning to move into the airport spa business as part of a long-term strategy to increase its brand presence in travel-retail

Crème de la Mer makes UK debut at Heathrow; Hard Candy shows revamped packaging

Gourmet biscuit producer Tante Agathe is ready to take a step forward now that Goldkenn co-founder and former partner Steven Goldstein has joined founder Thierry Uldry as a partner

Ontario-based Jakeman's Maple Products made its first appearance at the Orlando IAADFS show last month after encouraging responses from US customers

Maxim's de Paris has relaunched and extended its range of pencil tins and introduced several new chocolate and biscuit gift items in advance of May's Tax Free World Association Asia Pacific show in Singapore

Cadbury Schweppes International Travel Retail is capitalising on growing demand for snacking and sharing products by adding a whole-nut 500g pouch variant of individually wrapped, bite size chunks

Mexican manufacturer Chocolates Turin has reached a co-branding agreement with Allied Domecq for two new liqueur chocolates, Tia Maria and Malibu, which were launched at the Orlando show last month

UK gifts company History & Heraldry will aim to expand further into duty-free markets this year

Austrian glass and crystal supplier Swarovski has teamed up with Moroccan designer Yasmine Durner-Hurel to produce practical items for the home as part of its spring/summer collection for travel-retail

UK firm IBT Technologies is set to enter domestic and duty-free markets this year with its WP range of mobile phones

Pentax has launched a second-generation, fully immersible digital camera for duty-free and domestic sale

Logitech has launched the Notebook Optical Mouse Plus, a USB computer mouse that is easy to pack but difficult to damage while in transit

Waterford Crystal chose Dublin airport's The Street to launch its new crystal range, Seahorses

Electronics supplier Sharp has released the first megapixel phone for the GSM network

Angelique de Paris, which exhibited at Orlando for the first time this year, displayed colourful jewellery already popular in Caribbean and Latin American duty-free outlets, according to the company

Ammolite jewellery supplier Korite has enjoyed a successful foray into the Caribbean market following the Duty Free Show of the Americas last month

Crystal Impressions' latest collections proved a hit with buyers at Orlando, according to duty-free manager Howard Landeck

Miami-based Codipe displayed a range of lighters under the Porsche Design label at last month's IAADFS show

First-time Orlando exhibitor C reported good business at the show, with new contacts and several new deals

Fashion jewellery and accessories company Bijoux Terner has increased its cooperation with Dufry with a new boutique at Singapore Changi airport

Watchmaker Festina said at last month's Orlando show that it was confident that this year's Tour de France special-issue watch would be a success in the Americas

US jewellery company and first-time Orlando exhibitor Hidalgo displayed a range of rings, pendants, bracelets, earrings and watches on its stand

Antonio Dorado displayed Crisali Prestige pearls from Mallorca at the Duty Free Show of the Americas

Tallink jewellery sets sail; Axcent on watches; Oilily introduces children's watches; Courrèges collection celebrates the Sixties

Jewellery supplier Crislu has reported an excellent start to 2004, with total sales to date up 47% on the same period last year. Duty-free has also showed a similar improvement

US writing instruments company AT Cross has launched its latest models, the Cross Verve collection

Haskell Jewels presented jewellery and handbags on a combined JLo accessories stand at last month's IAADFS show

Jeep bags and accessories are to debut in Americas duty-free, with European and Asian markets lined up as the next targets

Dubai Duty Free (DDF) has revealed that strong growth in the fashion and accessories segment in 2003 has led the retailer to renovate its fashion areas and add higher-end brands with their own corners

New York-based Kraft International Marketing is introducing Oilily cosmetics bags and handbags to more Americas travel-retail locations. Where space allows, these will be situated alongside other fashion products

Brazilian company Brex has increased its portfolio of Brazilian fashion products with the addition of the high-end Lenny e Cia leathergoods brand

Italy's leading men's fashion house in travel-retail, Ermenegildo Zegna, is lining up a number of airport openings this year with a strong focus on Asian travel-retail

Premium knitwear manufacturer Alpaca 111 is to break into the European market with a corner in Aldeasa's store at Madrid Barajas airport

Leathergoods company Land is to open its first airport store in the US, with Alpha Retail at Orlando International airport

WNV Sales is introducing a range of Picasso-themed merchandise, including a collection of colourful headscarves, to duty-free in the Americas