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SWITZERLAND. Swiss airport authorities and travel retailers hope to persuade the government to introduce legislation allowing arrivals duty-free shopping, following the lead set by Norway earlier this summer
MALAYSIA. Retailers at Kuala Lumpur International airport (KLIA) are facing rent increases of more than double the existing rate
SINGAPORE. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has issued tenders for many of the key concessions at Singapore Changi airport's new low-cost terminal, which is due to open in early 2006
Insight
Tax Free World Association (TFWA) is an easy target for criticism, whether it be from suppliers, retailers or the trade press
While the travel-retail industry looks to Asia and the Middle East, European airports are still the beating heart of the retail catering channel. But in a business built on volume, competition is fierce and profits hard to come by
On a recent visit to one of the biggest travel-retail locations in the world, I noticed a Scotch malt whisky I'd never seen before. By chance, one of my travelling companions worked for the supplier in question and explained that the malt was a limited-edition, single-cask variant available exclusively in duty-free
Malaysian retailers are taking a philosophical approach to the imminent doubling of rental fees by landlord Malaysia Airports at Kuala Lumpur International airport (KLIA)
To understand the challenge facing brand owners and distributors in domestic markets today, two fundamental issues must be taken into account
One of the most intriguing debates at the recent ASUTIL conference in Buenos Aires began when Longchamp managing director Arnaud de Volontat warned delegates: "If we take a mass-market approach to the [duty-free] business, we will disappear
Retailers of a nervous disposition should look away now
Mobile phones and bar codes have been around for decades, but their potential for driving commercial revenues at airports is only now becoming apparent
People & Company
BAA has announced key management changes at London Heathrow airport, to take effect from next spring
Tax Free World Association has a vacancy for an area sales manager to join its team in Paris
French tennis star Guy Forget will take on travel retailers at this year's Cannes tennis tournament, sponsored by Champagne Lanson and Lacoste
More people and company news
Features
After years spent coveting a retail operation of its own, Tokyo Narita airport authority NAA can call itself a duty-free operator at last. John Rimmer visited Tokyo to find out more about the landlord's new joint-venture businesses
Political continuity, economic optimism and Tokyo's first rise in land prices for 15 years should provide a welcome boost to consumer confidence in Japan. The country's duty-free industry is in need of reassurance as it continues on the path to change. John Rimmer reports
Travel-retail fashion has changed substantially since 2000
Generating interest for fashion in travel-retail will depend on the addition of more brands, including specialist or regional names unique to particular locations
List of exhibitors at Cannes
Tax Free World Association (TFWA) president Erik Juul-Mortensen has been involved with the organisation since its inception in the early '80s
The return of some of the duty-free industry's biggest names to this year's Cannes show has put Tax Free World Association in buoyant mood as the calendar's blue-riband event approaches. But the association is hardening its stance on suppliers that come to Cannes without exhibiting at the show. John Rimmer reports
As buyers acquire a better understanding of fashion and allocate more space to the sector, suppliers will benefit from almost unlimited opportunities for expansion. Kevin Rozario looks ahead to the next five years of fashion
Mainland Chinese passengers are spending above the average at airport shops across Asia/Pacific. Even at Seoul Incheon, a market dominated by South Koreans, retailers are reorganising their assortments to attract this small but fast-growing consumer group. Dermot Davitt reports
External threats, alongside increased competition in the Japanese aviation market, have led to a challenging retail environment at Osaka Kansai airport in recent years. But new brand boutiques have helped ease the pressure, as John Rimmer discovers
Retail News Analysis
US/EUROPE. Airport caterer HMS Host, part of the Autogrill Group, has made the European market its priority as it seeks to expand outside its US base
SPAIN. Duty-free retailer and ship supplier Provimar has won the tender to operate travel-retail outlets at Barcelona port on an exclusive basis for 10 years.
TUNISIA/LIBYA. Hamila Duty Free has taken its first steps into the Libyan duty-free market after signing an agreement to operate retail on board Libyan airline Afriqiyah Airways. The contract will run for five years from January 1 2006
ITALY. Dufry Group and Alpha Retail are confident of big sales increases at their recently-acquired fashion boutiques, fine foods and speciality outlets at Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino airports
JAPAN. Airport authority and retailer Kansai International Airport Co (KIAC) is in discussions to add 2,000sq m (21,520sq ft) of retail space in the central airside area of Osaka Kansai airport
US/UK. New low-cost business carrier Maxjet has awarded inflight concessionaire Duty Free World a three-year contract to operate retail on board, effective from November 1
SWITZERLAND. Zürich Kloten airport is celebrating the first anniversary of its Airside Center post-security shopping facility with an extensive promotional effort developed by airport authority Unique and its commercial partners
INDIA. Swiss airport group Unique has emphasised the need for flexibility in the retail operation at Bangalore International airport, due to open in April 2008
UK. A new system that uses mobile phone networks, bar codes and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to locate passengers and send them relevant information is to be offered to airlines and airports over the coming months
KUWAIT. Habchi & Chalhoub has regained the contract to operate retail on board Kuwait Airways, three years after losing the contract to Tourvest Duty Free
For decision-makers from all regions of the world, the next Global Travel Retail Summit (to be held in London, February 1–3) promises to be a key date in the 2006 industry events calendar
UAE. The completion of renovation work at Dubai Duty Free's (DDF) arrivals outlet in September has caused an immediate increase in arrivals' share of the retailer's total business
RUSSIA/CIS. Gebr Heinemann has reported a year of encouraging growth in its Russian and CIS business
INTERNATIONAL. On the eve of its 21st Cannes show, Tax Free World Association (TFWA) made its frankest denunciation yet of brand owners who attend its duty-free shows without exhibiting, drawing buyers away from the main halls in Cannes and Singapore
MALTA. Airside retail space at Malta International airport is to be expanded by about 20% as part of a terminal refurbishment to accommodate the country's entry into the Schengen agreement
UK. Ferry operator Hoverspeed has introduced a pre-order scheme at its land-based store in France
TURKEY. Turkish retailers Unifree Duty Free and AlphaIDF—Alpha Retail's joint venture with Istanbul Duty Free—have confirmed they will bid for retail space at the new international terminal at Milas-Bodrum airport when the building's build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract is awarded
UK. Virgin Atlantic Airways is intensifying its promotional efforts to offset a decline in spend on its transatlantic routes, the company has told DFNI sister magazine Travel Retailer International
UAE. Traffic growth on board airlines based in the Gulf drove an 8.5% year-on-year sales increase at Abu Dhabi Duty Free (ADDF) in the first three quarters of 2005
GERMANY. Munich airport is discussing plans for a new landside shopping centre to open in 2009
QATAR. Sales at Qatar Duty Free rose by 90% in September compared with the same month last year, putting the operator on track to become one of the biggest in the Middle East. In August sales rose by about 75% compared with the same month in 2004
SINGAPORE. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has awarded Dufry Group the three-year watch concession at Singapore Changi airport terminal one, departure/transit lounge west
Liquor & Wines
Bacardi Global Brands launched its inaugural Bartender and Chef Cruise Competition last month in an effort to boost the profile of its brand portfolio within the cruiseship sector
Italian firm Distilleria Bottega is launching a new prosecco sparkling wine called Il Vino dei Poeti Gold into travel-retail
As revealed on RavenFox.com on October 4, Fortune Brands has received regulatory clearance from the US Federal Trade Commission to go ahead with its acquisition of bourbon brand Maker's Mark and its distillery in Loretto, Kentucky
New Zealand vodka brand 42 Below has appointed Panache International as its new domestic and duty-free distributor in the US and Latin America
More liquor news
UAE-based Flemingo International is to introduce a range of Indian spirits, beers and wines across its duty-free store network in India and Africa, DFNI can reveal
Racke Group has acquired the distribution rights for Australian wine brand Yellow Tail in selected European domestic and duty-free markets. It will present the brand for the first time at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes
Scotch whisky merchant Duncan Taylor has launched a range of blended malt whiskies, representing three of the main whisky regions of Scotland
Tobacco Products
Greek cigarette supplier Karelia has reported strong results with World Duty Free at London Heathrow and Gatwick airports since its Slims brand made its debut in July 2004
Japan Tobacco International (JTI) is to host a special event at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this year commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the Camel brand
UK tobacco supplier Imperial Tobacco is to introduce its new corporate identity to the trade at the TFWA World Exhibition later this month
Dutch cigar specialist Henri Wintermans is to introduce assortment packs for two brands at this year's TFWA World Exhibition
Fragrances
Kuala Lumpur International airport (KLIA) retailer Dimensi Eksklusif has predicted that fragrance and cosmetics sales will increase by 20% year on year in 2005
Dubai Duty Free (DDF) is to add space to its fragrances and cosmetics outlet as the retailer builds on a strong performance in the beauty category
Aggressive marketing and promotional activities at Singapore Changi airport have helped to achieve a year-to-date increase of 5% in beauty sales compared with 2004, according to airport authority Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
Paris-based Dessange International is to exhibit at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this year with a view to making its debut in the duty-free market
Cosmetics
Designer Parfums, which launched the Francecso Smalto FullChoke men's fragrance at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last year, is to add a range of men's grooming products to the collection
Jurlique is to preview four duty-free exclusive gift sets at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes in partnership with its worldwide travel-retail agent Escale Group
Alpha Retail has enjoyed a 5% increase in spend per passenger at Newcastle International airport following a promotion with US make-up brand Smashbox
Confectionery & Fine Foods
Cadbury Schweppes International Travel Retail is heading further into premium chocolate territory with the launch of the Cadbury Luxury Selection
Kraft Foods World Travel Retail Division has redesigned and relaunched its milk chocolate-coated almond and caramel Daim bar
Godiva Chocolatier is reinforcing its premium image with a fresh approach to the art of making truffles
More confectionery news
More confectionery news
Bonardo Travel Retail (BTR) managing director Alain Bonardo believes many confectionery offers are in danger of becoming boring because there is too much reliance on big-brand displays
Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) in Ohio plans to open a new store at Port Columbus International airport in partnership with cookie specialist Cheryl & Co
Masterfoods International Travel Retail (MITR) has negotiated a deal to supply its global brands to Duty Free Philippines and has completed its first delivery from its travel-retail headquarters in the Netherlands
Toms Confectionery will unveil a new concept for its flagship brand Anthon Berg at the TFWA World Exhibition (Blue Village, stand B7) in Cannes later this month
Butlers Chocolates will showcase two sugar confectionery lines in Cannes, where it will launch boxes of creamy fudge and vanilla toffee that the company believes will prove particularly popular as gifts for men. lines in Cannes, where it will launch boxes of creamy fudge and vanilla toffee that the company believes will prove particularly popular as gifts for men
French fine foods specialist Maxim's de Paris is paying tribute to its own famous restaurant menu and to its best-known artwork with a series of gourmet gift launches for Cannes (Marine Village, stand S8)
Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) has combined the findings of its global consumer research panels with in-depth consultation among key retail partners in a bid to reduce the uncertainty surrounding annual launches at the TWFA World Exhibition (Gold Village, stand G3)
The marketing departments of several fast-moving consumer goods companies have long been accused of filling gaps in the market with their own ideas rather than with products that consumers and retailers want
Gifts & Electronics
Writing instruments supplier AT Cross has launched its winter collection for domestic and travel-retail sectors
Inflight retailer Virgin Atlantic Airways has expressed its frustration at its inability to stock many high-priced and branded electronic items owing to margin pressures
Italian jewellery supplier Morellato has launched its first gift range for domestic and travel-retail markets. The company has commissioned several Italian designers to create a gift collection called Design
UK-based distributor and supplier Premier Portfolio is poised to unveil a new concept for destination merchandise
Jewellery & Watches
UK silversmith Kit Heath has begun a review of its travel-retail strategy with a view to expansion
The World Gold Council (WGC) has launched a campaign to lift gold jewellery sales following the publication of its figures for gold sales in 2004
Jamaican joint-venture company Mandala has teamed up with fine jewellery supplier Chopard to produce a series of exclusive pendants for worldwide sale
Airport authority and retailer Kansai International Airport Co (KIAC) has reported a promising start for its new tax-free watch shop-in-shop, which it unveiled in its North Wing store in March
Fashion & Leathergoods
Leading travel retailer Tie Rack is facing increasing competition for retail space at German airports from travel-retail newcomer PNA
Italian apparel house Belfe is keen to open a new market for hi-tech sports apparel at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes later this month
One of travel-retail's most established leathergoods houses i santi has warned that competition is set to intensify as more brands recognise the potential of the leathergoods and accessories market in travel-retail
Italy may be the home of high-end leathergoods from brands such as Gucci and Fendi, but operator Alpha Retail is finding that mid-market UK brands such as Tula and Radley are proving to be strong sellers in Rome
More fashion news