EUROPE. SAS Trading has sold its eastern European retail interests to Inflight Service as parent company SAS Group seeks to concentrate on its core aviation business

SAS Trading president Patric Sjöberg has moved to a new role in the SAS Group following the sale of its eastern European travel-retail business to Inflight Service (see Retail News)

Dufry Group has appointed Miguel Angel Martinez as COO of its Africa division

Inter Parfums has created two divisions to support its planned expansion; Burberry Fragrances division, to be headed by Burberry Fragrances president Marcella Cacci, and a luxury and fashion division devoted to Inter Parfums' Lanvin, Paul Smith, ST Dupont, Christian Lacroix and Céline licences, to be managed by executive vice-president Frédéric Garcia-Pelayo

This year's TFWA Asia Pacific exhibition in Singapore will host a number of new brands as well as a variety of regular companies

More people and company news

Children's charity UNICEF has thanked supporters of last month's Raven Fox Ball, who together raised nearly £51,000 ($96,230) for the charity's efforts in Beslan and the North Caucasus

By Dermot Davitt Executive Editor

SAS Trading's gradual exit from the travel-retail industry is as sad as it is predictable

The news that Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) could soon be sourcing its duty-free goods independently of China Duty Free Group (CDFG) won't come as a big surprise to the trade in Asia/Pacific, but its implications will be no less profound for that

The ACI Europe Airport Trading Conference is always a useful barometer of trade confidence in this crucial region

By John Gallagher Editor for Spain and Latin America

The Nuance Group's decision to withdraw from its loss-making speciality and fashion retail contract at Rome Fiumicino airport is the first indicator that the retailer is prepared to take drastic action to protect its bottom line where necessary

By John Rimmer Editor

The Caribbean duty-free market has always been a vibrant one, and developments at one of its most popular destinations suggest that it will gain momentum in the future. Gavin Lipsith reports

Will increasingly high fees for promotional space at airports deter beauty suppliers from investing in future? Or are retailers and airport authorities willing to negotiate? Tina Milton finds out

India's duty-free potential has yet to be exploited by beauty suppliers, many of whom are still sizing up the challenges. Tina Milton reports on a market awaiting take-off

Shop designers must think beyond fixtures and fittings to maximise their clients' sales to increasingly sophisticated consumers. Lorna Strickland investigates how cutting-edge design is being used in travel-retail

SEA Aeroporti di Milano is to undertake extensive retail renovations at Milan Malpensa and Linate airports in a bid to capitalise on the city's status as a shoppers' paradise. Tina Milton talks to the airport authority about the developments and its plans to attract more low-cost airlines

US. As first revealed on DFNI website RavenFox.com on March 9, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has appointed the Center for Airport Management (CAM) to help it plan new retail and catering concessions at Los Angeles International airport

CHINA. As revealed on DFNI website RavenFox.com on March 3, Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) has formed a new management and purchasing division that could enable it to source duty-free goods independently from China's state-run duty-free monopoly China Duty Free Group (CDFG)

HUNGARY. Budapest Ferihegy airport is to feature 2,200sq m (23,680sq ft) of retail space in its renovated terminal one

INDIA. As revealed on DFNI website RavenFox.com on March 5, Indian Duty Free Services has been awarded the inflight duty-free contract for Indian carrier Jet Airways

Raven Fox is pleased to announce a new partnership with leading beauty house P&G Prestige Beauty

CHINA. The developer of a new factory outlet centre in Shanghai is seeking a travel retailer to operate a fragrances,cosmetics, watches and fashion accessories concession

INTERNATIONAL. Shop designers have criticised travel retailers for creating poorly planned and confusing stores and squandering opportunities to innovate

SRI LANKA. The Alpha Sri Lanka Tsunami Relief Fund has so far raised over $275,000 to help rebuild the stricken community of Palliyawatta in southern Sri Lanka

EUROPE. The 14th ACI Europe Airport Trading Conference was held in Zürich last week, and was marked by the airport association's response to the white paper on retail contracts, drawn up after the Trinity Forum event in 2003

US. With bids for the duty-free tender at Miami International airport due on March 18, interested parties have told DFNI that they are likely to participate despite the challenges they anticipate at the location

Voting is open for the Raven Fox Awards for Travel-Retail Excellence in Asia/Pacific and, for the first time, the Americas

SPAIN. AENA chairman Manuel Azuaga shed light on the tensions between the airport authority and Spanish travel retailer Aldeasa when he made a presentation to the Spanish parliament earlier this month

JAMAICA. Tenders for the first phase of redeveloped retail space at Sangster International airport have attracted interest from several international retailers, according to airport management company MBJ Airports

SINGAPORE. King Power International, a subsidiary of King Power Group (Hong Kong), has been awarded the concession to operate a travel products shop at Singapore Changi terminal one, departure lounge east

Orly West gets facelift: Aéroports de Paris is close to completing the renovation of its landside commercial area at Paris Orly West airport

DENMARK. DFDS Seaways has extended the retail space on board two vessels serving its Oslo to Copenhagen route as part of a wider refurbishment programme

JAMAICA. A tax on goods imported for sale to tourists has offset any revenue gains made from the increase in cruise passenger traffic last year, according to one of Jamaica's leading downtown duty-free operators

V&S Global Duty Free is to launch a new peach-flavoured Absolut vodka at the Duty Free Show of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale next month

LVMH Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton has created a new sales and marketing division, Moët Hennessy USA, which has assumed the responsibilities and functions of its three existing US distributors Schieffelin & Co, Clicquot and Millennium Import

Hong Kong International airport (HKIA) liquor concessionaire Sky Connection has bought the last six bottles of an extremely rare malt whisky from William Grant & Sons

Pernod Ricard has announced the launch of Bushmills Malt Select Casks, a travel-retail exclusive 12yo Irish whiskey

A strong performance by premium Chinese cigarette brand Chunghwa has helped Dubai Duty Free (DDF) to post solid growth in tobacco sales in 2004

More tobacco news

Travel retailers in Spain have welcomed the government's decision to make airport and maritime duty-free stores exempt from new regulations restricting the sale of tobacco products

Imperial Tobacco has unveiled a new look for its West cigarette brand, taking inspiration from its new campaign slogan "Everything starts now"

More fragrances news

State-owned duty-free retailer India Tourism Development Corp plans to develop its beauty offer by introducing further stand-alone sites to accompany its fragrance shops at Delhi and Mumbai airports

Estée Lauder is to open a 550sq ft (51sq m) stand-alone Jo Malone store at London Heathrow airport terminal three later this year

Kenzo plans to reveal its first travel-retail exclusive "travel spray project" in September

L'Occitane International has secured its first stand-alone store in the US at New York JFK airport terminal one

Alpha Retail's UK stores enjoyed double-digit growth in the beauty category for the fourth consecutive year in 2004 following a number of key retail developments

Skincare brand Elizabeth Arden has called on travel retailers and distributors in India to place greater emphasis on the premium skincare market in 2005

More suppliers have called on airports to reduce the cost of renting promotional space outside duty-free stores

Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) plans to bolster its premium chocolate brand Cailler this year by increasing the global programme of promotional events for the brand from 30 to 50.

Godiva Chocolatier has responded to the steady growth in sales of chocolate products for self-consumption with a new range of premium 49g chocolate bars

Ontario company Jakeman's Maple Products, which made its first venture across the US border to exhibit at the Duty Free Show of the Americas last year, is returning to the show with a new line

Belgian niche chocolate manufacturer New Tree, which promotes a "pleasure and health" concept and uses fruit and plant ingredients in its chocolate bars to deliver specific health benefits, plans to step up its travel-retail activities in 2005

Ukraine airport retailer Kievrianta, trading as Kyiv Duty Free, has revealed plans to seek new local suppliers for its electronics products

The US government is to ban lighters and matches from all airside areas of airports and from all aircraft from April 14

Aldeasa Jordan Airports Duty Free Shops has signed a deal to sell Fastlink mobile phone products at its airport outlets

US-based electronic accessories agent Digital & Wireless has signed a deal to distribute the Hideki range of consumer electronics, which includes the Honeywell range of branded items, in travel-retail markets worldwide

Domestic and airport bookseller Borders has announced that it will add Paperchase shop-in-shops to its 462 US domestic outlets and is considering whether to introduce the concept in its US airport stores

More jewellery news

Sales staff at Dubai Duty Free (DDF) benefited from a training session organised by German watchmaker Glashütte Original and UAE luxury goods distributor The Rivoli Group last month

Estée Lauder cosmetics and skincare brand Origins has teamed up with fine jewellery and accessories designer Lisa Jenks to launch a jewellery range exclusive to the company

Writing instruments supplier Cross has revamped its point-of-sale and retail furniture

UK gifts supplier Halcyon Days has introduced its first jewellery and accessories lines in domestic and travel-retail markets worldwide

Nuance-Watson (HK) has teamed up with Swiss watchmaker Frédérique Constant to open a dedicated corner in the Atrium East area at Hong Kong International airport

Luxury writing instruments supplier Montblanc has won the tender to operate a branded outlet in the departures lounge at Singapore Changi terminal one

Leathergoods house Longchamp sold about 55,000 Pliages bags in Americas travel-retail in 2004, and is expecting to sell about 80,000 in 2005, an increase of 45%

US menswear house JoS A Bank Clothiers is to open its first airport store, at Baltimore/Washington International airport, in May

The Porsche Design Group, which exhibited at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes for the first time last year, has revealed plans for new stores in travel-retail and across the world

UK company Tasaram is to enter the department store market with its City Map silk scarves concept and is keen to gain travel-retail distribution with the launch of smaller sizes designed for the channel

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