BRAZIL. Dufry Group has taken a step closer to achieving its aim to become "the world's most profitable travel retailer" with the purchase of Brasif Duty Free Shop, Latin America's biggest operator

EGYPT. Egyptair Tax Free Shops and Dufry Group have won the tenders for duty-free retail at Sharm el Sheikh airport in Egypt

UK/INTERNATIONAL. Alpha Airports Group has confirmed it is to make changes to its senior management team following a significant restructure of the business

By John Rimmer and John Gallagher

The phrase "corporate social responsibility" is a perfect example of how business can take a warm, caring and humane response to the problems of others and turn it into a cold, calculated and mechanical concept

If further evidence were needed of the lack of joined-up thinking in the travel services industry, it has been provided by UK scheduled airline bmi, formerly known as British Midland. In its latest series of print advertising, promoting its online check-in service, the airline makes a tongue-in-cheek sideswipe at the quality of retailing at airports

Could the drive to extract the maximum from airport commercial operations have a downside for retailers? Yes, if other airport services are ignored

This year's Duty Free Show of the Americas was alive with talk of Dufry Group's ambitions as its takeover of Brasif Duty Free Shop signalled a new era for Latin American travel-retail

Nestlé has appointed Catherine Saurais as general manager of the confectionery supplier's International Travel Retail (NITR) division

More people and company news

Travel Retail Training (TRT) is to extend its Inflight Sales Person of the Year (ISPY) event to the Americas region with the launch of ISPY Americas

Jacques Parson has more than three decades of service under his belt at Kappé International. Yet the beauty retailer's chairman is far from complacent about the company's future. Tina Milton talks to the Amsterdam Schiphol retail veteran

When Versace sold its accessories business early last year, new owner Vertime vowed to make its presence felt in duty-free and domestic channels. Lorna Strickland talks to president Paolo Marai about the company's progress

As DFNI went to press, suppliers were already unveiling the latest products and merchandising concepts at this year's Baselworld. Colourful jewellery and watches featuring crystals and gems are the main trends to look out for this year, as is the re-emergence of rubber watch straps on sporty models. Lorna Strickland offers a guide to some of the key launches

With more than 200 fragrance launches to introduce a year, it's lucky that Gebr Heinemann managing director Kay Spanger is a self-confessed "perfume maniac". Here he speaks frankly to Tina Milton about the beauty market, 'airport specials', retail developments and the need to strive for constant improvement

Recent research by World Duty Free has helped it to identify growth opportunities in emerging categories and last year it opened a store at Edinburgh airport that focused on jewellery, watches and sunglasses. Lorna Strickland finds out how the new outlet is performing

More retail news

More retail news

AMERICAS. Duty Free Americas (DFA) won the top award at the Raven Fox Awards for Travel Retail Excellence in the Americas last month, held at a ceremony during the Duty Free Show of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale

SOUTH KOREA. Duty-free sales at Seoul Incheon airport reached W880bn ($906m) in 2005, an increase of 13.7% compared with 2004, according to airport authority Incheon International Airport Corp (IIAC)

SINGAPORE. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has announced a tender for seven luxury brand concessions at Singapore Changi airport.

AUSTRALIA. Bidders for Australia's biggest duty-free contract were well represented at a briefing held late last month at Sydney International airport

ITALY. Airport authority Sagat reported a strong increase in sales at Turin airport during the Winter Olympics, held between February 10 and 26 in the northern Italian city

SRI LANKA. Tourists and returning nationals will be unable to purchase tobacco products at Sri Lanka's arrivals duty-free stores or on board flights into the country from April 1

Latin American trade association ASUTIL has announced details of its tenth annual conference, to be held on September 6–8 in Santiago de Chile

HUNGARY. UK airports group BAA has identified "huge opportunities" to grow the retail business at Budapest Ferihegy airport, with a big expansion of commercial space on the agenda as the company plans to invest €261m ($318m) by 2011

MEXICO. Mexican airports group Aeropuertos del Sureste (ASUR) commercial director Manuel Gutierrez has confirmed the company's plans to operate its own duty-free shop in Cancún International airport's new terminal three. Work on the new terminal is proceeding on schedule and is expected to be complete by April 2007

Raven Fox Events is proud to announce its inaugural Asia/Pacific Travel Partnership Symposium, in collaboration with the Pacific Asia Travel Association and supported by the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association. The event will be held on September 21–22 in Macau

BAHRAIN. Bahrain International airport could face a ban on duty-free liquor sales if the kingdom's parliament approves a proposal tabled by Sheikh Mohammed Khalid

MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Malaysia Airports are to compete aggressively for market share in Asia's growing budget travel market, opening terminals dedicated to low-cost carriers at Singapore Changi and Kuala Lumpur International (KLIA) airports within three days of each other last month

AUSTRALIA. The Nuance Group has resolved its legal dispute with Melbourne airport in an out-of-court settlement

UK. An upbeat BAA trading statement last week underlined the strength of the group's UK airport retail business as the company defended itself from a takeover bid led by Spanish construction company Grupo Ferrovial

MALAYSIA. Airport retailer Eraman reported record sales in 2005, driven by strong international and domestic passenger growth

US. The Duty Free Show of the Americas ended in Fort Lauderdale on March 28, with organiser International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) hailing a big increase in the quality of stands on the exhibition's tradefloor

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. Four international retailers have submitted bids for duty-free retail contracts at Aruba Queen Beatrix International airport

UK. The Nuance Group has secured a five-year extension to its retail contract at the UK's Cardiff International airport, ensuring its presence at the location until 2012

SOUTH KOREA. Lotte Duty Free Shop is eyeing airport retail contracts in India and Australia as it aims to expand beyond its home market of South Korea, DFNI Asia can reveal

ESTONIA. Estonian ferry operator Tallink is to add four new ferries to its fleet by 2008, including two fast ferries

US super-premium tequila brand Patrón made its duty-free debut last month at the Duty Free Show of the Americas. The launch is part of an attempt to raise the brand's international profile

Chase International has been appointed as the exclusive North American duty-free distributor for Austrian liqueur manufacturer Mozart Distillerie

The managing director of Bacardi Global Brands' new worldwide travel-retail and duty-free division Maurice Doyle has explained the strategy behind the supplier's decision to create a dedicated department for the market. He told DFNI that consistency of communication and of product availability would be the company's main goals

Rémy Martin unveiled three new VSOP gift packs and a range of in-store display units at the Duty Free Show of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale last month

More liqour and wines news

The Sri Lankan government is considering a proposal to abolish the country's inbound duty-free tobacco allowance, a move that would effectively end tobacco sales at Alpha Orient Lanka's arrivals duty-free store in Colombo

Danish cigarette manufacturer House of Prince launched its new brand Rockets on the US duty-free market at last month's Duty Free Show of the Americas

Cigar distributor Pacific Cigar Co has expressed high hopes for cigar sales at King Power International Group (Thailand)'s outlets at the new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport when it opens in September

Dutch cigar manufacturer Agio has unveiled the latest line extensions to its Panter family of cigars, Panter Coffee and Panter Coffee Wooden Tip

Hamburg-based retailer Gebr Heinemann has called on the industry to present a more united front for the promotion and marketing of travel-retail exclusives in the beauty sector

Revlon plans to enter the prestige women's fragrances market with Flair, which will be introduced to duty-free markets in the US, Canada and Mexico in the second half of the year. The fragrance is aimed at women aged 25 and over

Nuance-Watson (Singapore) has expanded its store portfolio at Singapore Changi airport with the addition of two new fragrance and cosmetics stores in the budget terminal

Americas distributor Essence Corp has unveiled plans for a number of fragrance launches this year

Parlux Fragrances is to expand its Paris Hilton brand by introducing a cosmetics range to international markets in spring 2007. The range will be aimed at the high-end market to reflect what the company called Hilton's "prestige qualities"

Jurlique worldwide duty-free agent Escale Group plans to drive the growth of its Jurlique brand in the Americas following its rapid expansion in Europe and Asia/Pacific

Amsterdam Schiphol airport beauty specialist Kappé International has enjoyed what chairman Jacques Parson described as a "turnaround"year

French premium chocolate specialist Valrhona has opened its first travel-retail shop-in-shop, in Aelia's fine foods store at Paris Orly West airport

Nordic ferry operator HH-Ferries has conducted a thorough overhaul of its food and confectionery range, reducing its offer by about 10% for its new spring catalogue

Hawaiian Host made Harmoni premium macadamias its main focus at the Duty Free Show of the Americas in Fort Lauderdale last month. A range of products was on show at distributor Chase International's booth

Valora Trade Travel Retail is running a big pan-Nordic campaign for Wrigley, offering travellers the chance to win tickets for a series of sell-out Rolling Stones concerts in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The promotion will run until mid-May

More confectionary & fine foods news

Spanish adult media company Private Media Group opened a new 140sq m (1,506sq ft) store at Munich airport on March 15. The move follows new shop openings at Vienna and Zürich airports

Writing instruments supplier AT Cross is continuing its move into other product sectors as part of a strategy to attract younger consumers to the brand

UK-based Scorpio Distributors is focusing on expanding its presence in duty-free shops this year.

More gifts & electronics news

UK luxury fashion and jewellery company Asprey International has sold its Garrard chain of jewellers. The two companies merged in 1998 to form Asprey & Garrard, but split their operations in 2000

First-time Duty Free Show of the Americas exhibitor Zirconmania presented several products from its Opera Length collection at the show last month. The Zirconite by the Cubic Inch range imitates the Diamonds by the Yard line

More jewellery & watches news

Danish jeweller Pilgrim has developed a new gondola specifically for travel-retail outlets

US jewellery supplier Angélique de Paris has unveiled its product line-up for duty-free for the year ahead

Italian fashion house Bric's has signed Collections 2000 as its agent for duty-free markets in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The company expects to secure distribution at its first US airport by the end of this month

Hugo Boss has entered the downtown duty-free market in Asia with DFS Group

French leathergoods house Longchamp has forged a closer relationship with Duty Free Americas (DFA), one of the Americas' biggest operators

Peruvian apparel brand Alpaca 111 is to open in various South American locations following a successful week at the Duty Free Show of the Americas in March

German fashion house Etienne Aigner has begun rolling out its new-look stores in domestic markets in Indonesia, Bangkok and Dubai, with travel-retail stores set to follow later this year