UK. Alpha Airports Group has announced an encouraging end to a turbulent six months, posting revenue growth of 3.8% to £278.9m ($524.3m) for the first half of 2006 and signing a new 10-year contract at Manchester International airport valued at £800m ($1.2bn)

EU/US. Aviation security agencies are set to relax regulations on passengers carrying liquids in hand luggage, ending nearly two months of confusion following the foiled terror plot of August 10

Although most companies will expound the importance of keeping staff motivated, few launch into the task with the same verve as Alpha Airports Group

Positive announcements from the European Union and the US Transportation Security Administration have provided some welcome relief for travel retailers following two months of confusion over security restrictions. On both sides of the Atlantic airside retailers will now be able to sell liquids to all passengers as normal.

It is almost frightening to watch Aldeasa's relentless march across the duty-free map

The long-awaited border shop tender in Turkey has produced some surprising front-runners for its duty-free bounty

While DFS Group's recent encouraging results have been attributed in part to a new emphasis on mainland Chinese consumers, the DFNI archives reveal that the foundation for the strategy was laid long ago

Raven Fox is delighted to announce the appointment of Gavin Lipsith as editor of DFNI, effective from September 16

French travel retailer Aelia has appointed John Rimmer to the new role of deputy director business development. Rimmer, who edited DFNI from 2004–06, will be based in the company's Paris headquarters and will report to vice-president organisation and development Ambroise Fondeur

The Tallink Travel Retail Conference took place on September 21 on board the company's newest superferry MS Galaxy, which sailed from Helsinki to Estonia during the event

With its 10th anniversary approaching, UK travel-retail distribution firm Scorpio Distributors celebrated with its first 'away day' for buyers—mostly from the inflight business—at a spa hotel in Berkshire, on September 22, followed by an enjoyable trip to Ascot races

Experienced fragrances and cosmetics export director in the travel-retail and domestic markets seeks an opportunity for worldwide or regional representation in fragrances and cosmetics or fashion as an international consultant. Based in France. Tel: +33 6 87 35 60 38

More People & company news

As another TFWA World Exhibition approaches, DFNI presents an essential guide to the key features of the week, including the conference, sporting and social agendas and a look at some of the new exhibitors

The sports and outdoor apparel segment is limbering up for a bigger slice of the travel-retail fashion business. Does it have the stamina to deliver? Kevin Rozario reports

Build-operate-transfer contracts are becoming the tool of choice for governments seeking to privatise state infrastructure. And now at least one airport authority believes they can be applied to retail tenders. Gavin Lipsith travelled to Taipei to find out how

TURKEY. Hellenic Duty Free Shops, Net Magaza Isletmeciligi Ve Ticaret and Setur Service Turistik are among the frontrunners for the 15-year tender at six border sites in Turkey, DFNI understands

SPAIN. The Ministry of Public Works, which controls state-run airport authority AENA, plans to introduce a new model of commercial management for the authority, DFNI understands

HONG KONG. DFS Group has signed an agreement with the Four Seasons Hotel development company to build a 7,990sq m (86,000sq ft) Galleria store in the Macau hotel's shopping mall

ESTONIA/FINLAND. Estonian ferry operator Tallink Group plans to add two high-speed ferries to its fleet in the next two years. Each will feature 1,000sq m (10,760sq ft) of retail space—matching that of its recently-launched ferry MS Galaxy

Austrailia. The Nuance Group and Sydney Airport Corp Ltd (SACL) have agreed a new eight-year concession for Downtown Duty Free at Sydney International airport. The contract will commence on November 1.

UK. Norwich International airport is investing £4.2m ($7.9m) to extend and refurbish its terminal in response to strong passenger traffic growth

PANAMA. One of South American duty-free's founding fathers, Alberto Motta Sr, has passed away, aged 90

THAILAND. The new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport was set to open as DFNI went to press

AFRICA. Dufry Group COO Africa Miguel Angel Martinez has outlined the company's development priorities for North Africa

SWITZERLAND. The Swiss government vote on whether to introduce arrivals duty-free shopping later this week is too close to call, DFNI understands

US. Aldeasa has submitted the highest bid in Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International airport's duty-free tender. The Spanish retailer offered the airport a minimum annual guarantee of $9.55m in the first year

GIBRALTAR. Duty Free Gibraltar is seeking to clarify the implications of a new agreement between the UK, Spain and Gibraltar that permits joint use of the island's airport

CANADA. The Canadian government has abolished the country's visitor rebate programme, which refunds visitors' goods and services tax (GST), harmonised sales tax and provincial sales tax on goods and services worth over C$178 ($159). Its abolition—worth C$78.8m ($70.3m) to the government— is likely to have a strong impact on duty-free sales at the Canada US border, said lobbyists

UGANDA. Uganda Duty Free Sales has rescheduled the renovation of its 450sq m (4,842sq ft) departure and 140sq m (1,500sq ft) arrivals shops at Entebbe International airport for the beginning of 2007

POLAND. A Polish court is in the process of deciding whether Warsaw airport retail concessionaire Inflight Service is eligible for reimbursement of excise tax on duty-free cosmetics sales made since the country's accession to the EU

SRI LANKA. Alpha Orient Lanka is to introduce a range of gifts, jewellery and fashion accessories at its arrivals stores at Colombo Bandaranaike International airport

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Swiss travel retailer Dufry Group has announced the official opening of four duty-free shops in the new north terminal at Santo Domingo Las Americas International airport

CANADA. Aldeasa will begin duty-free operations at Vancouver International airport three months earlier than originally planned to ensure that renovations on existing shops coincide with the opening of the new international wing

Gruppo Campari is exhibiting at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes later this month in an effort to demonstrate its increased commitment to the trade

Morrison Bowmore has launched a high-end travel-retail exclusive vintage Bowmore whisky, a first for the Islay malt brand

Liquor sales at Tortuga Rum Company's stores at the Cayman Islands' Owen Roberts International airport have yet to recover following the imposition of new regulations restricting liquids on US-bound flights

Independent cognac house Camus will extend its new Elegance range with VS and VSOP expressions at this year's TFWA World Exhibition

Underberg will unveil new packaging and bottle sizes for many of its key product lines at this month's TFWA World Exhibition

State-owned retailer Duty Free Philippines (DFP) is preparing to launch a campaign to abolish the "sin tax" imposed on liquor and tobacco products sold in its duty-free stores, DFNI can reveal

This month's TFWA World Exhibition will feature four new tobacco exhibitors, taking the total number of tobacco companies present at the show to 21

UK tobacco supplier Gallaher has singled out rapid expansion in Asia/Pacific duty-free markets as a key driver behind its growth in the region in the first six months of the year

UK Customs & Excise has attempted to dispel its negative image among UK travellers by exhibiting at the Leuchars Air Show last month

The Valiram Group's new fragrances distribution division has signed a deal with Cartier to be its sole distributor in duty-free and travel-retail in Malaysia

Private equity company 3i has reached an agreement with Selective Beauty to offer the business management support

Designer Parfums is to preview women's fragrance Smalto FullChoke Femme along with the original men's FullChoke fragrance at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this month

Fashion brand Coach and BeautyBank, a division of Estée Lauder, have signed an agreement to create fragrances and related products to be sold in Coach's US stores, with the first due to be launched in September 2007

Miami-based company 10 Minute Manicure plans to add two new airport outlets to its portfolio by November

Alpha Airport Shopping has launched bio-active stretch mark and anti-wrinkle cream StriVectin at its Manchester and Birmingham airport shops

Nuance-Watson (HK) has introduced anti-ageing skincare line La Colline in Temptation Duty Free beauty stores at Hong Kong International airport (HKIA)

Cadbury Schweppes International Travel Retail is working on ways to boost sales conversion rates among Chinese travellers after conducting research into their purchasing habits

Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) is incorporating a travel-retail shop confectionery area into its redesigned stand (Gold Village, G3) at this month's TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes

Nordic ferry operator HH-Ferries plans to refine and repeat what it described as a "successful innovation" this summer, when a variety of confectionery products from different suppliers were all offered at the single price of DKr10 ($1.70)

UK-based novelty toy retailer and distributor The Wandering Monkey has unveiled a range of internet phone toys called Verballs.

Airline promotions drove robust growth at Russ Berrie this year, with the plush toy supplier reporting a 10% sales increase in the year to August compared with the same period the previous year

Electronics supplier Zero is hoping to expand its offer to the airport, cruise and ferry channels, and plans to redesign its packaging to suit the different retail environments

More gifts and electronic news

US cruise concessionaire Starboard Cruise Services has opened dedicated sections for Swiss timepiece brand Frédérique Constant on board five vessels and plans to roll out the concept to other ships

UK jewellery supplier Hot Diamonds has launched its first charm collection for duty-free and travel-retail

Canadian fashion house Roots has joined forces with the Rethink Breast Cancer Foundation to produce a fundraising watch

Luxury goods group LVMH Moët Hennessy–Louis Vuitton has posted double-digit growth in profit for the first half of 2006, with the Watches and Jewelry division performing particularly well

Netherlands retailer Gassan Schiphol has opened a Rolex boutique at Amsterdam Schiphol airport, the luxury watch brand's first travel-retail outlet outside Switzerland. The 40sq m (430sq ft) store in Lounge 2, behind the Customs area, opened on September 16

Fashion brands Orla Kiely and Romeo Gigli will exhibit at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes for the first time this month

Alpha Airport Shopping has added four new brands to its sunglasses portfolio in a bid to meet increasing passenger demand for Italian fashion brands

UK company Uppercase has launched a retro-style leather luggage collection aimed at travellers looking for pieces that evoke a previous era of luxury travel

The sunglasses category at UK distributor Market Connections now accounts for more than 50% of turnover following an increase in onboard sales of Carolina Herrera and Caterpillar models