Swissair's decision to auction its travel-retail arm The Nuance Group is the biggest restructuring to hit the industry in years. TRI presents potential buyers with an indispensible A-Z guide to one of the world's largest travel retailers.

The mighty alliance between China Duty Free Group and King Power justifiably grabbed the headlines in May. Have the wheels finally been set in motion on the Chinese duty-free revolution? In his own words for TRI, president of China Duty Free Group Mr Gai Zhi Xin sets out his vision for the future of travel-retail in China.

CDFG duty-free sales and outlets.

Inbound tourist arrivals to China, 2000 

By Edipar UK duty-free general manager Caroline South.

Seven years ago Amy Nye Wolf struggled to open her first airport music store. Today, with 25 more AltiTunes outlets, she claims to ?own? the US airport market. She tells Joe Bates how a small company can make it big by getting the basics right.

The music mix at AltiTunes? airport stores varies less from city to city than the layman might expect.

Capi International is not used to basking in the limelight. And seldom will you find many column inches devoted to this small Dutch electronics retailer. But the operator is carving itself quite a reputation among a loyal band of customers. Joe Bates talks to director Jan Okhuijsen.

Capi International's store network extends from Helsinki to Johannesburg.

The travel-retail industry has long concentrated its efforts, offer and budget on satisfying the needs of business travellers, Free Independent Travellers and young female consumers. But shouldn?t families get more than a little lip service? Rebecca Mann reports.

Does anti-wrinkle cream really hold the same appeal to a man as it does to a woman? However unlikely it may seem, men are falling prey to an obsession with their appearance, and it won?t be long before men?s products achieve equal status on the beauty shelves. Jane Labous reports on the downfall of another male bastion.

Japanese beauty house Shiseido is preparing to launch a men?s range of prestige skincare, haircare and fragrance products in China with elite businessmen of around 30 years old as the prime targets for the JS line.

A tale of the unexpected.

With the US economy sliding towards recession, you might think the prospects for international travel by its citizens are not good. But this may be far from the truth. GMC Research asks whether a decline in the number of US trips overseas is inevitable.

It?s amazing how many people in the industry are now saying they knew all along that The Nuance Group was up for sale. ?It was just a matter of time,? they comment. By TRI publisher Martin Moodie.

With less than four months to go before the euro becomes a reality, evidence suggests that travel retailers are in for a shock. Joe Bates reports.

TRI's checklist for retailers.

It was a business DFS Group knew nothing about?or so the critics maintained. And 18 months after the operator launched its broadside on the cruiseline retailing scene to acquire the world?s largest concessionaire it was still keeping radio silence?until now. Starboard Cruise Services ceo Rob Norris talks exclusively to Adele Wolstenhulme