FDFA honours top stores

Emily Pacey

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The Canadian border industry praised its best operators and suppliers at its annual awards dinner this week

The Frontier Duty Free Association (FDFA) honoured Canada's best duty-free stores at the gala dinner at its annual convention in Niagara Falls on Wednesday (November 15).

The FDFA has honoured the Canadian land border's best stores and suppliers with its Gold Standard Awards programme, sponsored by DFNI.

This year's platinum winners were Blue Water Bridge Duty Free Shop, Boutique Hors Taxes De Philipsburg and Kitts' Duty Free Shop.

Peace Bridge Duty Free won the Best Marketing award, while Importations Guay scooped the Best New Idea award. The Outstanding Customer Service Award went to 1000 Islands Tax and Duty Free Store's Katerine Chase.

In the supplier awards, Large Supplier of the Year went to Maxxium Travel Retail Americas, while maple syrup company Turkey Hill Sugarbush won the Small Supplier of the Year award.

Maxxium Travel Retail Americas took its second award of the evening in the Best New Spirits, Tobacco and Beer Product category. Fashion Import scooped The Best New Specialized Product award for its summer collection of handbags by Castellana Star, while Michel Germain Perfums accepted the Best Fragrance and Cosmetics Product award for its Sexual Femme fragrance.

The second summer student scholarship award, set up last year to honour founder of Canada's border shop programme Doug Waldie, went to Agnes Wilk from Ambassador Duty Free Management.

Outgoing FDFA president Rob Prince from DFS Ventures received the Recognition Plaque for Outgoing Chair.