Generation Group re-indexes duty-free market data

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Swedish research company Generation Group, publisher of the Best 'n' Most and other industry publications, is re-indexing its famous DataBank of duty-free statistics. The new index base year, replacing the old index-year of 1987, becomes 2000. The new indexation system is effective from 1 October 2001.

From having grown strongly throughout its 50-plus year history, the evolution of the global duty-free market has now adopted a lower growth rate. Signs of this phenomenon have been visible for almost a decade, said Generation.

Generation chief analyst Jan Nygren commented: "We have been discussing a new indexation internally for a long time. The recent global instability was the final incentive we needed to actually go ahead and do it."

But the terror attack on the US is by no means the only reason for Generation to re-index. The new nature of the duty-free business, now re-defined as travel-retail, is the main component. During the past decade, global duty-free has undergone a reasonably short transition from being an emerging market to becoming a more mature business.

"Now we will have a new index-year that marks the beginning of this new era. We are at the starting point of a future, which we know very little about. What we do know, is that growth rates will never again correlate to what we were used to such as in the 1970s and '80s." Nygren said, "When monitoring the developments of markets from now on, using the year 2000 as index-year, analyses and conclusions will become easier, more interesting and useful."

• For information contact: Jan Nygren on tel: +46 660 103 20, fax: +46 660 848 11 or email: jan.nygren@generation.se