Global council to represent trade

Print Article E-Mail Article

A new global council has been created to represent the interests of the international duty-free and travel-retail industry

It follows a series of meetings over the last 18 months, culminating in a meeting on October 23 during the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.

The Duty Free and Travel Retail World Council will consist of representatives from the existing national, regional and other related trade associations.

The Duty Free and Travel Retail World Council's principal objectives will be to promote the industry worldwide and to defend it from unsolicited interference and attack, be it regulatory, economic or political in nature.

The Council will have support resources on both sides of the Atlantic hosted by Tax Free World Association in Paris, France, and by the International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores in Washington, USA. It will convene at least three times per year, during the IAADFS Show of the Americas in March, TFWA Asia Pacific in May and TFWA World Exhibition in October, and in addition as often as may be required depending on the Council's requirements.

In addition to TFWA and IAADFS, the Council enjoys the support of major duty-free associations worldwide, including the Duty Free Shops Association of Japan, the Australian Duty Free Association, MEDFA, Canada's Frontier Duty Free Association, and ITRC with its national associations.

Sarah Branquinho and Frank O'Connell, both well known for their duty-free campaigning, as well as Richard Ferne of Brown-Forman have been the main champions in making the idea a reality at this critical time.

Frank O'Connell, commenting on the development, said, "The need for such a body has long been recognised by many in this industry. This initial step is, I believe, a hugely important one in that for the first time our industry will speak with one voice on issues critical to our very survival."

The IAADFS and TFWA will draw on their experience and influence to help the Council become established, using their existing resources and their channels of communication. TFWA will also provide full administrative support to the Council, allowing it to focus on key areas of concern to the industry.

TFWA's primary objective is to support the development of the duty free and travel retail industry," said Erik Juul-Mortensen, TFWA President. "We believe that this Council will bring together the membership associations of its many constituent parts and provide them with a forum in which to formulate policy on critical issues. We are pleased to be able to facilitate that process."

Alberto Motta, President of IAADFS, emphasised his association's commitment to the project. "The IAADFS supports the goal of improving communications and information exchange among the various duty-free related organisations," he said. "Our efforts to co-ordinate a world-wide campaign in opposition to the WHO proposed ban have underscored the need to work together more effectively. The formation of the Duty Free and Travel Retail World Council should be very helpful in that regard."