Inflight Service reveals contract gains

Swedish retailer and distributor Inflight Service has bolstered its ferry and port store business in the Nordic region, DFNIonline can reveal. The company has secured a contract to operate shops on board both Norwegian ferry company Fjord Line’s vessels, including the one acquired when it bought MasterFerries earlier this year.

 

Inflight Service will operate shops on board M/S Bergen Fjord and M/S Fjord Cat vessels, sailing between Kristiansand in Norway and Halstholm in Sweden. Inflight Service president Peter Candell told DFNIonline he expected strong sales on the ferries—which serve almost 500,000 passengers in total each year—given the duty-free status of the routes.

 

He said: “We expect the traditional tax-free categories to perform strongly. The liquor and tobacco business will be big, but we also expect to put up a strong offer in fragrances and cosmetics, as well as confectionery.”

 

The deal builds on a long sourcing relationship with Fjord Line, and is Inflight Service’s second to operate shops on board ferries. It also manages shops under its Euroshop fascia for Norwegian ferry line Kystlink. The Fjord Line shops will be managed under the same brand. On Bergen Fjord Inflight Service is rebuilding two shops, one for liquor, tobacco and confectionery, and another for beauty, while on Fjord Cat the shops have recently been rebuilt and will require only small adjustments to the new branding.

 

Inflight Service has also boosted its presence in the Estonian capital city of Tallinn, acquiring a port shop from Gate Port Shop. The 105sq m (1,130sq ft) store is located in Tallin port and serves passengers departing to Finland, Norway and Sweden with liquor and tobacco.

 

Candell said: “Although the business is small, it fits nicely with our existing Euroshop operation at Tallinn airport, and we think we can double sales at the port shop.”

 

He added that the company had not yet decided on the store branding, but that it was unlikely to be a Euroshop.

 

Meanwhile, Inflight Service has also secured a sourcing agreement for a new ferry operating between Norway and Sweden. The route’s main passengers will primarily be Norwegian travellers visiting Sweden to take advantage of the lower prices, and the appropriately-named M/S Mister Shoppy is due to commence operations later this month. Candell said he expected business to be strong in all traditional tax-free categories, but particularly in liquor and tobacco.

 

Mister Shoppy will be supplied from Inflight Service’s newly-integrated logistics centre in Tibro in Sweden, which is due to be fully operational by early April.