JTI unveils Frankfurt smoker stations

Gavin Lipsith

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The maker of Camel and Winston cigarettes unveils 94 branded units aimed at improving the environment for both smokers and non-smokers at Frankfurt International airport

JTI vice-president for worldwide duty-free Edouard Touma and Fraport senior manager retail and properties Christian Sültemeyer hailed the development as a win-win-win situation, benefiting airport users, JTI and the airport. Airport users—both smokers and non-smokers—are offered a clean and comfortable environment as a result of the units' airflow and filtration technology from manufacturer Tornex; JTI benefits from increased exposure for its Camel and Winston brands at the airport; and Fraport has the opportunity to increase its floor space revenues and offer a new service to its smoking passengers.

"The units have been at the airport since July," said Sültemeyer, "and have been very well-received by airport users. They are attractive and clean, and a good source of advertising revenue for Fraport while increasing JTI's exposure. It is a benefit to everyone involved."

Fraport advertising agency Media Frankfurt director of operations Manfred Schüssler told RavenFox.com that the negotiations for the three-year contract were complex, taking almost a full year before the units could be introduced. "There were several interesting factors we had to consider," he said. "For one example, what happens if there are further restrictions on tobacco advertising at the airport within the contract period and we are not allowed to display the JTI brands. We had to work very closely with JTI to sort out these kind of issues."

JTI vice-president of marketing and sales for worldwide duty-free Ming Lee Foo revealed that the company was in negotiations with other airport locations about implementing both the smoker station concept used in Frankfurt and the larger smoker lounges launched in Zürich airport last year, although he stressed that the complexity of the negotiations meant that the next location may not be revealed for some time.

Gebr Heinemann co-owner Gunnar Heinemann congratulated everyone involved in the project, which he described as a pioneering move to enable adult choice among smokers and non-smokers. "JTI may not be the biggest cigarette company," he told guests at a celebratory lunch yesterday, "but it is the quickest."