O'Connell re-elected ETRC president

John Rimmer

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The Aer Rianta Retail director of retail was unanimously re-elected at the European Travel Retail Council's first annual general meeting, held in Paris on June 22

The European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) has re-elected president Frank O'Connell for a further term in office after a unanimous vote during the trade association's first annual general meeting in Paris on June 22. The council also bid farewell to Alan Bork, who is stepping down from the board following his resignation as Nordic Travel Retail Group chairman. His replacement at the Nordic association, Maxxium's Erik Thomsen, will now represent the region on the board of ETRC.

O'Connell was nominated for president by fellow board member Jacques Parson, who thanked him for his "dedication to the industry" and for the time he has devoted to representing the European trade.

O'Connell paid tribute to Bork's efforts in helping set up the ETRC, and said he would not be surprised to see him return to the travel-retail industry in future.

At the Paris meeting the ETRC board pledged to widen membership to all EU member states, and discussed the new ETRC European Index, designed to measure industry trends and expected to be unveiled later this summer. The association also addressed recent EU proposals concerning mandatory bottle sizes for liquor sales, and noted that the European Parliament has suggested an amendment to the proposed legislation allowing an exemption for duty-free shops.