Virgin Atlantic picks Tourvest for fun, value and innovation inflight

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Virgin Atlantic Airways has awarded the contract for its inflight duty-free operations to South Africa's Tourvest Duty Free, saying it found great compatibility with the company's values

Virgin Atlantic Airways has awarded the contract for its inflight duty-free operations to South Africa's Tourvest Duty Free. Tourvest will replace incumbent Aeroboutique. The contract runs for two years, with an option for a further two. Tourvest's carts are expected to be onboard Virgin Atlantic flights from May 1 2004.

Tourvest managing director Maurice Hartshorne told TRW: "We are delighted to win the contract. We have worked hard for it, with three months of work and presentations, and in understanding Virgin Atlantic's brand values." Tourvest currently runs inflight retail for South African Airways, Kuwait Airways, Kenya Airways, Air Namibia and Inter Air.

Virgin Atlantic retail business manager Sam Rowe explained that the decision to appoint Tourvest largely rested on the company's business culture. "A very competitive offer was obviously part of it," she told TRW. "But predominantly we chose Tourvest because they fit very well with our culture and there is a definite match between both companies' business strategies, and I believe we will work well together.

"Virgin has such a strong personality that it's important that any contractors we work with have a brand and a personality that reflects that, and stands for things our brand does?innovation, fun, value, honesty. We looked at a lot of companies that would need to learn how to do that, whereas Tourvest was already in line with our values."

Maintaining the company's character in its inflight offer and brochure was also an important consideration. Rowe said that Virgin Atlantic would work closely with Tourvest in the development of the retail offer and brochures. "We have a different market [to Tourvest's existing partners] and it will obviously take Tourvest a little time to get to know our market as well as they do the African. So for a period of time we will work very closely together. With anything that goes onboard our aircraft we like to keep a firm hand in its development."