Who pays the price for sustainability?
By Marco Passoni This Saturday was World Ocean Day, which is a cause very close to my heart. As a sailor, I have spent much of my life on the water and I feel very keenly about the importance of working to protect it for ourselves and future generations. This is why I am incredibly […]
Diana Li joins 2.0 & Partners as Senior Customer Experience Project Manager | GTR Magazine
I am the customer who will never come back
By Marco Passoni Sam Walton, the founder Wal-Mart, once started a training program for his employees, and he started every programme with these words: I am the man who goes to a restaurant, sits at the table and waits patiently while the servant does everything except write down my request. I am the man who […]
Meet the Team: Diana Li, Senior Partner, Customer eXperience Management, 2.0 & Partners
At 2.0 & Partners, we are proud to have a team who boast decades of travel retail experience between them. But our team members are as diverse as our clients and the travelling shoppers they serve and each of one brings their own unique experience and insights to travel retail. Today, we are delighted to […]
The UK Election: Time to put tax-free shopping to a vote
By Marco Passoni This week, the UK Government announced an election will be held in July. Rishi Sunak, the current Prime Minister is the mastermind behind, for me, one of the most ill-conceived and damaging economic policies I have seen – the abolition of VAT-free shopping. The decision, taken in the wake of Brexit in […]
China’s luxury pricing problem is about to get worse
By Marco Passoni I read with interest this week the news that inbound international tourism in China has risen 305% according to the government in the first quarter of 2024. Outbound traffic from China has always been a talking point for both the travel retail and luxury sectors, but this influx of arrivals in China […]
What is Asia Pacific’s role in the future of travel retail?
By Marco Passoni Asia Pacific is one of the most talked-about regions in our business and this week, the eyes of the travel retail sector will be on it as we touch down for the TFWA Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition. I, for one, am delighted to be back in the city to discuss the […]
Travel retail cannot survive if we do simple things wrong
By Marco Passoni How much is it acceptable to charge for a bottle of water in an airport? I was walking through a major European airport this week, one which you would be forgiven for expecting to offer the best in bespoke service and travel retail excitement. In among all the luxury stores, and parts […]
All that glitters is not gold: The Truth Behind F&B in Travel Retail
By Marco Passoni It has been a pleasure in recent years to see the rapid development of exciting F&B concepts in the travel retail market. With almost every new opening there are new brands entering the F&B space, some of them bringing big, recognised names with them, while others are putting niche superstars into the […]
The New Travel Retail: Why training matters more than ever
By Marco Passoni The travel retail sector has changed. In fact it still is changing, evolving every day as the needs and demographics of our shoppers continue to shift. While Chinese travellers are being slower to return, Indian and Vietnamese consumers are set to play a bigger role on the international stage, and as Gen […]
