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 […]
Making the most of the American travel retail dream
The Americas has always been a key market for the global travel retail sector and North America especially is one which has grabbed attention – and it will again this week as the IAADFS Summit of the Americas comes to Florida. Following the pandemic, North America was a key driver of growth and a trend-setter […]
Bologna Airport and 2.0 & Partners expand partnership to deliver a premium experience for travelling shoppers
Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport and 2.0 & Partners have extended their partnership to help deliver the support and insights staff need to deliver an exquisite retail experience to travelling shoppers at the Italian Airport. The two companies have enjoyed a long-standing collaboration, with 2.0 & Partners providing its bespoke Strategic Mystery Shopping service to the […]
How to engage the markets which will shape the future of luxury and travel retail
By Marco Passoni There can be no doubt that China’s stranglehold on being the dominant player in both the luxury and travel retail sectors has been broken. Last week’s report by the Hurun Research Institute outlined the drop in average spend by China’s high-net worth shoppers, the first ever APTRA India Conference last month shone […]
A change is coming as Alessandro Michele joins Valentino
By Marco Passoni Although it was in the air, the news broke just before the weekend that Alessandro Michele has found his new home after leaving Gucci late last in 2022. Despite rumours linking him to Fendi and Bulgari, he begins his new role as Creative Director at Valentino today. It is a decision which […]
Pop-ups: The Key to the Future – So Why Isn’t Travel Retail Keeping Pace with High Streets?
By Marco Passoni It amazes me that the travel retail industry continues to miss the incredible potential that pop-up stores can have for this market. There is no retail format which matches the demands of the modern traveller like pop-ups – excitement, exclusivity, innovation, experience, it is all there. When we consider too that pop-up […]
The keys to unlocking a desirable and engaging brand experience in 2024
By Marco Passoni There is no doubt that brands are working hard in both the luxury and travel retail sectors in 2024, but I increasingly find myself asking if, in travel retail certainly, they are working in the right way. Or even, are some working as hard as they claim? Think back to your last […]
A diabolical decision: The UK government remains clueless on the Tourist Tax
By Marco Passoni Staggering. Disappointing. Diabolical. There are many words which were used last week to describe the decision of the UK government no to scrap its Tourist Tax in the Spring Budget. In fact, some of the words and descriptions I heard from colleagues do not bear publication here. In the months leading up […]
To err is human, to persist is diabolical: 2.0 & Partners’ comment on UK Spring Budget
Following this morning’s Spring Budget, where the UK Government failed to reverse its decision to scrap VAT-free shopping, 2.0 & Partners Senior Executive VP Marco Passoni issued this comment: The so-called Tourist Tax has been a damaging blight on the UK’s finances and standing as a global retail centre for too long, and it is […]