What we learned at TFWA Asia Pacific
The duty-free industry returned to Asia Pacific in person last week for the TFWA networking event. As travel recovers, it is more important than ever that stakeholders return to travel and meeting as personal interaction is at the heart of our market. This also provided a chance to receive an update from a region which […]
Is Asia Pacific still the centre of the travel retail world?
For years, Asia Pacific has been the epicentre of travel retail. It has led trends and innovation and been home to our global market’s highest-spending and most sought-after shoppers. The pandemic has changed the world and the status quo is being rewritten all around us. Right now, large parts of Asia Pacific are cut off […]
Promises vs Delivery: What really counts as innovation?
Will the real innovators please stand up? The world has changed drastically in the past two years and both luxury and travel retail need real newness and innovation, possibly more than we ever have before. But what is innovation today? Our market is full of people claiming to be innovators and disruptors. The words are […]
Tell me a story: Why selling goods is no longer the main purpose of physical stores
The recent announcement the Hublot is partnering with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to release two NFTs tells me one thing: Physical property is no longer the primary ideal in luxury today. Do not mistake that for meaning that physical luxury retail is over. That is not the case at all. In fact, it is more […]
Excellent Execution: Travel retail puts on a show for Easter break
It was reassuring to see one thing as I walked through an airport last week: Travel is recovering. The traditional idea of spring as a season of regeneration is in full flow in the travel sector as we see ‘Revenge Travel’ in full effect. This revenge travel is caused by people who have been cooped […]
Why America is travel retail’s land of opportunity once more
Once again, America is the land of opportunity for travel retail. Swift travel recovery and a booming demand for retail mean that land of the free is one that all stakeholders in our industry are paying very close attention to – and if they are not then they should be. This is a market which […]
The power of taking a creative approach to partnership
The first Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain showed off more than just cars – there was a ship there too. As part of a new partnership between MSC Cruise and Formula 1, the cruise company’s ships are visiting some Grand Prix circuits during race weekends to “leverage Formula 1’s growing global […]
Stop pretending price doesn’t matter in travel retail
We spend a lot of time in travel retail talking about what the market should be and what it should focus on. But have any of us thought about what our customers want? Because the answer to that is simple: they want great prices. That is what the duty-free market has traditionally always stood for. […]
Bringing luxury home: Dolce & Gabbana at MXP
It is always exciting to see a brand opening a new, own-brand store, especially in travel retail. Opening a store like this is writing a new chapter in the history of the brand and creating a new, unique and exciting touchpoint for shoppers to engage directly and have their brand experiences brough to life. Done […]
Hey Big Spender: How travel retail copes without Chinese and Russian shoppers
Travel retail is very keen on talking about “big spenders”. For a long time, luxury brands – and other stakeholders – have relied on high-spending individuals to deliver high spend and increase basket size. Of course, the pandemic has changed that. The Chinese shoppers, who were the definition of “big spenders” are currently not travelling […]
