The return of China’s travelling shoppers brings new challenges not a return to old glory

By Marco Passoni The impending return of China’s travelling shoppers is great news for both the travel retail and luxury sectors, but we must recognise that it does not mean the return of the good old days. Since the reopening of travel borders in the wake of the pandemic, I have been among those advocating […]
7 highlights from the luxury sector in 2022

With 2022 almost behind us, this is a good moment to take stock and recognise some of the moments where the luxury and luxury travel retail markets truly excelled themselves in the past 12 months. Despite the challenges and calls from many – myself among them – for brands and retailers to think bigger and […]
7 New Year’s Resolutions for the travel retail market

By Marco Passoni As much of the world heads into the holiday season, all of our thoughts must turn to the year ahead. If 2022 has been the year we laid the foundations of our new normal, 2023 is the year we must build it. Here are my resolutions for our market over the next […]
What we have learned in 2022 in luxury and travel retail

By Marco Passoni As we bid farewell to 2022, we are putting behind us a year which I believe has shaped the future of how we will do business in both the luxury and travel retail markets. The trends and changes which we have grappled with in the past 12 months will define many of […]
9 things this summer has taught us about the future of travel retail

Two years of a global pandemic have changed the retail market forever. As travel restrictions began to lift properly earlier this year, the summer has given us our first full taste of how travel retail will look for years to come. Shoppers’ desires and demands have shifted, so have how they interact with both brands […]
Dolce & Gabbana delivers a true travel retail luxury experience with new Venice Airport store

By Marco Passoni The iconic Dolce & Gabbana brand has opened a new store at Venice Marco Polo Airport. Not only is this yet another example of the enduring and growing power of luxury in this market, but this boutique is a perfect example of how to deliver a true brand experience in an airport […]
How to use luxury to create difference at airports

By Marco Passoni What do travelling shoppers want from their airport experience? Frustratingly for us, they all want different things. Some want swift transactions as they run to their gate, others are seeking a moment’s escape from the rush of travelling. There are those who want a place to kill time, and still more who […]
A true brand experience: Moncler opens new store at Frankfurt Airport

By Marco Passoni Luxury brand Moncler is flying high right now. The brand has been showcasing amazing innovation in recent months; it dropped its third Genius collaboration with JW Anderson and has also announced plans to expand the attention-grabbing range to include arts, music and sport as part of a more holistic brand experience for […]
Why community matters more in luxury now than it ever has before

By Marco Passoni, Senior Executive VP, 2.0 & Partners I recently posted a photo taken at a Chanel store in Italy on a summer’s day. Despite the sun and heat, shoppers were queuing outside, patiently waiting their turn to go in and sample a moment of the Chanel experience. It is a clear reminder of […]
Physical stores are the new frontier for innovation

If you talk about innovation today, especially in retail, the conversation moves very quickly to digital: AR, VR, contactless, the metaverse etc. This is to be expected, digital is a vastly untapped resource and it is evolving quickly to create new opportunities which companies must seize and exploit. But, as always, tunnel vision is a […]