Molton Brown celebrates a year of success

London-based fragrance expert Molton Brown is building on the momentum it experienced last year in the travel retail channel.

Brand Manager Victoire Versluys said the company had seen “encouraging results” in the first half of this year across all partners, with both its core fragrance offering and newness “performing well”, especially the new Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel collection, whose results are exceeding its expectations. “Delivering an overall fragrance experience and giving more visibility on-shelf to alternative categories, such as home fragrances, is definitely paying off, as it gives extra value to our partners,” she enthused.

This year, Molton Brown’s ambition is to accelerate its expansion both internationally and into new channels. 2018 will see the brand roll out its refined brand manifesto. Building on its heritage and legacy, it will see the brand refocus on its fragrance expertise and collaboration with some of the most acclaimed master perfumers.

Molton Brown Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel edt

New body wash set for airlines

Molton Brown is also set to launch an inflight-exclusive product. “We have had a very encouraging inflight debut since we first launched last year with [airline distributor] Ambassadors Choice,” said Versluys. “Currently, our inflight sales are just over 3% of our travel retail business; our ambition is to increase this to 7% of our total travel retail sales mix, with hero products featured on key, select airlines around the world.

“Travel retail exclusive products are instrumental in our differentiation strategy; they give customers an additional reason to buy. We have seen very positive results with our travel retail exclusive body wash set, so we are confident that the addition of a new set – seven 50ml body wash skus from our best-selling fragrances, presented in a unique and elegant grey pouch, exclusively for airlines – will boost these results.”

Expertly blended in London, Molton Brown’s collection of signature fragrances for men and women, bath and shower gels and home and hand care luxuries incorporates vibrant colours and bold scents. Carefully sourcing ingredients from around the globe, each creation is composed by the world’s best perfumers. 

Bacardi concocts a virtual world of cocktail experiences with Virgin Atlantic

In a pioneering virtual reality initiative, Bacardi Global Travel Retail and Virgin Atlantic are giving Virgin Clubhouse customers a unique way to enjoy their cocktails while they wait for their flight.

Running until the end of 2017, Virgin Clubhouse customers can visit some of the best bars in the world to experience one of the signature drinks on their menu, created by award-winning bartenders with spirits from the Bacardi portfolio, without leaving the Clubhouse.

For example, passengers can order a cocktail from a New York bar while sitting at London Heathrow Airport, and then be transported to the bar by the magic of virtual reality. After watching the cocktail made in front of the customer in the actual bar and removing the headset, the drink is waiting for them to enjoy.

Bacardi's virtual reality experience at a Virgin Clubhouse
Photo credit: Sandrae Lawrence and Gary Sharpen, The Cocktail Lovers

Immersive digital experience

Virgin Clubhouse Food and Beverage Manager Mark Murphy travelled the world filming the best bars in high-definition 360-degree video for this campaign.

“Bacardi shares our ambition and commitment to bring genuinely original experiences to our Clubhouse customers,” he said. “The bars we have partnered with are recognised as the very best in the world and, with the extensive range of cocktail choices from award-winning bartenders on the menu, presented with an extraordinary immersive digital experience, we have made this a very special and unique opportunity that transports our customers around the world before they fly."

Aude Bourdier-Rocourt, Regional Director Europe, Bacardi Travel Retail, added: “The people we reach in the Virgin Clubhouse are the same customers who enjoy drinking Bacardi spirits in their cocktails in leading bars around the world. We want them to enjoy a similarly excellent standard in the Clubhouse, served with an original and unforgettable twist on 21st century travel.”

The cocktails offered in the Virgin Clubhouse are as follows:

Concrete Sazerac from Dandelyan, London: Stone-washed Dewar’s 12yo, fermented bitters, absinthe, chocolate stones;

Earl Grey Gin & Tonic from White Lyan, London: Earl Grey-infused Bombay Sapphire gin, pink grapefruit, tonic;

Rum & Cola from BlackTail, New York City: Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum, Coca-Cola, cane syrup, Champagne;

EO Manhattan from Employees Only, New York City: Angel's Envy Rye, Martini Rosso, bitters;

Dead Reckoning from Smuggler's Cove, San Francisco: Bacardi Ocho, tawny port, vanilla Cognac, lemon and pineapple juice, bitters;

Fennel From Farm To Glass from The Walker Inn, Los Angeles: Grey Goose vodka, sherry, Cointreau, Aquavit, fennel and lemon juice, sugar syrup;

Suit & Tie from Columbia Room, Washington DC; Dewar’s 12yo, strawberry, aged vinagre de Jerez, mole bitters;

Nikkei Chilcano from Ruka, Boston: Aji chili-infused Grey Goose La Poire vodka, lemon and lime juice, ginger ale;

Classic Daiquiri from Necker Island, British Virgin Islands: Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum, fresh lime juice, caster sugar. 

Fraas tells travel retailers to wrap up warm

Fraas is capitalising on the fashion trend for scarves with its diverse men’s, women’s and unisex collections.

Based in Germany, the family-run company has been in the textile industry for more than 135 years and is one of the most internationally successful manufacturers and suppliers of scarves and textile accessories.

Fraas makes 10m scarves a year

Traditional and sustainable methods

Speaking to MJ Rabbit during the TFWA World Exhibition, Andreas Schmidt, the owner and managing director of Fraas, said the company’s priority is quality and craftsmanship. Let’s take as an example the unisex cashmere scarf currently listed in British Airways’ inflight catalogue. Made in Germany from the finest yarn, the lightweight, 100% cashmere scarf has a modern yet classical design in a grey unisex colourway.

Fraas makes 10m scarves each year. Today, traditional methods are still used, passed down from the label’s founders – one of whom, Valentin Fraas, is Andreas’s great-great-grandfather. The company’s looms are in Wüstenselbitz in northern Bavaria, where special wells supply the water for the finishing process. Fraas boasts sustainability, too: nearly 70% of the yarns it uses are spun and dyed locally. Fraas uses the bristles of the weaver’s thistle to comb cashmere until it’s soft. This prickly plant gives cashmere its gloss through gentle strokes of its hooked bristles.

Over the past two years, the company has been strategically targeting travel retail with strong initial results, namely nine shop-in-shops at China Duty Free Group (20 planned); five shop-in-shops with China National Service; a shop-in-shop at Nuremberg Airport; a pop-up shop at Munich Airport confirmed for 2018; a planned pop-up shop at Düsseldorf Airport; a planned pop-up shop at Johannesburg Airport; a shop-in-shop at Riga Airport (private terminal); and a successful business relationship with BC Ferries in Canada.

The perfect gift

During the TFWA World Exhibition, Fraas unveiled a number of products:

The Perfect Gift: Under the slogan “the most beautiful presents come from the heart”, the gift collection of scarves, hats and gloves comes in attractive packaging, retailing from €69 to €199.

My Travel Companion: This range of oversized scarves and ponchos – very on-trend on today’s fashion catwalks – are designed to be the perfect travel companion as they fit in all carry-on baggage and keep the wearer warm and comfortable while travelling. The collection also includes regular sized scarves and retails from €29 to €399.

In addition, the Fraas Signature Collection is exclusively manufactured in Germany and Italy using the firm’s expertise. In this new capsule collection (retail price: €69-399), the best of 135 years of scarf manufacturing is combined with the ambitions of a leader in the world market, Schmidt said.

Master perfumer Roja Dove targets travel retail

Roja Parfums – dubbed the finest fragrances in the world – are set to board the world’s leading airlines. Master perfumer Roja Dove has signed a deal with Scorpio Worldwide to act as the company’s the inflight agent.

Dove is renowned for working with the world’s finest quality ingredients, without compromise or regard to cost, including ambergris, which is worth approximately seven times the price of gold. Each ingredient is hand-selected for its rarity, suitability and odour.

Roja Parfums' Elysium Parfum Cologne 

“We are delighted to be working with such a well-known, established fragrance company such as Roja Parfums,” said Stuart McGuire, Scorpio Worldwide’s CEO. “Ensuring that we offer our customers the best, most innovative products on the market is vital to ensure Scorpio is at the top of its game in what is a very competitive channel. Our customers are looking for brands that excite and offer something different to travellers, Roja does both of these things and we are looking forward to a fruitful, successful partnership.”

Dove added: “Roja Parfums is currently available from 180 retail points in 42 countries. We are immensely proud of our selective distribution, only partnerships with the best. We are thrilled to partner with Scorpio Worldwide – the leaders of global travel retail – to bring Roja Parfums to more people around the world.”

The two Roja Parfums being introduced to travel retail are:

51 Eau de Parfum: This fragrance is inspired by 51 Burlington Arcade, the destination of London’s first Roja Parfums boutique. A rich and sensual bouquet of lily of the valley, rose, gardenia, orange blossom, jasmine, tuberose, lily and ylang ylang is given an unusual twist with a touch of raspberry, counterpointed by citrus bergamot and violet leaves. Enlivened by aniseed, cinnamon and clove, the warm, soft base consists of casmir and sandal woods, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla and powdery orris.

Elysium Parfum Cologne: An ultra-fresh citrus blend of lemon, bergamot, grapefruit and lime is freshened further by lavender, thyme, artemisia, an unusual top note of musk, and leafy galbanum, with an unexpected sweet harmony of lily of the alley, rose and jasmine, made fruity by apple and blackcurrant. Warmed by pink pepper, cypriol, vetiver, cedarwood and juniper berry, the soft base of benzoin and vanilla is made sensual with leather-like labdanum, ambergris and musk.

Stoli celebrates 80th milestone with exclusive vodka

Stoli Group is launching a limited-edition vodka to celebrate its 80th anniversary. Launched at the recent TFWA World Exhibition, Stolichnaya 80th Anniversary vodka brings together three ingredients – wheat, rye and buckwheat – to create a vodka that combines notes of spicy aniseed, vanilla and crème caramel with a delicate texture, a rich sweetness and a light, dry finish.

Stolichnaya 80th Anniversary vodka

A major innovation

Describing the global launch, Stoli CEO Hugues Pietrini said: “To celebrate our 80th anniversary we set ourselves a challenge: could we create a limited-edition vodka that combines this unsurpassed smoothness with a little of the character of a 1938 vodka? After countless distillations, we arrived at a winning liquid and a major innovation: Stolichnaya 80th Anniversary, a vodka made from wheat, rye and buckwheat.”

The wheat is said to deliver purity and drinkability, rye adds taste and character, and buckwheat adds creamy smoothness to the final spirit. The vodka can be enjoyed mixed long, in any vodka cocktail, or in chilled shots.

Stolichnaya 80th Anniversary vodka is being released in limited quantities and is destined to become a collector’s item, the company said. It is presented with a distinctive bottle closure, a two-part front label printed on specially prepared craft paper and an exclusive presentation box

Speaking about the travel retail sector, Pietrini said: “Travellers are continuing to treat airport shopping as an opportunity to trade up and to try something new and unique. Travel retail is the perfect environment for limited editions such as Stolichnaya 80th Anniversary vodka and TFWA World Exhibition the perfect platform to showcase this highly original collector’s item.”

Cenote Reposado tequila

New, younger consumers

In other exciting news, Stoli Group USA has added super-premium Cenote Tequila to its portfolio. Stoli Group is handling all distribution, sales and marketing for the brand. 

Cenote Tequila will be introduced in the first quarter of 2018. Initially the line will comprise Blanco, Reposado and Añejo expressions. Cenote takes its name from the spectacular limestone cenotes (pits) that are scattered through Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, which were considered by the Mayans to be “windows to the underworlds”, inhabited by gods and goddesses. It is produced at Fabrica de Tequilos Finos, located at the foot of Tequila Hill, in Jalisco, under the supervision of master distiller Arturo Fuentes. 

Cenote Tequila is crafted using 100% blue agave. Cenote Tequila Blanco mellows for three weeks before bottling, while the Añejo expression is aged in single-use American oak bourbon barrels, and the Reposado is aged in French oak casks.

Said Pietrini: “We see great potential for super-premium tequila – a category that has grown considerably within travel retail in recent years, as new and younger consumers have discovered and converted to sip-grade tequila. We are confident that Cenote Tequila will be an exciting new addition to our portfolio.” 

Nestlé steps up confectionery innovation

The confectionery category is always a good place to find innovative travel exclusive products – and never more so than at the Swiss giant Nestlé.

This year at the TFWA World Exhibition, Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) announced its intention to put SOUL back into the mix. S stands for brand stories; O for occasions; U for unique, personalised and customised products; and L for local, here-and-now experiences.

The aim is to target both the millennial demographic – which the company believes accounts for half of shoppers in travel retail – and the emerging middle classes. These customers are looking for meaningful brand experiences and stories, according to Stewart Dryburgh, NITR’s General Manager. With its new SOUL strategy, NITR wants to bring the human element into shopping at airports, where travellers are often under stress or distracted by their digital devices.

Travel retail exclusive Nestle Swiss chocolate with new, embossed packaging

Eye-catching KitKat display with Dufry

Among the company’s many product launches are KitKat Senses bars in the new flavours of double chocolate, coconut, hazelnut, and a mobile camera lens kit gwp featuring a destination-specific cityscape image. To promote this iconic British brand, an eye-catching KitKat double-decker bus display has been installed with travel retailer Dufry in Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Bangkok airports, as well as at the Haitang Bay resort in Sanya, China.

And for immediate consumption at an accessible price point, NITR is combining a bottle of Vittel water with a KitKat bar, encouraging travellers to take a break.

2018 is an important year for the travel-exclusive Nestlé Swiss chocolate brand, which boasts a fresh visual identity reinforcing its Swiss Alps heritage and a sense of discovery and adventure based on the French “trouvaille” (meaning “find”) concept. NITR is forecasting $2m in retail sales from this brand in two years.

For Smarties, NITR is seeking to create colourful stories as well as stimulate a child’s development with its new CreatorBook games.

Commenting on these 2018 initiatives, Dryburgh said: “Continuing our focus on insight-based innovation has created an outstanding range which will really drive category growth. Our added-value propositions across KitKat, Smarties and Nestlé Swiss deliver more than just enjoyable taste; they provide a unique factor, exclusivity, engaging experiences, digital presence and relatable storytelling to meet our targeted consumer expectations.”

Nutella spreads the word in major airport relaunch

Italian confectionery group Ferrero is set to relaunch its hazelnut chocolate spread Nutella in travel retail with a new, premium approach to the branding.

In the domestic market, Nutella is a much-loved commodity, bought by some 115m households every year in 160 countries. This chocolate spread phenomenon has become a daily breakfast ritual in countries such as Italy and Germany and boasts 32m Facebook friends. During its 50th anniversary in 2014, more than 76,000 shared stories from devoted fans were posted on Nutella’s website. 

Nutella I Love You gift box

Social media activations

Now, Ferrero has decided to move the brand upmarket in travel retail stores, giving it a more sophisticated look and feel under the banner “Hello World”. The relatively sophisticated offer – exclusive to airports – includes Say It With Nutella gift boxes with customised For You and I Love You labels. These labels build on the popularity of a domestic market initiative that has shifted some 100m customised jar labels.

The travel retail exclusive product range also boasts a tin box presentation, the Nutella Ultimate kit (180g), containing a spreader and a napkin for people on the go. The cutest item is the Big Jar packed with 21 miniature 30g pots.

Ferrero Travel Market Marketing Manager Davide Barresi is confident of the success of this premiumisation strategy. “We held a focus group and 74% of people said they would visit a [travel retail] store and buy Nutella. The merchandising units are designed to scream Nutella. We want to establish Nutella as its own category.”

The Hello World campaign will also have a social media element. Thanks to geo-targeting, brand lovers will be able to receive a message in their activated Facebook profile when they are at the airport and see the exclusive products available in-store.

The official relaunch will take place globally from February 2018, and Barresi promises a “very, very big rollout”. 

INVU ramps up eyewear innovations with new launches

INVU fittingly unveiled its 2018 sunglasses collection onboard a superyacht under the sunny skies of Cannes during the TFWA World Exhibition.

INVU ultra polarized sunglasses by Swiss Eyewear Group are targeted at the affordable price segment in travel retail, where they have forged a successful niche. According to Duncan Murray-Clarke, founder of the travel retail agent New Thing (which distributes INVU in the travel retail channel), this ambitious challenger brand is ranked number one or two wherever it is listed.

INVU Travel Retail Collection 2018

Modern mirror coatings

New Thing’s Head of Sales Martyn Westbury described INVU’s innovations as “truly tremendous”, pointing to the use of memory metal in the new 2018 Flextech collections. INVU sunglasses have sold particularly well onboard airlines such as British Airways, as well as at airport shops, ferries and cruiseships. He observed that being affordable was an important factor.

With retail prices starting at €50, INVU seeks to offer quality combined with value for money. Recent GfK market research highlights the importance of this price segment and confirms the exceptional retail sell-out of INVU sunglasses against a global mid priced polarized sunglass brand, the company said.

All INVU sunglasses are designed and engineered in Switzerland and feature Swiss Eyewear Group’s proprietary ultra polarized lens technology. The exclusive Travel Retail Collection 2018 features a wide choice of elegant women’s, contemporary men’s and what it calls “splashy trend models”.

Meanwhile, for the younger Generation Z demographic, the zero base curve combined with the latest, modern mirror coatings is the must-have 2017/2018 sunglasses trend.

SEKSY sunglasses with subtle Swarovski embellishment

Swarovski-studded SEKSY collection

In other news from Cannes, Swiss Eyewear Group launched the first-ever SEKSY Sunglass Collection, embellished with Swarovski crystals. These sunglasses are a brand extension of SEKSY watches by Sekonda.

In order to showcase the polished stones, each one is hand-mounted into a specially engineered socket, which is then integrated into the sunglass frame. Fully in line with the spirit of the glamorous brand, the sunglass case can be used as a stylish accessory to store sunglasses as well as a travel beauty case.

For the travel retail channel four SEKSY sunglasses will be available as exclusive styles, and they are supported with fashion photography that can be used for advertising or printed on showcards.

With a suggested retail price between €65 and €79, SEKSY will be positioned in the attractive impulse segment for fashion-conscious world travellers. 

MCM celebrates its heritage in Berlin

Luxury house MCM honoured its German heritage and design DNA with an event titled "VIVA MCM! VIVA BERLIN!" – a two-day experiential immersion into Berlin's highly influential art and music worlds.

“Much like MCM itself, Berlin represents the central point between East and West, where diverse people and revolutionary ideas unite in a clash of civilisations, creating the new and next,” said MCM.

Work in progress: A preview of the upcoming Koenig Souvenir x MCM collaboration

Bold and cutting-edge

Over the course of two days, MCM immersed international media and influencers into this community. First stop: Berlin's eclectic, international music scene, which came to life at The Store at Soho House Berlin with an opening party deejayed by high-profile performers.

First on deck was South Korean DJ and producer Peggy Gou, followed by Berlin's own music trio FJAAK, described as the first techno boy band in the universe. Austrian-born painter, musician and performance artist Egon Elliut closed out the night.

The evening also launched a music collaboration with FJAAK that explores the connection between MCM, music and travel. On display was a newly designed custom USB pouch loaded with a 20-minute, travel-inspired mix exclusively produced for MCM by FJAAK.

On night two, MCM took guests to the centre of Berlin's art community with a dinner at the König Galerie showcasing a collection of limited MCM editions curated by König Souvenir, an art label for unique products crafted in collaboration with the gallery.

Guests included well-known artists as well as key players from Berlin's cultural landscape. MCM offered an exclusive preview of the König Souvenir x MCM collaboration, which will launch at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2017.

DJs Peggy Gou and FJAAK

“We want to create ‘opinion wear' – accessories, clothing and other daily objects that make a statement, that express views of the world as bold and cutting-edge as great works of art do," said David Mallon, Founder & Partner of König Souvenir.

MCM's Chief Visionary Officer Sung-Joo Kim said: "Berlin is a city with a monumental history, yet it is perpetually renewing itself in a ceaseless quest for freedom and expression. At MCM, we find great inspiration in the rebirth of Berlin and its creative communities, where art, fashion, and entertainment meld and the underground converges with the mainstream. This is Berlin now." 

Davidoff continues its voyage of discovery

Swiss cigar specialist Davidoff welcomed 300 guests to its highly popular Masters’ Evening at La Plage du Festival in Cannes during this year's TFWA World Exhibition.

Guests savoured Davidoff’s new Winston Churchill cigars, together with Belgian chocolates from Neuhaus and Flor de Caña sipping rum.

Davidoff's new Winston Churchill cigar 

Return of Chinese travellers to Europe

Davidoff’s marketing efforts over the past few years are paying off, as travel retail sales are performing “really well”, according to Martin Kaufmann, Senior Vice President Europe and Global Travel Retail of Oettinger Davidoff AG. The company is seeing high single digit growth worldwide on its Davidoff cigars, driven by its new “discovery pillar” cigars Escurio, Yamasa and Nicaragua, which are drawing in new cigar lovers. So far this year, Davidoff long filler cigar growth is up 8.7% from January to the end of August.

By region, Europe is doing well, buoyed by the return of the Chinese and other Asian travellers, while the Japanese market is performing “extremely well”, as the Chinese tourists flock to Japan rather than Korea, following the dispute between Beijing and Seoul over the deployment of the THAAD missile defence system. The Middle East and African markets are also showing nice growth.

“Innovations are allowing us to grow,” Kaufmann said, noting that the most important factor was good retail staff who are well-trained and knowledgeable. To this end, the firm has launched the Davidoff Academy to train its brand ambassadors across the regions in key airport hubs such as New York JFK, Los Angeles and San Francisco, where Chinese travellers are slowly coming back.

Delivering experiences

Best-selling products are centred on Davidoff’s discovery pillar blends, which encourage smokers to go out and discover the wider cigar world. The company has observed an emerging group of younger uses aged 30-35 who are discovering the cigar category. “We have a new and exciting story to tell,” said Chief Marketing Officer Charles Awad. “These smokers are more open-minded and have not formed any habits yet – they want to discover the wider world in the category and open their world to other experiences.”

The latter word is a crucial one in Davidoff’s lexicon. “We want to deliver experiences and stimulate the senses,” continued Awad. “We’ve asked our blenders to create the complex character of the Winston Churchill, the intrigue of nights in Rio for Escurio, and the spice and heat in Nicaragua. It’s not about origin, but diversity. We mix and blend to create something new, in the same way as a chef like Alain Ducasse.”

Turning to the in-store experience, accessories are an important part of the assortment in travel retail. For this segment, Davidoff’s new travel humidor will play a major role, noted Kaufmann. This high-tech, Italian-made product is welded from neoprene, tweed and rubber and carries a retail price tag of under $300.

And in a further in-store development, Davidoff is trialling a virtual reality experience at Zurich Airport. A headset transports you directly to a tobacco plantation, where you can experience the sights and sounds of the exotic location as well as the tobacco aromas of cream, honey, cedarwood, chocolate and pepper.

Bushmills to ship rare cask-matured whiskey

Bushmills Irish Whiskey is set to launch Bourbon #3 Char Cask Reserve – the third and latest edition in The Steamship Collection. This rare range of Bushmills Irish whiskeys is inspired by the extraordinary voyages of the steamship SS Bushmills.

As a travel retail exclusive, this new variant follows the successful launch of Bushmills Port Cask Reserve and Sherry Cask Reserve, marking the 125th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the SS Bushmills.

Bushmills' The Steamship Collection, featuring Bourbon #3 Char Cask Reserve

Travellers seeking unique products

In 1890, the SS Bushmills set sail for America to deliver Bushmills to new corners of the globe. On her maiden voyage, she established relationships with some of the world’s finest wine and spirits producers, before returning home with a variety of their finest seasoned casks. Today, these relationships have helped Bushmills’ master distillers explore the potential of whiskey maturation in exclusive and rare casks.

Helen Mulholland, Master Blender of Bushmills Irish Whiskey, said: “At Bushmills we are known for centuries of innovation, continuously exploring the nuances that different casks impart on our whiskey. Bourbon #3 Char Cask Reserve is the result of our long-standing relationship with master coopers from Louisville, Kentucky, who reserve only the finest American white oak, custom-charred bourbon casks to mature this unique whiskey.”

The seasoned casks are emptied of bourbon and re-charred before being shipped to the Old Bushmills Distillery, where they are filled exclusively with triple-distilled Bushmills single malt whiskey. By using a custom char, spicy, honeyed vanilla flavours are drawn out from deep within the fine grain American white oak. The resulting whiskey has subtle notes of toasted oak, spices and crème brûlée with a long, rich and smooth finish.

David Phelan, Global Travel Retail Director of spirits supplier Proximo, added: “We know shoppers within travel retail seek unique products they cannot get in their domestic markets, so Bourbon #3 Char Cask Reserve demonstrates our passion and commitment to meeting this consumer demand. To date, The Steamship Collection has been a firm favourite with travellers and we’re looking forward to the response we get from this exquisite new liquid once it goes on sale in early 2018.”

Retailing at £50 for a one-litre bottle, Bourbon #3 Char Cask Reserve (40%abv) is available from early 2018 at selected travel retail outlets. 

Bric’s celebrates 65 years of travel

Luxury luggage and accessories brand Bric’s is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year with a series of exciting new developments.

During the TFWA World Exhibition, the Italian family-owned firm unveiled a special 65th anniversary collection of luggage in a pink floral pattern, in line with fashion trends.

Bric's 65th anniversary floral collection with Spring 2018 pink luggage 

Inflight amenity kit collection

In addition, the company presented its new inflight amenity kits for Qatar Airways, spanning First Class and Business Class.

Bric’s has designed two bespoke premium amenity bags inspired by its suitcase collections and the brand’s mission to create products that match fashion and function.

The First Class amenity kit is a miniature version of its elegant Bellagio Collection. The rigid cases feature high-tech, lightweight shells accented with tobacco-coloured Tuscan leather trim and contrast stitching. The Business Class amenity kit is a mini version of the Sintesis Collection, distinguished by its asymmetrical and curved shape. 

A new autumn range of limited-edition amenity kits has made its debut onboard Qatar Airways flights for passengers flying in First and Business Class. These luxury kits come in four colours for autumn: yellow, navy blue, blush and tan.

The kits exclusively feature skincare products from Italy’s Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, the environmentally friendly olive oil company, including lip balm, hydrating facial mist and City Cream anti-ageing moisturiser in Business Class, with the added Night recovery cream for First Class kits.

Bric's inflight amenity kit for Qatar Airways

Travel retail store expansion

Speaking to MJ Rabbit, Bric’s Travel Retail Manager Michele Maccapani said the company was continuing its retail expansion into North and South America, including Vancouver and Rio de Janeiro airports with Dufry, its valued travel retail partner. Bric’s has also boosted its presence in Russia with another store at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport.

And in an important new development, Bric’s has seen a 300% upswing in sales onboard 22 ferry stores operated by Harding Brothers, where the company offers both nylon entry-level bags and items from the core collection.

“I’m very happy with our travel retail business, but our challenge is to grow in Asia,” said Maccapani. “We want to increase our business there. We’ve recently changed our distributor in Korea and we’re waiting for more opportunities in China and Singapore’s market.”

Product-wise, backpacks are proving to be best-selling items, particularly in the black-on-black colourway for business use, along with the nylon X-Bag and X-Travel collections.

65th anniversary capsule collection

Bric's celebrates its 65th anniversary with a capsule collection inspired by the brand’s signature Life collection. The classic suede-effect mustang material, in the colour olive, features a delicate floral motif rich in anemones and cherry blossoms, for a fresh spring look.

The assortment includes a four-wheel soft trolley spinner available in three sizes (one carry-on supported by two larger, check-in sized trolleys), as well as the classic Bric's duffle bag in two sizes, a wash bag, a train case and a shopper.

These products can be easily combined with other Bric's lines: Life Pink and Capri Pink collections for an ultra-feminine look highlighted with floral details; Life olive Collection for classic elegance and simplicity; or with the Life Pelle collection, adding a warm, sophisticated touch.

The Life 65th Anniversary collection will be available from November, in time for the festive gift-giving season.

Dewar’s introduces 25yo whisky at Cannes fair

Dewar’s, the Bacardi-owned blended Scotch whisky, has launched Dewar’s 25 Years Old. To coincide with the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this week, global travel retail will be the initial launch market, followed by a gradual roll-out into key domestic markets.

The new addition will succeed Dewar’s Signature, which has no age statement, as part of the brand’s commitment to age statements on its range of blended Scotch whiskies.

Dewar's 25 Years Old

Commitment to age statements

Master Blender Stephanie MacLeod sampled each cask of malt and grain Scotch whiskies aged 25 years and older. The selected casks were blended together and then filled into oak casks for additional maturation, known as double-ageing, to add more depth and enriched smoothness. In an extra step unique to the 25yo expression, the whisky was then filled into a set of Royal Brackla whisky casks for finishing.

According to MacLeod, Dewar’s 25 is “endlessly smooth, rich and elegant”, with layers of rich fruit, floral notes and delicate honey, and a hint of smoke to finish.

Explaining the importance of age statements to the brand, Fraser Campbell, Global Ambassador for Dewar’s, said: “Disclosing the ages of our blends allows discerning whisky drinkers to choose an expression with a maturity and flavour profile that matches their own character preferences. Dewar’s remains committed to age statements as a sign of craftsmanship and quality. In a world where aged stock is increasingly rare, we are proud to display an age on the front of our bottles.”

Dewar’s 25 Years Old (40%abv) retails at $225.

Santa Teresa 1796 Single Estate Rum

Santa Teresa 1796 rum enters travel retail

In separate news announced by Bacardi in the run-up to the Cannes fair, award-winning Santa Teresa 1796 Single Estate Rum has made its debut in travel retail with Lagardère at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport.

A one-litre format of this super-premium, single-estate rum from Venezuela is offered specially for travel retail.

Family-owned Santa Teresa 1796 is a bold and elegant rum, awarded for its craftsmanship and exquisite taste profile. It is grown, harvested, aged and each bottle is hand-sealed as a single-estate rum using the complex, artisanal Solera method, where no barrel is fully emptied, the most recent blends mixing and ageing with the oldest. The blend is a combination of rums, aged from 4 to 35. 

Mike Birch, Managing Director of Bacardi Global Travel Retail, said: “There is strong potential in travel retail for a super-premium rum like this, especially in terms of its age and craft, appealing to shoppers at the second stage of luxury whose key purchase motivations are for aged spirits and the discovery of something rare and out of the mainstream. For the same reasons, we also see an opportunity to recruit new rum shoppers from the whisky category.”

He added: “This is an exceptional craft rum with a long and unique heritage, which also looks to the future, where its story is interesting and purposeful. The Vollmer family-run distillery has a big heart, and they are committed to making a positive impact in their community, bringing employment opportunities and rugby together in Proyecto Alcatraz, an inspirational project, transforming lives in the local community.”

Santa Teresa 1796 (40%abv) retails at $60 per bottle.

Bacardi pledges $3m for disaster relief efforts

Following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, as well as the earthquakes in Mexico, Bacardi Limited and the Bacardi family have committed $3m for disaster relief.

The world’s largest privately held spirits company has designated $2m in cash and other assistance to Puerto Rico – home to the Bacardi rum distillery – and the remaining $1m to local relief agencies supporting communities impacted in Florida, other islands in the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and Mexico.

Bacardi USA has also contributed up to $100,000 to support its business partners and others affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas. 

MCM rides on a travel retail wave to Cannes

As it prepares to greet visitors at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this week, German luxury brand MCM is celebrating another year of double-digit growth in travel retail.

“Overall, our duty free business is doing well with double-digit growth,” says Nicolas Roptin, Global Travel Retail Director, MCM Worldwide. “Countries that are performing well for us are China, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia… they are all doing very well, and Canada is a growing market.”

The brand sparked the fashion trend for backpacks when it unveiled its best-selling studded canvas backpack several years ago, and this hands-free style remains a favourite among the millennial age group, as well as appealing to urbanites seeking a functional bag for their on-the-move lifestyles.

Additionally, MCM’s top-selling products are small leather goods, including its range of animal-themed bag charms, cross-body bags and leather bags. Roptin is seeing “a very positive trend” and high demand for cross-body bags – again offering a hands-free, practical solution for everyday life.

Looking ahead, the company is set to launch more ready-to-wear and shoes. “We’re developing more categories to cater to a whole lifestyle,” explains Roptin.

MCM's new store in Shenzhen, China

Seasonal travel exclusive products

During the TFWA World Exhibition, the Spring/Summer 18 collection will be unveiled. “Feedback [from travel retailers] on the collection has already been great,” enthuses Roptin.

The collection will incorporate seasonal travel retail exclusive products, such as backpacks and small leather goods, offering different colors and prints from the domestic market.

Turning to the outlook, MCM is forecasting double-digit growth for 2017, buoyed by its prominent presence in Asia. “We’re in all the key airports across Asia, and we want to strengthen our position in the region. We also want to grow our presence in targeted locations in Europe, the Middle East and North America,” he says.

Recent travel retail store openings in Europe have taken place at Frankfurt and Munich airports, and the company is working on projects in France, the UK and the United Arab Emirates.

The new store hit-list for North America includes Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver airports. A pop-up shop featuring MCM’s new pop-up concept is set to begin trading in New York JFK Terminal 4 at the end of September, and new store openings are in the pipeline for mainland Chinese airports, including Shanghai, Wuhan and Beijing. MCM’s latest store opening in China travel retail is located at Shenzhen Airport in the Terminal 3 Domestic Departures area.

Millennials – or “Global Nomads” as MCM’s owner and Chief Visionary Officer Sung-Joo Kim describes them – are important to the New School Luxury brand, so it uses all the social media channels to target these consumers, but Roptin notes that other age groups are also important. “In travel retail we always adapt our range to the specific customer profile traveling through a particular airport, and we analyze the traffic flows. In Europe, for example, we see a mixture of nationalities as well as age. They have different tastes, so we have to fine-tune the best assortment for each airport.”

*This article first appeared in Americas Duty Free Magazine's Lifestyle Issue, October 2017.

Davidoff unveils stylish travel humidor

Davidoff has developed an Italian leather travel humidor for cigar aficionados on the move.

The Swiss cigar maker collaborated with Italian designer and craftsman Marcello Bottino, who specialises in innovative textile design.

“Many aficionados have been expressing the need for a more stylish way to travel with their cigars than the practical cigar box,” said Charles Awad, Senior Vice President – Chief Marketing Officer, Oettinger Davidoff AG. 

“To address this, we have reinvented the travel humidor in collaboration with Marcello Bottino, an Italian designer and craftsman who helped us engineer this stylish accessory for optimal cigar care. The choice of materials had to be fully compatible with cigars, the technology enabling the humidity to be locked inside the humidor, the protection of the cigars – these are all the challenges we presented to Marcello Bottino. With his never-ending enthusiasm for new technologies, research, development and vision, Marcello has been the perfect partner,” he explained.

Davidoff's Explorer travel humidor

Key features of the first Davidoff travel humidor to be made in Italy include:

Lightweight materials: Thanks to the durable and lightweight textiles used, this high-tech cigar accessory weighs between 600g and 700g.

Smart tray engineered for cigars: The humidor has room for eight cigars and consists of two parts: the bag and the removable inner tray. The innovative tray – adapted for large and small cigars – is specially crafted with high fabric waves to prevent the cigars from being crushed, and a soft fabric to preserve the wrappers. The textiles are ergonomically adapted to the cigar shape.

Locked-in humidity: All the materials are welded together to maintain the ideal humidity level inside the humidor. The most innovative sealing properties were employed in the design, with strong magnets and multilayer construction using laminated fabric, as these are essential for achieving a tight seal with no stitching. When closing the bag, the snap sound made by the magnets and the air-filled cushion effect ensure protection for cigars.

Thanks to Davidoff’s humidification system, which releases humidity slowly and evenly, the cigars can be kept for approximately three weeks in the humidor. The color-coded hygrometer on the humidification system facilitates checking of the humidity level.

The travel humidors come in three different designs: Explorer: young, urban explorer, available in Alcantara and jeans fabric; Outdoor: rugged materials that will evolve with time, available in leather and canvas; and Business: Described as more formal, but still edgy, available in leather and wool.

Each humidor has two pockets, located under the flap, to store accessories, such as lighter, cutter and matches.

The humidors will be launched globally from September 2017. 

MCM paints New York (RED) at charity party

To kick off this season’s New York Fashion Week, MCM celebrated its philanthropic partnership with (RED) at the annual Daily Front Row Fashion Media Awards After Party. 

Hosted by model Ashley Graham at the The Wooly restaurant and cocktail bar, celebrities and guests enjoyed lots of entertainment that raised awareness for the MCM x (RED) partnership while highlighting the limited-edition accessories that will benefit the organisation.

Models Ashley Graham and Anne Vyalitsyna at the MCM party

Guests also enjoyed a surprise musical performance by Bermudian-born, masked DJ Noise Cans while enjoying festive cocktails and tasty treats throughout the evening.

Actress Bella Thorne

To mark MCM’s 40th anniversary, MCM joined (RED) in 2016, pledging $10m across 10 years to ameliorate the lives and health of women and girls across the globe.

Musical artist Young Paris

Founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006, (RED) is dedicated to founding the first AIDS-free generation. Engaging with cultural icons, multinational organisations and collaborators, (RED) has generated over $350m for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia.

Masked DJ Noise Cans

Tumi takes travel to new heights in Fall collection

Tumi is rolling out exciting new styles and vibrant colours for its men’s, women’s and travel collections for Fall 2017, which will be found in travel retail locations across the world.

This season, Alpha Bravo styles are revitalised in lively seasonal blue camo, bringing a dynamic energy to the collection. The Luke Roll-Top Backpack is equipped with lots of smart interior and exterior pockets, making it perfect for overnight or weekend trips.

The Grantley Backpack is a new introduction to the assortment, featuring a wide zip opening for easy access into the main compartment, a separate dedicated laptop section, and many pockets in varying sizes for organising personal belongings.

Tumi's Luke Roll-Top Backpack

Top-flight small leather goods

Alpha 2, the pinnacle of Tumi’s design innovation, continues to elevate the business experience with a lighter and stronger assortment of business bags that are sleeker in profile and smarter in functionality. They are available in grey and navy/black colour block, in addition to classic black.

Tumi continues to expand on its accessories collection with updated and new assortments. Nassau, crafted from both smooth Italian leather and textured nappa leather, features a muted colour palette of black and brown. Highlights include the breast pocket wallet and passport case.

Monaco is a premium/sophisticated collection of top-flight small leather goods crafted from textured full-grain leather. Available in black or cobalt, the two card cases feature a new embossed finish, turned-edge construction, streamlined interior pockets and other subtle refinements.

For women, the Voyageur collection takes shape with a mix of bold prints and accents of colour. Each style, executed in nylon, is an elegant example of simplicity and purpose, with rich seasonal colours marine, crimson and mink, along with seasonal accessories print Gallery Floral injecting personality such as the Monaco Travel Kit.

A new addition to the assortment, the Just In Case Backpack folds seamlessly into a separate zippered pouch, making it great for travel.

The Voyageur Leather collection highlights the best-selling silhouettes of the Voyageur nylon collection in luxurious pebbled leather. Practical, elegant and refined, this sophisticated assortment is ideal for daily commutes, short getaways, or weekend excursions. The Small Daniella Backpack is carefully designed to accommodate the daily necessities and other small accessories in a petite silhouette.

The Capri Crossbody, dubbed a customer favourite, is now available in leather for Fall. This crossbody features a highly functional interior, a U-shaped front zipper pocket for smaller personal items as well as an additional front open pocket. The clean and modern Carolina Tote integrates sleek functionality with a classic carryall structure.

Daniela Backpack in the Voyageur Leather collection

Strong colours and graphic prints

Tumi’s Fall 2017 Travel collection celebrates New York. The strong colour palette and graphic prints derive inspiration both from city highlights, like the celebrated contemporary artworks at the Museum of Modern Art, and upstate features such as the tranquil landscapes of the Catskills and the Hudson River Valley.

This fall, the 19 Degree Aluminium collection is introduced in new seasonal colour blue. The cases in this aluminium assortment features a reinforced frame-case design, with two snap closures for carry-on bags and three snap closures for check-in bags, and die-cast corner caps for additional protection. The lightweight lining with an embossed diamond pattern complements the distinctive exterior pattern.

V3, Tumi’s lightest luggage collection ever, boasts exceptional design, colour and print expression through a multi-layer polycarbonate shell. The full range of carry-on and check-in sizes are offered in new seasonal colour white and prints Gallery Floral and blue camo. 

Godiva unearths luxurious Gold Discovery Collection

Premium Belgian chocolatier Godiva is to unveil in September a new Gold Discovery Collection of chocolate pieces inspired by the iconic Godiva Gold assortment.

Godiva Gold Discovery is a 28-piece collection of ganaches, pralines, mousses and caramels, including seven new recipes and nine restyled favourites, presented in a contemporary gold gift box embossed with the signature G and the Lady Godiva emblem. Tied with a gold satin ribbon and decorated with a refined hangtag, the collection is targeted at premium gifting.

Sumptuous: Godiva's new Gold Discovery Collection

Exciting new flavours and textures

For the new Gold Discovery Collection, Godiva’s chocolatiers have created a new Mexican-origin chocolate mousse Artisan Caramel, which joins the redesigned Artisan Sureau elderberry mousse and the Eclipse Fraise Litchi lychee strawberry mousse.

Among the pralines is an exotic new Allure Pistache pistachio praline and an Allure Pécan caramelised pecan praline, which sit alongside the updated versions of the signature hazelnut pralines Coeur Blanc and Coeur Lait in white and milk chocolate, an Amande Marquise praline with whole roasted almond, and the Volupté hazelnut praline with caramelised macadamia nuts.

The restyled ganaches are in flavours of passion fruit and pink pepper, Eclipse Passion, Lady Noir with white chocolate and bourbon vanilla in a dark chocolate shell, Signature Lait with intense coffee, Tourbillon 85 with dark 85% chocolate and Egérie Noir with raspberry rose, which was created to celebrate the brand’s 90th anniversary last year. The caramels are the popular Ecusson chocolate caramel and a new Ecusson Blond salted caramel.

The Godiva Gold Discovery Collection, which will pre-launch in travel retail in September, will feature in high-profile promotions at three locations: T Galleria by DFS in Guam, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport with Lagardère and New York JFK airport with International Shoppes.

Matthew Hodges, General Manager Godiva Travel Retail, said: “The Godiva Gold Discovery Collection takes the iconic Godiva Gold collection to a new level with some fabulous new flavours and more contemporary presentations for some established favourites. It is designed to appeal to people who seek the latest experience, the most cutting-edge flavours, the most attractive gifts and indulgences.

“Our objective is to develop further the customer base of the most loved premium chocolate brand. We aim to refresh the image of the Godiva brand to attract new consumers, including status-conscious millennials, without alienating existing Godiva fans. To do that we have to leverage our Belgian heritage and our reputation for quality while innovating and surprising our consumers with exciting new flavours and textures.

“New Gold Discovery will help us to affirm our status as a brand which is aspirational, innovative and desirable while remaining relevant and accessible to today’s consumers.” 

Bombay Sapphire takes shoppers on a journey of discovery in an English garden

Bombay Sapphire gin brought its new experiential campaign to the prime shop-in-shop space at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport during the peak summer travel months to inspire shoppers to make their own cocktails at home.

The new campaign, A Journey of Discovery, sought to transport shoppers to an English garden and take them on a sensorial adventure revealing the unique botanical ingredients, sourced from around the world, in the multi-award winning gins Bombay Sapphire and Star of Bombay.

Bombay Sapphire gin campaign at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Distinctly different flavour pairings

A menu of hand-crafted gin cocktails helped shoppers discover their own favourite twist on the classic gin and tonic, with three distinctly different flavour pairings created to emphasise the range of botanicals and to appeal to different taste palates:

Bright and vibrant: Bombay Sapphire & Tonic with Lemon & Thyme. Fresh lemon heightens the bright notes of the coriander and lemon peel in Bombay Sapphire. Thyme harmonises with the angelica and liquorice.

Exotic and mysterious: Bombay Sapphire & Tonic with Mint & Ginger. Mint complements the fresh, bright notes of juniper, while fresh ginger draws on the spicier notes of the coriander, cubeb berries and grains of paradise.

Intense and aromatic: Star of Bombay & Tonic with Orange & Pink Peppercorn. Zesty orange peel accentuates the citrus flavours of the bergamot in Star of Bombay, while the pink peppercorns intensify the warming, floral notes of the ambrette seeds.

An in-store film highlighted the botanical journey behind the key ingredients of Bacardi-owned Bombay Sapphire. The space was designed to bring to life its heritage and home at the award-winning distillery at Laverstoke Mill in rural Hampshire, UK, with its Thomas Heatherwick-designed glasshouses, where the spirit is made.

Targeting a new generation of gin shoppers

Shoppers were given a passport to help them navigate their way around the event and to discover the key ingredients from botanical sampling trays. The passport contained recipes to inspire them to make their own cocktails at home or on holiday. Every purchase of Star of Bombay received two elegant jewelled stirrers to add to the experience.

Aude Bourdier-Rocourt, Regional Director Europe at Bombay Sapphire brand owner Bacardi Global Travel Retail, said: “Bombay Sapphire enjoys enormous popularity in travel retail in Europe and the discovery nature of this campaign enables us to reach a new generation of gin shoppers by intriguing them with how easy it is to create different taste profiles and new twists on the classic gin and tonic.”

Rüdiger Stelkens, Purchasing Director Liquor, Tobacco, Confectionery & Fine Food at Gebr Heinemann, which operates the retail space, added: “This is a perfect campaign for the summer months, appealing to Bombay Sapphire fans and connecting with other shoppers curious about the range of taste profiles of the Bombay Sapphire serves. We are pleased with the broad shopper appeal that has been created and how the passport encourages people to buy a bottle to make the drinks for themselves on holiday or at home.”

Pernod Ricard puts it down to experience

Ballantine’s has launched the first limited-edition 30 Year Old Cask Edition exclusively in Korean travel retail with a VIP experience and personalised gifts.

Ballantine’s 30 Year Old Cask Edition is a rare whisky, bottled at cask strength, with intensified flavours of poached pear, honey and vanilla. 

Each bottle has a unique batch and bottle number and is encased in a luxurious package design of rich dark wood, embossed details and opulent copper accents. This makes it a rare collector’s item or a gift to show gratitude for loved ones during Chuseok, the major Korean holiday and time of cultural significance for honouring your ancestors.

Ballantine's 30 Year Old Cask Edition whisky

Interactive display

Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail is marking the launch by creating a unique experience for travellers in Lotte and Shilla Duty Free at Seoul Incheon International Airport from August until the end of October 2017. An interactive display featuring copper bells for nosing will provide visitors with the opportunity to discover the aromas. To further experience the key flavour notes, travellers can participate in a full VIP tasting when pre-registering via b30caskedition.com. Each customer can create a personalised luggage tag, card holder or phone case when purchasing a bottle.

In separate news, Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail celebrated the award-winning Jameson Deconstructed Series with a Travel Trail activity targeting travellers through Sydney International Airport in July.

Before starting their journey, travellers were engaged through a digital campaign combining both social and programmatic media. Programmatic media was coordinated through Qantas’ in-house data agency to target passengers booking departing flights from Sydney International Airport in July. A fun online questionnaire via jamesonwhiskey.com and promoted through social media also gave travellers the opportunity to discover which Jameson Deconstructed Series expression – Jameson Bold, Jameson Lively or Jameson Round – was likely to suit their taste so they could look out for it at the airport.

At the airport, geo-targeted advertisements on social media and media sites in the terminals directed travellers to the Jameson Tasting Bar in Gebr Heinemann’s Departures store to take part in the Deconstructed Sensory Taste Experience. Passengers could then sample Jameson Bold, Lively and Round to create a memorable sensory experience, thanks to an audio-visual element.

After selecting their preferred whiskey, travellers were sent a creative cocktail recipe to make and enjoy on their trip or when they arrived home. Those travelling back through Sydney International Airport also received an exclusive voucher to redeem on any Jameson product in Heinemann’s Arrivals store.

Jameson's interactive display at Sydney Airport

Virtual reality experience

In other brand news, Pernod Ricard is bringing the St Hugo wine brand’s new home in South Australia’s Barossa Valley to Sydney Airport with an immersive “cellar door” experience featuring the St Hugo Private Collection until September 2017.

St Hugo’s new home in the Barossa Valley is a restored building where visitors can indulge in the collection of St Hugo Australian red wines in a luxurious lounge, private underground tasting rooms or as part of a fine dining experience in the restaurant.

Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail is offering an immersive St Hugo “cellar door” experience in Sydney Airport’s Heinemann Departures Tax & Duty Free store that provides travellers with the opportunity to taste and purchase exclusive St Hugo Private Collection wines, including Seppetsfield Shiraz and Rowland Flat Shiraz, which were previously only available at the cellar door in the Barossa. Travellers are guided through tastings by a St Hugo wine ambassador, while immersing themselves in a virtual reality experience that transports them to the home of St Hugo and educates on the winemakers’ longstanding techniques in creating red wines.

St Hugo's wine installation at Sydney Airport

'Using wine instead of words'

St Hugo Chief Winemaker Daniel Swincer said: “We wanted travellers to feel welcome and to try some of our exclusive St Hugo wines whilst on the way to their next destination. Our Private Collection wines give us the opportunity to present travellers with a wine they likely haven’t seen before and to tell the story of some of the sub-regions of Barossa behind the St Hugo blends using wine instead of words.”

Additionally, Pernod Ricard has partnered with Qantas to feature the St Hugo Private Collection on the winter menu in the Qantas First Class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne Airports until the end of August 2017.