UK drinks giant Diageo is bringing its Johnnie Walker House store concept to the travel-retail channel for the first time. The “embassies” for the flagship Scotch whisky brand can now be found at Mumbai
airport and, later this month, Taipei Taoyuan airport.
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| Johnnie Walker House at Mumbai airport |
Following the success of the Johnnie Walker House launches
in downtown Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul and continuing the brand’s motto Keep
Walking, the new Houses in Mumbai and Taipei airports are described as “multi-sensory
embassies for luxury blended Scotch whisky, designed to educate and inspire
travellers by providing them with a luxurious and engaging shopping experience
that encapsulates the history, provenance and pioneering spirit of the Johnnie
Walker brand”.
Travellers can immerse themselves in the history of the
brand through a number of striking wall installations;
and specialist brand ambassadors invite them on a sensorial journey to touch,
taste and smell the elements that make up Johnnie Walker.
To celebrate the inauguration of the Houses, a limited-edition
bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label has been created. The Johnnie Walker House
Art Collection - Mumbai Edition will be exclusively available at Mumbai
airport.
Doug Bagley, managing director of Diageo Global Travel and
Middle East, said: “[These openings] reinforce our long-term commitment to
providing travellers with a luxurious, unparalleled shopping experience in one
of the fastest-growing retail channels worldwide.
“Both airports are key travel hubs, handling a combined 63m
passengers a year, which make them perfect locations for Johnnie Walker Houses
within our burgeoning industry.”
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| Doug Bagley speaking at the opening of Johnnie Walker House Mumbai |
Lawrence Law, global general manager of Johnnie Walker
Houses, said: “I’m delighted to see the extension of the Johnnie Walker Houses
into travel retail. It’s a move that highlights the esteem with which we hold
our commercial travel retail partners. We believe it’s important to immerse
consumers in our brand and these houses will provide them with the first luxury
retail experience beyond our flagship Johnnie Walker Houses."
Johnnie Walker House Mumbai, in collaboration with DFS Group
and Flemingo International, opened on 2 September 2014 in the departures
concourse of Terminal 2 at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji airport.
To celebrate the
opening, an exclusive Johnnie Walker House Art Collection - Mumbai Edition has
been created. The bottle shows a distinctive interpretation of the original Johnnie
Walker journey from Scotland to India in 1883 and reflects the brand’s long
heritage as an international brand.
Iconic luxury Scotch brand in India
Abanti Sankaranarayanan, managing director of Diageo India,
said: “Johnnie Walker is the iconic luxury Scotch in India. In line with
consumers' desire for unique experiences and evolving taste palates, we launch
the Johnnie Walker House at Mumbai International airport.
“The new Johnnie Walker House will be home to some of the
rarest and most luxurious blends from Diageo’s portfolio that are unrivalled in
taste, heritage and craftsmanship.”
Johnnie Walker House
Taiwan, launching in late September 2014, will be located in the departures
concourse of Terminal 2 at Taipei Taoyuan airport.
Johnnie Walker first traded in Taiwan in 1925, highlighting
the brand’s long travel heritage.
Travellers can purchase a range of whisky collections, which
are exclusively available at Johnnie Walker House Taiwan.
Innovation, service and experiences
A spokesperson at
Taiwanese travel retailer Everrich Duty Free said: “Our customers are looking
for luxury shopping spaces that combine innovation, exceptional service and
unique experiences. The Johnnie Walker House encapsulates all that we want to
offer our distinguished clientele.”
Starting this month, all consumers will be able to access a copy
of Johnnie Walker House Edit, a commissioned quarterly title dedicated to the
art of good living that brings together curated content from world-class
contributors, stylists, photographers and creative talent.
Inspired by the Johnnie Walker House philosophy of Living
Luxury, the periodical’s first edition explores the subject of fame and its
relationship with affluence across art, design, literature, music, drama and
the epicurean world. The title is also available via Magzter.
