Morgan & Oates highlights brand heritage at TFWA

At the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes this month, UK scarf supplier Morgan & Oates focused on its exclusive use of natural fibres, while renaming its collections to give each a personality of its own and highlight fabric origins and heritage.

A travel retail exclusive brand, Morgan & Oates only uses natural fibres and no synthetic materials, said Kevin Galbraith, Sales Director Worldwide. It has also named each collection to better identify its UK heritage. For example, its 100% cashmere, UK-made scarves are now called The Balmoral Collection, while the 100% silk wraps come under The Elixir Collection. Additionally, the website has been redesigned to explain its philosophy clearly.

The Heritage Collection

Sophisticated, modern and classical

At the Cannes fair, Morgan & Oates introduced new designs within The Heritage Collection of 60cm x 180cm blended cashmere wraps. Only the finest cashmere and merino wool fibres have been used to create this luxurious collection. The wraps are woven in China’s Mongolian region and are offered in seasonally changing range of sophisticated, modern and classical on-trend designs. Each is 10% cashmere/90% merino.

New for the coming season is a burgundy/coral block check design. This distinctive floral design comes in a mix of coral, pinks and burgundy on a background of oblong checks and is designed to make a fashion statement for the new season. This design is also available in soft lavender and purple hues.

The gentle Raindrop design is now offered in a soft blend of cream, gold, brown and black. Perfect for autumn, Raindrop is also offered in grey tones on white and soft pink with beige.

The Stripes and borders design is described as elegant and distinctive with its black and white stripes surrounded by a border of deep royal blue. It is available in various colourways, including grey white stripes and pale pink border.

The Windsor Collection

Morgan & Oates collections on show

The Balmoral Collection: Manufactured in the UK from 100% pure cashmere, these scarves are sympathetically dyed using natural colours. The soft and fine scarves for women and men are available in classic and modern designs.

The Elixir Collection: These 100% silk wraps are weaved by master craftsmen in Kashmir, India, and are designed to reflect the quality that comes from thousands of years’ experience working with silk. Exclusively for travel retail, Morgan & Oates has developed an aesthetic range of shades from soft pink to vibrant orange.

The Mandarin Collection: These 50% silk, 50% cashmere blended wraps combine Chinese silk and the softest natural cashmere, hand-finished to create an elegant and luxurious look. Ultra-soft and lightweight, the wraps are offered in a range of simple to exotic designs, and can be worn all year round.

Cashmere scarves offer amazing value for money

Unisex collection broadens market appeal

The Nepal Collection: Made from a luxurious blend of 10% cashmere, 30% silk and 60% merino, these ring shawls use long-established craftsmanship and skills that have been passed on from one generation to the next. The company has blended fine natural fibres to create a unique ring shawl collection in a variety of colours. These wraps are the perfect summer-time gift due to their light weight.

The Windsor Collection: Made in the UK, these unisex scarves are 10% cashmere/90% merino. Intelligently designed to appeal to both women and men, the unisex Windsor Collection offers a range of UK woven scarves in a variety of colourways. Equally at home worn casually with a T-shirt or as the finishing touch to business attire, the unisex nature broadens its market appeal.

Morgan & Oates brand USPs

At Cannes, Morgan & Oates also reminded buyers why the company should be the supplier of choice for wraps and scarves.

“We’ve highlighted a number of USPs for Morgan & Oates,” said Galbraith. The brand is exclusive to travel retail; listed by airlines globally; has a team with more than 40 years’ combined experience in travel retail; is backed by Calzeat, one of the largest family-owned textile manufacturers in the UK since 1974; employs an in-house design team monitoring trends; has in-house quality control; offers excellent customer service; and is flexible and can customise to individual needs. And, don't forget, it offers amazing value for money amid challenging times for the travel retail industry.

Fast-growing Newthing unveils ingenious new launches

Everybody loves new things, so it was with a happy heart that MJ Rabbit jumped onboard a super-yacht in Cannes to meet Martyn Westbury, the Head of Sales at Newthing, which represents a number of fresh, fast-growing brands in the travel retail channel.

Onboard the Indulgence of Poole, a merry band of journalists got the chance to kick around a BubaBloon – a new children’s bouncing ball that can’t be popped, thanks to its fabric cover. Genius! The product is supplied by a UK-based start-up company founded and run by effervescent CEO Lorna Edwards, who recently appeared on the Dragons’ Den TV series for budding entrepreneurs.

BubaBloon is a back-to-basics bouncing ball

Space-saving toy when travelling

Dubbed a “back-to-basics toy” that doesn’t need gadgets or computers, the BubaBloon has been listed on Austrian Airlines and Thomas Cook Airlines for the summer holiday season. Made from 100% poplin cotton, the machine-washable cover comes with three balloons and can be used again and again, making it perfect for indoor/outdoor play or as a light, space-saving toy when travelling.

For 2016/17, the company has developed its own unique fabrics: a distinctive BubaBloon print and a custom colour-your-own travel-themed edition which was drawn for the firm by illustrator Rob Johnston.

Whitakers' products are available in compact sizes for travellers

Whitakers brand launched into duty free

And finally, in time for the festive season, Newthing’s super-salesman Westbury introduced the Whitakers confectionery brand to buyers at Cannes. Established in 1889, Whitakers makes the world-famous chocolate-covered mints that we all love at Christmas time – and now the UK-headquartered company has turned to Newthing to get its own brand launched into duty free.

The firm, whose product range has flavours to satisfy all palates, has launched its popular ranges in compact sizes to suit both travellers and the travel trade, while still offering value for money.

Swiss Eyewear Group shines out at Cannes

Swiss Eyewear Group set out NOT to dazzle buyers at the TFWA World Exhibition, where the company’s INVU sunglasses brand was on show – and there was a good reason for this.

Retailing from just €50, the INVU brand seeks to offer great value sunglasses for travellers who still want a high quality product.

INVU sunglasses aim to offer value for money and high quality

Ultra-polarized and anti-glare features

Onboard the Indulgence of Poole super-yacht, a gathering of journalists – including MJ Rabbit – tested the sunglasses’ amazing anti-glare, ultra-polarized capabilities. The showcard-style merchandising fixture can be used in-store to show consumers how to block dazzle – easily and stylishly. Needless to say, it worked magically.

“The INVU brand has taken travel retail by storm,” enthused Martyn Westbury, who is Head of Sales at Newthing, which represents a number of new and fast-growing brands in the travel retail channel. He praised Rebecca Harwood Lincoln – the ever-efficient and professional Director Travel Retail - International Markets at Swiss Eyewear Group – for “making my job quite easy”.

In just two years since their travel retail debut, the INVU brand has achieved some 35 listings onboard airlines, as well as airports and ferries. EasyJet will be carrying the sunglasses onboard from November 2016. And, with the new 2017 collection, there will be much more success to come.

Importantly for today’s socially-conscious millennial generation, INVU has partnered with the Sightsavers charity for its dedicated I Wear Red collection. “Every pair offers the gift of sight to a child in a developing country,” said Harwood Lincoln, “and travel retail is a great channel for that.”

INVU sunglasses retail from US$50

Davidoff gives TFWA visitors the Royal treatment

Oettinger Davidoff AG celebrated this year's TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes with 300 luminaries from across the world of travel retail. And there was lots to celebrate.

The Swiss cigar specialist jointly hosted the now-legendary Masters’ Evening with Belgian chocolatier Neuhaus and Nicaraguan rum brand Flor de Caña. Guests enjoyed a culinary soirée with hors d’oeuvres, pralines and chocolates and rum-based cocktails. Davidoff’s new cigar line, Yamasá, which celebrated a new earthy-spicy-sweet experience, was highly appreciated by the invited aficionados, who included Philippe Schaus, Chairman and CEO of world-leading travel retailer DFS Group.

Distinguished guests at Davidoff Masters' Evening in Cannes

New benchmark store opens in mainland China

MJ Rabbit spoke with Oettinger Davidoff CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard at the TFWA show in early October, where the firm introduced its brand-building Discovery Experience on an impressive new stand. This year, it’s all about the Chinese consumer, thanks to the company’s acquisition of a majority in Bluebell Cigars Asia and its joint-venture collaboration with Sparkle Roll Group, which is distributing its cigars and accessories in China. The new partnership is going very well, says Hoejsgaard. “We’ve just seen the first fruits of our collaboration two weeks ago. A full-concept flagship retail space opened on September 4 at the Oriental Plaza mall in downtown Beijing. This is a benchmark store for the Davidoff brand.”

To mark the store opening, Davidoff is hosting a number of events in restaurants and bars and has linked up with the Johnnie Walker Houses in Beijing and Shanghai. Pairing events that match cigars with whisky, rum and Cognac are also being held.

Speaking about Chinese tastes, Hoejsgaard notes that this demographic group generally enjoys bigger and stronger cigars than the Americans. The sales mix is proving similar to the US and Europe, with Perfecto, Robusto and Toro formats proving popular. Hoejsgaard is seeing the global trend for shorter cigars also happening in China. Davidoff’s consumer research has found that enjoying a cigar is aspirational and a sign of success.

Top-end presentation: Davidoff Royal Release box of 10 cigars

Chinese New Year gifting

For the Chinese New Year of the Rooster in 2017, Davidoff will launch a limited edition of 10 cigars in gift packaging, which will be launched in key airports. Some 8,000 boxes are available worldwide, retailing at around $400 per box.

A new family of accessories is also being introduced for Chinese New Year, featuring a leather cigar case and a double blade cutter. China is a “vastly bigger” accessories market than other regions, observes Hoejsgaard, adding that the amount of shelf space devoted to accessories is much bigger in the Chinese market because the number of cigars permitted to be sold is smaller. “Over 50% of our sales are accessories, compared to 10% in the rest of the world,” he says.

As elsewhere in the world, the Chinese love the sense of ritual and ceremony around enjoying cigars. Davidoff recently unveiled a global social media campaign under the tagline #myritual, which aims to bring together cigar aficionados in their shared rituals associated with cigars.

So what about the opportunities presented by the Chinese consumer today? “The Chinese market is the single biggest opportunity in years to come – they are an incredibly important customer in travel retail,” he enthuses, adding that 45% of the company’s business comes from mainland Chinese visitors. Hoejsgaard also cites the example of the Davidoff store in Lucerne, Switzerland – a popular tourist destination for the Chinese traveller – where 2-3% of customers are Chinese, and yet they account for over 15% of its business in the store.

Davidoff Royal Release ashtray

The unveiling of Royal Release cigars and accessories

Next month (November) sees the introduction of Davidoff’s new Royal Release cigars and accessories, a top-end presentation featuring 10 cigars handmade with rare tobaccos in a royal blue lacquered box. Two formats are available, Salomones and Robusto. The cigars retail at between $80 and $100. 

The Royal Release lighter is manufactured by ST Dupont using a 500-stage quality controlled process, while the royal blue ashtray is mouth-blown by Murano glass blowers.

Lastly, in other travel retail news, Davidoff will open a new walk-in humidor at Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal 2E in January 2017.

Ambitious MCM talks shop

Some 18 months ago, MCM embarked on a rebooted travel retail strategy under its Travel Retail Director, Nicolas Roptin. Today, the 40-year-old German luxury brand is thriving in the airport and downtown channels, and recently showcased its latest collections at the 2016 TFWA World Exhibition.

MJ Rabbit meets a giant MCM bunny at the 2016 TFWA World Exhibition

Store openings in well-targeted locations

Roptin reports a double-digit upswing in travel retail sales over the past year – an impressive result, given the various geopolitical events that have profoundly affected all players in this sector. “We’re doing well,” he says, noting the travel retail channel’s resilience in the face of such challenges. “Like everybody else, we are facing geopolitical and economic issues, but overall we’ve been more resistant and we keep growing.”

MCM is popular among Asia’s luxury-loving travelers and the company is seeing increasing numbers of South East Asian customers. Middle Eastern customers are also very important, notes Roptin.

The ambitious company’s objective is to open good-sized stand-alone stores in well-targeted locations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. This has been achieved in Asia, where a major location spanning over 240sq m began trading in April 2016 at Hong Kong International Airport Terminal 1, directly operated by MCM. The brand created a special-edition airport range for this milestone event, and the store features an eye-catching airport-style baggage carousel display for the accessories.

A sizable, 100sq m shop opened in Singapore Changi Terminal 1 in July, in partnership with Dufry. Also in a strategic location is a new store recently opened at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, operated by King Power. In China, a 60sq m stand-alone shop opened at Shanghai Pudong Terminal 1, operated with King Power Group (Hong Kong) subsidiary Orient King Power, boosting the operator’s fashion and luxury offer at the domestic terminal.

In Taiwan, the brand boasts three Taoyuan airport locations in Taipei, comprising two stand-alone stores and a shop-in-shop. And over in Australia, Gebr Heinemann opened a 60sq m space at Sydney Airport in May. Other Asian openings during 2016 have included Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Beijing Terminal 3. In September, a 75sq m store was scheduled to open in Shenzhen Airport’s domestic terminal, featuring a very high façade, says Roptin.

MCM's Milla Primary tote in vivid red

"Huge potential" in the Americas

In Europe, a key travel retail target, Munich Airport is another significant opening for the brand, which was established in the German city in 1976. Also in Germany, a directly operated airport shop in Frankfurt opened for business in September. Meanwhile, Lagardère Travel Retail is operating an MCM space in its multi-brand store at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

In the Americas, where Roptin sees huge potential for the brand, MCM has debuted at Toronto Airport. This follows the opening of a store at Los Angeles Airport in November 2015.

Now, the focus is on airports in London and Paris, where the company is scouting for locations, and is looking to return soon to Dubai International.

MCM rabbit charm

Autumn/Winter 16 collection celebrates 40th anniversary

Dubbed Munich Epoque, the Autumn/Winter 2016 collection continues MCM’s year of 40th anniversary celebrations and features designs inspired by its birthplace.

Looking to Munich’s artistic heritage, the collection incorporates Baroque-inspired patterns juxtaposed against clean yet vibrant colourways. Reds, gold, deep blues and yellow ochre create the palette. Taken in part from Munich’s Residenz Palace, the motifs and colours that run through the collection bring the designs back home with a contemporary feel. Details include hand-sewn embroidery, brocade, Swarovski crystals, applique velvet, beading and waxed canvas.

The Baroque Print line is a stylish and modern interpretation of classic German artisan tradition. This print adorns key silhouettes such as the lightweight Kira shopper and Stark backpack.

Inspired by MCM’s classic heritage travel collection, the lightweight Berlin Series pieces pay homage to the archive with the addition of bold rivets and studs. New season colour ruby red is introduced as well as a Tambourine cross-body style.

Newly restored from MCM’s archives, the youthful Patricia shoulder bag is roomy and features an adjustable strap with shoulder tunnel adornment, automatic laurel lock and rhodium hardware.

The Milla Gepard boasts luxurious calf hair, leopard patterns and a detachable fox-fur charm, and is available in tote, clutch, and backpack shapes. Resurrected from MCM's archives, the Mitte Brocade bag pays homage to the rich art of brocade in colored silks with gold and silver threads, and metal embroidery.

Inspired by vivid Bauhaus colours, the Milla Primary offers a classic tote made from Italian leather in bold hues such as blue, red and yellow. Meanwhile, the Luxus line features croco-embossed Italian leather and is available in a range of styles including backpack, messenger and briefcase. 

Nestlé experiences a playful Cannes show

Swiss confectionery giant Nestlé International Travel Retail celebrated 150 years of success during the 2016 TFWA World Exhibition with a decidedly modern and fresh approach to travel retail. The new strategy aims to target the important millennial traveller – the group that wants everything on demand, and fast. Oh, and make it fun as well.

The company’s fresh approach also seeks to attract the all-important emerging Chinese middle class. This group certainly has money to spend, but they’re not in the same league as the Chinese mega-spending traveller of a few years ago. They are aspirational, impressed by brand heritage, and hanker after the latest thing. So what’s Nestlé’s solution? Well, according to the brand’s Perfect Store initiative, it’s all about uniqueness, exclusivity and experiences.

KitKat travel retail exclusive sharing bags with travel-inspired themes

Multi-sensorial experience for millennial travellers

For the famous, red-hot KitKat brand, innovation and millennial engagement are the two major goals. The company’s 'However you break, SHARE IT' airport store activation made its debut earlier this year, urging shoppers to take a break and share it with their friends on social media using different themes. For 2017, a new Live Your Break promotion will be unveiled, centred on different millennial travel experiences. It will be accompanied by the launch of the second edition of the Celebrate the Breakers travel retail exclusive sharing bag. These packs target different profiles of millennial traveller: the Urban Breaker for the city-exploring breakers, the Festival Breaker for the live music-loving breakers and the Adventure Breaker for those who like a burst of adrenaline.

A second KitKat multi-sensorial experience has been developed that really signals the premiumisation of the brand. The KitKat Chocolatory chocolate lab enables airport passengers to create their own packaging. First, they play on a computer screen to choose their own ingredients – flavours include popcorn, caramel and cranberry – and then add their own visuals to the resulting chocolate box sleeve. The amazing thing is that the whole packaging personalisation process takes around 90 seconds, using a special – magic! – printing machine. I think even the most distracted millennial would wait less than a couple of minutes for this to be done.

Festive: Cailler Winter Selection

Cailler delivers a heritage experience

And now onto Nestlé’s Cailler heritage chocolate brand. Dating back to 1819, Cailler is said to be the oldest Swiss chocolate brand still in existence and is positioned in the super-premium segment. Targeting the aspirational Chinese traveller, the packaging evokes history and heritage, aiming to deliver firstly the finest ingredients, in milk and dark chocolate versions, and secondly, an all-important experience. For the latter, a local Swiss artist worked on the outer packaging, which features traditional Swiss paper with detailed embossing.

The airport activation will feature a virtual reality headset that takes consumers directly to the Cailler factory near Gruyères, Switzerland. Product-wise, a new premium Winter Selection box is being launched from November 2016 with festive flavours such as spicy gingerbread.

For Chinese New Year 2017, the Year of the Rooster, Cailler is unveiling a special-edition traditional Swiss paper chocolate box containing a black decoupage-style card inlay for family members, playing on a similar Chinese tradition. The intricate card design was created thanks to a collaboration between renowned Chinese artist Mrs Wang and Swiss artisan Marianne Dubuis.

Smarties Art Tube gift pack

Smarties unveils fun formats 

Last but not least, Smarties is being relaunched in fun, fresh formats following the cessation in January 2017 of Nestlé’s agreement with Disney. Designed to be entertaining and colourful, the new products include a range of cute, reversible plush finger puppets, sitting atop a tube of Smarties, and a format containing three crayons and a colouring-in leaflet. These two formats are gender-neutral. Then there are two Smarties gifts aimed at both boys and girls. For girls, there’s a Princess theme, and for boys, a Rocket. (MJ Rabbit will take the Rocket. We have lift-off.)

In addition, gift-seeking parents and grandparents can choose from a real telescope Smarties format and an Art Tube, containing coloured pencils and drawing tools.

With this collection of playful presentations, Nestlé seems to have it all covered.