Mars International Travel Retail chooses LS travel retail and Aéroports de Paris to launch a world travel retail exclusive concept store at Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Mars International Travel Retail (MITR) has teamed up with LS travel retail and Aéroports de Paris to open the first of its new concept M&Ms International Travel Retail stores at Terminal 2A of Paris-Charles de Gaulle. This strong partnership highlights the main strategic path chosen by these three key industry players: increased innovation to offer passengers a unique shopping experience.

A hand in hand built project 

Opening in April, the Parisian M&M’s store is the result of the close  cooperation between LS travel retail, MITR and Aéroports de Paris, who joined their savoir-faire to add an extra pop of fun to business trips and weekend getaways alike. This hand in hand built project provides chocolate lovers with a unique shopping offer by turning the travel environment into an incredible experience destination.
With this new store MITR hopes to increase shopper engagement which is one of its main strategic aims; as for LS travel retail, it completes its already available offer on the terminal.

A theatrical atmosphere for a yummy Parisian shopping experience 

The shop offers high levels of never-been-seen before theatre and fun. Set over 116 sq m, this highly unique store will combine innovative interactive tools with the world famous yellow and red M&M’s characters. It focuses on each of the M&M’s characters and their stories from specific cities. Their playful environment is associated with the Paris branded atmosphere and several animations focus on the capital’s image: possibility of taking a picture with a painter on the banks of the Seine, Arc de Triomphe replica…!

Similarly, the offer in itself was specifically designed for Paris. Customers will discover many accessories and souvenirs such as mugs, t-shirts and baby wears, among other things. The great innovation lies in the colour wall that enables customers to create their own colour assortment of candies. Passengers can now leave the country with a “blue, white and red” M&M’s bag as a delicious souvenir of France. The whole environment was especially designed to remind visitors one last time the unique Paris memory before passengers fly away!

A multinational Airport to highlight the Parisian style 

This Parisian M&M’s spirit now invades Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2A Terminal. The latter everyday enjoys a diverse multi-cultural passenger profile that will be seduced by this new chocolate experience full of surprises and innovations. 

Paris-CDG is the main French international hub, handling over 60M passengers every year and providing a stopover for more than 140 air companies. This is all testimony to the leadership position it enjoys in France for domestic, international and intercontinental connections. 

Dag Rasmussen Lagardère Services CEO declares: “We are very excited to be at the heart of this innovative experience, offering travellers a unique concept store magnifying the legendary Mars products. This is a great illustration of our long-term partnership with the famous brand and with Aéroports de Paris.”

Commenting on the opening, Lieke Duijmelings, MITR Marketing Director said: “We are extremely pleased to announce the opening of our eighth International M&Ms Travel Retail store. LS travel retail has proved to be fantastic retail partners; highly supportive in helping us achieve our goal of increasing shopper engagement.

“In retail the experience is everything. We want to build a reputation, not just for an outstanding operational experience, but an outstanding retail experience as well. Our new store is well on the way to providing the perfect interactive retail experience, and with our current stores having proven to be highly success we have high expectations that this stores success will exceed. For MITR, we see the opening of M&Ms shops as one of the great vehicles for longer term strategic partnerships with both airports and retailers.

“We want to give travellers an unforgettable shopping experience when they travel; we believe that the Paris shop will not only help to engage more strongly with existing shoppers, but we also seduce non-shoppers by enticing them to interact with the M&M characters and learn about their individual story.”

"We are happy to be the first airport in Europe to open such an M&M's concept store, and the only one in the world to offer our passengers the possibility to create their own mix via the legendary "wall of colour". The aim is to surprise our travelers –children and adults– and to offer them a final humourous and tasty image of Paris and France", points out Mathieu Daubert, Retail Director at Aéroports de Paris.

MARS                                                       

Mars International Travel Retail offers a truly global range of brands to travellers including core brand M&Ms, Celebrations, Galaxy Jewels, Snickers, Maltesers, Extra and Skittles. MITR believes in ‘confronting’ the traveller with impactful displays supported by exciting activations as the key to turning travellers into shoppers and converting shoppers into buyers. Its marketing techniques range from impactful, small-scale promotions to unique large theatre implementations. The constant aim is to create excitement on the shop floor in order to boost sales through seasonal and all year round campaigns.  MITR continues to open M&Ms shops within airport stores and has fabulous new outlets planned in all regions, while instore the company is in discussions with retailers regarding its Category Management Program which aims to promote the confectionery category in general – not just MITR brands. In terms of products, MITR is introducing more exclusive and destination lines for travel retail and, generally, is promising lots of traveller engagement and fun instore.

LS travel retail

LS travel retail is a division of the Lagardère Services Group. With a turnover of 2.8 billion euros in 2013, LS travel retail operates in over 25 countries and more than 130 airports in Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania, offering a complete range of concepts for travellers. The company is a world leader in the news & convenience sector and also operates multi and mono-brand duty free sales points (e.g. Aelia Duty Free, Buy PARIS DUTY FREE), multi and mono-brand fashion outlets, souvenir shops, gastronomy and catering.

The concept Store M&M’s is operated by SDA, a joint venture between LS travel retail France and Aéroports de Paris. 

Aéroports de Paris

Aéroports de Paris builds, develops and manages airports, including Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget. In 2013, Aéroports de Paris handled more than 90 million passengers and 2.2 million tonnes of freight and mail at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, and 43 million passengers in airports abroad. 

Boasting an exceptional geographic location and a major catchment area, the Group is pursuing its strategy of adapting and modernising its terminal facilities and upgrading quality of services; the Group also intends to develop its retail and real estate businesses. In 2013, Group revenue stood at €2,754 million and net income at €305 million.

Registered office: 291, boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris, France. A public limited company (Société Anonyme) with share capital of €296,881,806. Registered in the Paris Trade and Company Register under no. 552 016 628 RCS Paris.