William Grant & Sons regains distribution in Japan With appointment of JALUX

William Grant & Sons (WGS) has regained a foothold in the Japanese Duty Free market following the appointment of JALUX, the trading arm of Japan Airlines, to distribute to the fragmented Japanese airport customer base.

Ed Cottrell, WGS Global Travel Retail Managing Director, says: “Having a professional distributor now in place is a significant and important step forward for us. JALUX are aligned with our portfolio, margin agreements and distribution strategy and we’re delighted to have the company as our partner in Japan.”

WGS Business Development Manager, Jack Tan, added: “With arrival shops possibly opening up in Japan as early as 2019, the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, and a casino due to open before that, it is vital that William Grant & Sons has a share in the duty free business to prepare for long term growth. With GST to be raised from 8% to 10% in October 2019, price differentials with the domestic market will rise too, accelerating the duty free business in the future.

“We see huge potential for WGS brands in Japan and – with our ability to bring fantastic theatre and consumer engagement to the airport environment, predict a very exciting time ahead for us in a country poised for massive growth in tourism over the next few years.”