Mars Wrigley ITR: Accelerating Category Growth Together

Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MWITR) will outline its updated category vision and strategy at next month’s TFWA World Exhibition (Bay Village 9). Furthermore, the company will share exciting news about its leading brand M&M’S® and its progress towards reaching its ambition for a 100% traceable and responsible cocoa supply chain.

“We’re excited to meet our customers at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes to discuss our ambitious, engaging, and sustainable growth plans for 2023 and beyond with them. The role of the confectionery category within travel retail has never been more important due to the margin role it is playing in accelerating growth”, says Marcus Hudson, Sales Director MWITR.  

Within travel retail 8% of the total revenue comes from confectionery & fine foods, confectionery represents 75% of this subcategory*. MWITR sees the confectionery category recovering faster than expected, even much faster than the recovery of PAX numbers**. In domestic markets worldwide the category is growing 7% this year*** and within travel retail the average spend per passenger is up 28% vs 2019**. 

“The momentum is here, and to be able to grow together we know the category needs to grow first. Therefore, in 2023 and onwards we will have a clear focus on our category vision, and we are excited to share more on this in Cannes,” says Hudson.

Growing in a sustainable way

In addition to sharing news on its category vision and strategy, the company will give an update on its sustainability efforts. MWITR is strongly committed to help create a safe, healthy, and sustainable world for its partners and the communities in which it is operating. 

Hudson adds: “As a global business we have the responsibility and the opportunity to transform the way we work to ensure every part of our operations and extended supply chains help people and the planet thrive. Crucial for the success of our overall sustainability strategy is making the cocoa supply chain more sustainable, and I look forward to sharing more on our progress during next month’s TFWA WE.”

Swedish Match to showcase newness and innovation for the tobacco category at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes

Swedish Match will be attending the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes as an official delegate for the first time next month.

The brand will take up residence in the Harbour Village, where it will introduce visitors to the latest innovations from its ZYN smokeless brand, which has made waves since debuting in the global travel retail market earlier this year.

Swedish Match believes in a world without cigarettes and the ZYN brand is at the heart of this belief. These nicotine pouches represent an exciting opportunity for the travel retail tobacco sector and the brand entered the travel retail market late last year, following a successful performance in the domestic sector which saw it become a category leader in the US while remaining the strong position in the Nordics.

Since beginning its travel retail expansion with ZYN, Swedish Match has continued to innovate with the recent release of ZYN Gold and a new size release of the ZYN Cool Mint 9mg which speak to the shifting requirements of travellers in the market today.

Both these innovations will be on show at the TFWA World Exhibition as Swedish Match demonstrates its vision for both the travel retail tobacco sector and a world without cigarettes.

Swedish Match Travel Retail Manager Johannes Varhelyi said: “We are delighted to be attending Cannes as an official exhibitor for the first time as we showcase our dedication to and support for this vibrant industry. 

“Travel retail is a unique market and a vital global showcase for our products and our smoke-free message and we look forward to sharing our innovations with stakeholders and partners in the Harbour Village.”

Swedish Match can be found in the Harbour Village at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.

Molton Brown unveils enchanting new fragrance, Rose Dunes, for travelling shoppers

Molton Brown is inviting shoppers to bewitch their senses with the release of a mystifying and iridescent new fragrance, Rose Dunes. The release is the first ambery-rose fragrance in the Molton Brown portfolio and is an opulent ode to the mysterious beauty of the Arabian desert which inspired its creation.

Crafted by Senior Perfumer Phillip Paparella, Rose Dunes is a sophisticated layering of floral, amber and woody notes. Like all Molton Brown products, this fragrance is Made in England and is also 100% vegan, in line with the brand’s ongoing sustainability journey and drive to create luxury products with a conscious care for the world around them.

Reflecting on his creative process and inspirations for the fragrance, Paparella describes “A mysterious desert shimmers with rose and rich spices, enwrapped by a sumptuous, earthy-ambery base.” The scent opens with fresh green pepper and ginger, with a blooming bouquet at the heart. This is followed by an oudh accord, with a leathery, woody-musky base and a signature note of patchouli lending depth and darkness to the trail. 

The name, Rose Dunes, is inspired by the ‘desert rose’ found in the Arabian Desert; this is not actually a true flower, but a unique rose-like formation of crystallised mineral clusters. However, the fragrance has been created with a global appeal which stretches far beyond the Middle East.

The image of the desert at sunset informed the design of the bottle’s top, which features an elegant, hazy pink, creating a stylish and appealing visual with Molton Brown’s signature brown bottles, which call to mind the brand’s artisan history. The same hazy, pink colour scheme is used on the packaging to create visual and stand-out appeal on shelf.

This focus on excellence and sustainability is evident throughout the collection, as it is with all Molton Brown creations. The company only uses the best ingredients in exceptional fragrance concentrations and keeps striving to find these in ways that are kinder to the wider world. For Rose Dunes, the Molton Brown team sustainably sourced patchouli from Sulawesi, Indonesia for its intensity and high quality. The improved cultivation process not only enhances the livelihood of farmers but helps preserve the soil. These patchouli roots are dug up as part of soil tilling and alternate crops are planted 15 months after harvest to allow the soil to restore its nutrition. 

Sophie Sponagle, Molton Brown, Senior Global Account Manager, Travel Retail says: “This truly indulgent fragrance is the perfect gift, or self-treat, for luxury-loving shoppers. We are delighted to be adding our first ambery-rose scent to our collection as we continue to create fragrances which hold global appeal, while also allowing customers to express their individuality.

“As travel retail recovers, we are keeping a focus on our existing iconic products, as well as introducing new icons like Rose Dunes to the offer.”

Bitmore to present great new products and first class sustainability credentials in Cannes

Bitmore is heading to the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes with refreshed and striking branding to emphasise its strong sustainability credentials and a major focus on four key environmentally-friendly products from its expanding range.

 

The brand – whose products were previously mainly targeted at airline retail – is building strong momentum in a year when it broke through into airport ground stores for the first time. Bitmore products can now be found in Europe, Asia, Middle East and the USA with key travel retailers including World Duty Free and Mumbai Duty Free.

Further additions to Bitmore’s airport retail footprint are coming soon, with Bitmore products to be stocked WHSmith’s InMotion in Dublin Airport Terminal 1 and across WHSmith Travel’s Tech Express stores in major UK train stations from September.

 

The products on show at Bitmore’s stand in Cannes (Blue Village F23) include the Aural Pro, which are Apple MFI Certified earbuds made from recycled TPE, plastic and wheat straw materials.

 

Other key consumer electronics products on display include the e-Cord PD (PD – Power Delivery – charging cables giving up to 50% faster charging than regular cables, made from recycled TPE and ABS plastic); and the e-Pro Power Boost (a 5000mah PD pocket size powerbank giving smartphones a full charge in around 40 mins, made from recycled ABS plastic).

 

Finally, brand new product Fone Mate will also be on show. This is a cross-body universal phone holder weighing just 29g which is designed for easy user access to take images and videos. GRS certified, it is made from recycled silicone and comes with a nylon thread adjustable strap.

 

These four products form part of Bitmore line-up of over 35 travel tech and gadget SKUs, with full details and samples of all available at the brand’s stand in Cannes. Also at the Bitmore stand will be a ‘prototype table’ where the brand will be showcasing potential new products, and seeking client feedback, ahead of creating some new SKUs for 2023/24.

 

Bitmore has recently been bolstered by nominations for products in categories for the Frontier Awards (Bitmore ePro Wireless Powerbank and Bitmore-Pro Power Pad) and the TRBusiness 2022 Global Travel Retail Awards (Bitmore Aural Pro TWS and Bitmore e-Pro Power Qi 10K). The winners will be revealed at TFWA Cannes.

 

Earlier this year, Bitmore was named as one of only two companies to achieve TR Sustainability Hero status during the TRBusiness Sustainability Week.

 

Bitmore’s focus on the sustainability of its activities, including product development, is being developed in a variety of ways. These include eco-friendly materials used in products and packaging (such as recycled, upcycled and plant-based materials), targeting carbon neutrality for its product range in Q4 this year and the wider Bitmore business by Q2 in 2023. 

 

The sustainability focus is underpinned by the company’s pursuit of B Corp status (which is currently pending), and its wide support of environmental charities such as 1% For The Planet.

 

Bitmore CEO Hoj Parmar said: “This is an exciting time for the business to be exhibiting in Cannes, with so much great progress being made by Bitmore across many fronts. We have a great pipeline of new products with first rate sustainability credentials and we can’t wait to share them face to face with visitors to the Cannes exhibition. 

 

“Our order book is already looking very healthy as we emerge from the strains placed on travel retail-focused companies like ours by COVID-19.”

 

He added: “The involuntary period we had off due to COVID gave me a lot of time to reflect on what I want out of the company. We are obviously still a for-profit business, but this is not just about making money for me now. 

“We want to make a difference to the planet as well through our activities. It may sound a bit cliched, but that is just the way it is now. I do feel very strongly about it – I want to leave a positive legacy with Bitmore.”

Ricola to present new packaging design at TFWA Cannes as travel retail business resurges

Swiss herbal confectionery specialist Ricola will be presenting the latest brand design upgrade for the packaging of its products at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes from 2-6 October. With the brand’s products already well-known in the travel retail channel for their stand out shelf appeal and popularity as an impulse purchase, the updated look is set to further cement that reputation.

The new brand design by renowned London design agency Lewis Moberly reflects a new positioning with a more confident contemporary stance, now clearly setting out the unique claim ‘made with Swiss Alpine Herbs’, alongside a modernised logo. 

The new look has already been rolled out in all domestic markets and will now also be available in travel retail from Q4 2022. 

The new brand positioning builds on Ricola’s roots, expressing the brand as nature-loving and down-to-earth. Reflecting on the thinking behind the upgraded design, Ricola CEO Thomas P. Meier said: “We needed to showcase our natural attributes and delightful taste properties and at the same time ensure consumers can navigate an extensive range with ease. Our strategy is seamless with the new design direction, which quite simply makes Ricola more of what it is, and always has been.”

He added: “Staying true to the essence of the brand was very important. Ricola prompts pleasure through its affinity and commitment to nature – a brand for everyone, everyday, everywhere.”

The new look for Ricola products is set to further strengthen the brand’s recovery path in travel retail this year, which has seen a strong revival in business across all regions, with the notable exception of Asia.

The performance of the brand in European travel retail has been particularly strong, with sales coming in far above expectations. The good results have mainly driven by Ricola’s impulse assortments – the 75g sugar free tins as well as its new 90g tins with sugar.

The climb back to prosperity in travel retail has come against a tough backdrop of challenges for the Ricola brand, as Andreas Reckart, Vice President Sales Middle East & Travel Retail for Ricola AG, explained: “The sourcing of packaging material has become a challenge and prices of both raw materials and packaging materials have skyrocketed. Prices for the shipping of products remain high and the availability of shipping options is very volatile. Finally, the prices and uncertainties on the energy market also complicate our own manufacturing.

“These challenges will remain with us for some time but the long-term outlook is now once again bright for Ricola in the travel retail channel, as traffic in airports across the world moves back towards pre-pandemic levels, especially in Europe. The return of meaningful levels of passengers in Asian airports is eagerly anticipated, as that part of the world is an important part of our planned expansion going forward.”

Looking ahead to TFWA Cannes, Reckart said: ““We are very much looking forward to meeting with our customers in Cannes, both the ones we’ve been seeing regularly and the ones who we were not able to meet since the pandemic. We look forward to introducing our stand visitors to our great new packaging, alongside the established range of Ricola products – an authentic herbal confectionery taste of the Swiss mountains – of which we are fiercely proud.”

GLENFIDDICH CELEBRATES ITS NEW ‘PERPETUAL COLLECTION’ BY LAUNCHING ITS FIRST IMMERSIVE POP-UP EXPERIENCE IN AIRPORTS AROUND THE WORLD

● Global travellers are invited to step inside Glenfiddich’s Perpetual Collection immersive pop-up and dive into an enriching shopping experience

● Travellers can explore the collection’s four expressions, available exclusively in global travel retail, through a tasting ritual, personalised gifting service and interactive artwork 

● The pop-ups will be live in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (October), Singapore’s Changi Airport (October)and Miami’s International Airport (December)

● Created using Glenfiddich’s pioneering Solera Vat process, the collection features a range of whiskies in perpetual motion: since their first fill in 1998 these Vats have never been emptied – a whisky that never sits still.

To celebrate the launch of its new Perpetual Collection exclusive to Global Travel Retail, Glenfiddich, the World’s Most Awarded Single Malt Scotch Whisky, is launching its first in-person experience at major airports around the world.

The Perpetual Collection is a range of four whiskies in perpetual motion, within Vats that have never been emptied. Using Glenfiddich’s pioneering Solera Vat process, each successive Vat fill is like a new generation of whisky building on the past, ever increasing in character, dimension and complexity, giving consumers a unique experience with every sip. A whisky that never sits still.

Global travellers are invited to step inside Glenfiddich’s Perpetual Collection immersive pop-up and dive into an enriching experience. A chance to stop, relax and explore the four-piece collection, elevating their knowledge of the whiskies and enjoying a moment of pause away from the airports’ hustle and bustle.

As each guest enters and travels through the space, their movement is captured by motion-sensors and projected in waves of colour onto a digital screen. In this way, they participate in a unique piece of constantly evolving generative art, mimicking the pioneering Solera Vat process by which the whisky is made.

Guided by a Brand Ambassador at the tasting bar, curious travellers can then uncover the four expressions in a tasting ritual. Here they can be matched with their favourite expression, providing a truly personalised memento from their travels. 

For those looking for the perfect gift, the personalised gifting service allows the consumer to record or write a memorable message which is added to their chosen bottle via a QR code. 

Designed with travellers in mind, each expression takes imbibers on a different journey with its unique flavour pattern:

● Vat 01 (ABV 40%) – Elegant and smooth, this expression uniquely layers sweet and spicy notes, with hints of creamy vanilla and subtle oak, for a soft and mellow taste with added depth due to its maturation in bourbon & red wine casks. 

Vat 02 (ABV 43%) - Mellow yet complex, with hints of rich fruit and subtle spice. Double matured in oak and Spanish sherry casks, this rich single malt delivers a deliciously smooth taste. 

● Vat 03 (ABV 50.2% - non-chill filtered) - Elevated over 15 years of maturation in European oak sherry and ex-bourbon casks, this full-bodied whisky harmoniously combines warm notes of spice with hints of nutty marzipan and dark sherry oak. A satisfyingly rich and sweet Glenfiddich.

● VAT 04 (ABV 47.8% - non-chill filtered) - Warming and refined. Patiently aged in Oloroso sherry and bourbon casks for 18 years, VAT 4 delivers a deep, rich aroma of robust oak, ripe orchard fruit and baked apple. A luxuriously fruity and exceptionally rewarding Glenfiddich.  

Lindsay Hitzeroth, Head of Customer Marketing Global Travel Retail at William Grant & Sons, comments: “The time spent at the airport is that exciting moment where the adventure starts; and so we wanted to give those flying something special to enhance their experience and remind them of their travels. The Perpetual Collection offers travellers a unique moment of enjoyment to capture their life that never stands still.”

The Glenfiddich pop-up experiences will be live at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (1st – 31st October), Singapore’s Changi Airport (27th September to 31st October) and Miami’s International Airport (8th December – 5th January), to name a few.

To find out more about the Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection please visit: https://glenfiddich.wgsgtr.com/en/home.

Ritter Sport launches Taste the World TR Edition product ranges and rolls out Discover Ritter Sport airport activation in Cannes

At this year’s TFWA World Exhibition, Ritter Sport’s campaign is all about ‘Discover’. Discover elements of its summer 2022 airport activation; discover its new products for 2023; discover the delicious taste of Ritter Sport premium chocolate; and discover the all-embracing sustainability commitment of the family-owned company, now in its third generation. 

Visitors to the stand (Mediterranean Village N18) will be able to experience first-hand the Discover Ritter Sport retail activation that has run at Zurich and Frankfurt airports this summer, meeting the brand mascot Don Choco and interacting with the same holistic brand experience. 

As in the airport, a digital screen and sampling installation featuring Ritter Sport’s infotainment content helps customers find their favourite flavour to taste, and then understand the brand’s steps towards carbon neutrality via the ‘incredible journey of Don Choco’ using QR codes. 

Ritter Sport Travel Retail’s mission is to highlight the brand’s carbon-neutral ethos; this is the most important message for sustainability-aware global consumers and travel shopper audiences, particularly in the context of air travel.

Ritter Sport Managing Director Travel Retail Jan Pasold said: “The Discover Ritter Sport airport activation and brand experience has been a significant investment for Ritter Sport in 2022. We have worked very hard to bring together the key elements that the company stands for, notably the 30 years of sustainability that is embedded within the DNA of our brand and the quality of our chocolate, which uses only the very best ingredients.

“We have seen great success with our recent activations in Zurich and Frankfurt; the campaign reach has far exceeded our expectations. Our goal remains to roll out this holistic activation, working with key retailer and airport partners and we want to spread the word about Ritter Sport with the help of Don Choco telling our story around the world.” 

Further to introducing a successful travel retail design and packaging relaunch in 2021, Cannes will also see two major new launches for 2023.

 Taste the World Tower

Promising ‘the perfect time out in everyday life’, Ritter Sport’s successful ‘Taste the World’ Limited Edition 100g bar is launched as a Travel Retail Edition for the first time in 2023. 

The all-new Taste the World Tower includes 5 x 100g Ritter Sport Limited Edition square bar varieties encased in a colourful gift box featuring the travel-inspired design concept of Taste the World. 

Within the tower are three exotic, tropical and flavourful square bar varieties that offer a taste journey around the world. With ‘hola amigos’ Crispy Banana, the taste of lush and green rainforests comes to mind; the second flavour ‘hi there’ Salted Caramel takes travellers on a road trip to the US Southwest, and the top seller ‘buenos dias’ White Mango Passion Fruit, invites a touch of wanderlust to taste the tropical nature of Costa Rica. 

The Ritter Sport Taste the World Tower is an ideal gift choice for all chocolate lovers with a passion for new flavours. 

Mini Tower new flavour mix

As an extension of the successful Ritter Sport Mini Tower range, a new fresh flavour mix in taste and colour will be launched in 2023. 

The Mini Tower 250g includes 15 mini bars in 5 different flavours offering the perfect mix of fruity, milky and crunchy textures. The colourful pastel-hued flavour mix includes two of Ritter Sport’s top flavours – mini Strawberry Yogurt with real fruit pieces, strawberry yoghurt creme and crunchy rice crisps and mini Alpine Milk with its characteristic caramel and honey flavour. In addition, mini Fine Milk Chocolate with its high content of fine cocoa from Peru, crunchy mini Cornflakes and mini Butter Biscuit together create the perfect flavour mix. 

“Ritter Sport has been providing bright splashes of colour in the confectionery landscape since the 1970s and has been committed to sustainable cocoa farming since the 1990s,” continues Pasold. “We are steeped in family tradition, but we never stop innovating and never stop progressing. This year in Cannes, our stand will perfectly reflect our commitment to travel retail and our passion for sustainable progress. We are very much looking forward to welcoming our customers, friends and colleagues to our stand at TFWA WE this year.”