High Flyers Column
High Flyers: ARI’s Paul Hunnisett on elevating Sense of Place
Sense of Place is a term we are all more than familiar with across the travel retail industry, but Aer Rianta International Global Head of Liquor, Tobacco & Confectionery Paul Hunnisett questions where ‘Sense of Place’ stands for the consumer in its current form. Hunnisett argues that a truly authentic Sense of Place cannot be achieved by simply listing a few local products, but rather by investing in local, thinking local, living local and acting local.
‘Sense of Place’ has become a part of the travel retail blueprint over the past few years – it’s a broad term that crops up in every strategy update, every new business pitch, every range review. It has become part of the standard retail checklist; but if done correctly, there should be nothing standard about a truly authentic Sense of Place.
I firmly believe that Sense of Place is one of the most important, and most distinguishable, parts of the travel retail experience. We are distilling the essence of a location into a compact retail space, hoping to give arriving passengers their first experience of a region, or departing passengers their final memory. ARI was one of the first retailers to really champion this concept and creating a bespoke Sense of Place at each of our locations is a fundamental part of our Customer Value Proposition.
We know that customers increasingly demand it as they crave authentic experiences and added value in travel retail. From a business point of view, it helps to support Environmental, Social, and Governance commitments and credentials by sourcing local, cutting down on transport and emissions.
But as an industry, we need to work harder. We need to elevate the concept and we need to work to ensure that a global footprint has a local identity.
Paul Hunnisett: Sourcing and living local
The Irish Whiskey Collection – “a shrine” to locally made spirits in Ireland
So, how can we do this?
It’s about thinking local, living local, acting local. It’s for this reason that ARI takes such a bespoke approach to each of our stores – from the range we stock to the store design, right down to the teams we hire and how we train them. It is about so much more than having a few local products listed; we genuinely invest in local.
From my perspective as a Global Head of Category, it isn’t about stocking a token local brand or product – it’s about curating an entire range that offers customers a true taste and experience of the place they are visiting. We make it our mission to embrace the most exciting elements of a region to instil a feeling, a memory, an authentic experience for those who shop with us.
In The Loop Duty Free at Dublin Airport we have created an award-winning shrine to Irish whiskey with a collection of over 300 whiskies – one of the largest and most sought-after collections of Irish whiskies anywhere in the world. Similarly in our Canada stores, our collection is a shrine to Canadian whisky and ice wine. We don’t want to tick boxes here; we want to be the very best. We have been recognised consecutively with the Icons of Whiskey Award for ‘Travel Retailer of The Year’, most recently in March this year.
Another good example of championing the best of local is the growth of Irish gin. Going back to 2019, before the gin boom, around 90% of gin sales came from leading international brands. We made a strategic objective to have the biggest and best range of gins in travel retail at The Loop, so we engaged with local and craft producers, we sought out the best products and ultimately took a chance. We flipped the trend, and today around 80-85% of sales come from Irish gins, and 15% from international labels.
We launched the Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin range in travel retail, and today it has become a global success and is our most popular gin. We know that when we can get behind local suppliers and great products, we can help turn them into hugely successful brands. That’s embracing an authentic Sense of Place.
“It’s about ingraining a commitment, not establishing an operational checkbox”
The recent opening of Portugal Duty Free has been an exciting new challenge for us as we’ve had to immerse ourselves in the local culture in order to bring a unique and authentic Portuguese experience to each individual store. We could have stocked a few local ports – but where is the authentic customer experience in that? Instead, we’re building bespoke store concepts such as the Port Cellar at Lisbon, Faro and Porto Duty Free, while Madeira wine will take centre stage in Madeira. Port, wine, local delicacies and confectionery, and local spirits will form the heart and soul of each store.
To have a really interesting range and to create an authentic Sense of Place you have a work a bit harder, seeking out uniqueness and a real point of difference. We work with a large and diverse range of suppliers across the globe to create the product ranges and the retail experience that we know our customers want. We find the best products and support like-minded suppliers who share our commitment to excellence – it’s not always the easiest, but I believe it’s the best approach in creating something special.
Another crucial element in creating an authentic Sense of Place that we haven’t touched on is the importance of our teams and ensuring that everyone is committed to delivering on it – across all levels of the business.
Again, it’s about ingraining a commitment, not establishing an operational checkbox. Our teams, in particular our sales professionals, are the piece that bring Sense of Place to life; they are our number one asset when it comes to making a sale.
Hiring the best people and ensuring we have the correct training and development programmes in place is crucial. We have the most incredible whisk(e)y, gin, and now newly appointed chocolate ambassadors across the business. We can have the best range and store design, but it’s our people who bring the passion and knowledge needed to create an authentic experience for customers.
ARI is blending regional favourites with international names in Portugal amid a major programme of store refurbishment
So, where do we go from here?
At ARI we’re doubling down on delivering the best possible customer experience. Research shows how important Sense of Place will continue to be in travel retail, as we work to recruit more shoppers against the backdrop of economic uncertainty and cost of living challenges.
As a business we have ambitious growth plans, and our commitment to exceptional Sense of Place is a key point of difference for us. Strategically, it has never been a more important asset for our business and it’s something that will continue to elevate the travel retail industry.
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The Moodie Davitt eZine Issue 323 | 5 May 2023
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 14 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (Moodie International Ltd). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please e-mail kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com