Duffle, a start-up that aims to digitise the travel retail and F&B sector and travel service offerings at airports globally, has revealed travel retail to food & beverage powerhouse Dufry as a new strategic partner.

Dufry invested an undisclosed amount in Duffle’s recent financing round and joins fellow travel retailer Gebr. Heinemann, which invested via its investment vehicle GHARAGE Ventures.

Dufry brings tremendous expertise not only in pure retail but also airport food & beverage as a result of the recent Autogrill merger. Under the leadership of CEO Xavier Rossinyol, the company describes itself as a ‘global travel experience’ player with a presence in more than 75 countries.

Duffle said: “Dufry, as well as Gebr. Heinemann, know the business of travel retail and F&B and how to create great travel experiences by heart.”

Gebr. Heinemann has been providing strategic and financial support to Duffle since December 2021 via GHARAGE Ventures, its innovation and investment vehicle. The collaboration of the investors represents a clear commitment to the digitisation of the travel retail industry, Duffle said.

GHARAGE Ventures Managing Director Lennard Niemann, who sits on Duffle’s advisory board and who guided it through the fundraising, said: “Seeing two players like Dufry and Gebr. Heinemann invest into a start-up like this in order to digitise travel retail is a great basis to continue the journey. “We are fully supportive of what Duffle and the strong team behind it is heading for.”

Comment: When we spoke to Lennard Niemann earlier this year about which GHARAGE venture would most likely deliver a winning formula to travel retail, he replied: “It is probably too early to talk about winners, but I can definitely say that our investment and active support in the digital commerce platform Duffle is something I highly believe has a disrupting element. Simply speaking it is a very consumer-centric product.

“We have some very nice delivery methods already live, but imagine adding services and further fulfilment solutions – it has a lot of potential.”

That potential has now been recognised with further investment from Dufry, which has itself long spoken about the missed digital opportunity in travel retail.

Duffle, founded in Berlin in 2021, is all about digitising the airport experience. And from the beginning, it has planned delivery and collect options for shopping but also expansion to other airport services, including F&B. With this investment, that reality draws one step closer.

For more on Duffle, click on our interview here.