ARI Column
Striving for successful collaborations
ARI Global Head of Liquor, Tobacco, Confectionery and Souvenirs Paul Hunnisett explores the power of partnership, and assesses how strong collaborations with brand partners drive growth for the travel retailer.
ARI Global Head of Category Liquor, Tobacco, Confectionery & Souvenirs Paul Hunnisett
Cultivating strong relationships with our brand partners allows us at ARI to continue to validate our pioneering position in the industry. It ensures that we bring the best brands, most innovative ranges and the most enjoyable retail experiences to our customers.
Talking with our suppliers on how to bring joy into the journey for our customers has been hugely rewarding and very well received by our brand partners. Since we refreshed the ARI brand 18 months ago and introduced our brand expression ‘Joy on your way’, this has brought a fresh and vibrant energy to our business. This, along with our existing customer value proposition (CVP), has ensured that we deliver exceptional experiences for our customers in partnership with our suppliers. Together we have developed many unique, individual and tailored campaigns to bring joy to the consumer journey.
Some recent partnership collaborations that have brought great success have been in the liquor and confectionery categories.
In Dublin and Larnaca airports this year we launched an industry exclusive with Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MWITR) with the first-of-its-kind transaction zone bringing a cross-category offering to meet specific traveller needs.
MWITR Sales Director Marcus Hudson commented: “We were thrilled that in close collaboration with our long-term partners at ARI we could bring our first transaction zones of such scale in travel retail to life at Dublin and Larnaca airports. Unlocking the potential of the transaction zone has enabled us to further grow the confectionery category within our channel and inspire more moments of happiness for travellers globally.”
This new offering brought convenient and rewarding recharging moments to customers as they passed through our stores on their journey. It was hugely successful for ARI and MWITR, exceeding all expectations and delivering treble-digit growth for products in the transactional zone.
Ovis Whiskey, one of many exclusive lines at Cyprus Duty Free
The Mars and ARI team mark the unveiling of the Transaction Zone at Dublin Airport Duty Free earlier this year
The teams at ARI and Irish Distillers launch Redbreast Cuatro Barriles, a prestige edition from the Midleton distillery
In liquor too, powerful partnerships have yielded great success for ARI. Within Irish whiskey in Dublin and Cork Airport Duty Free, two phenomenal exclusives have attracted new customers and increased value to the category.
Working closely with Irish Distillers and Pernod Ricard, ARI launched the world-exclusive Redbreast Cuatro Barriles in April this year. This limited edition has exceeded all expectations and been a huge success with customers since launch.
Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail CEO Laurent Pillet commented on the success of the launch: “This will all be made possible of course via our strong partnership with ARI; a relationship which enables the brand to keep flying in its home market.”
Also in Ireland, the exclusive launch of J.J. Corry’s two award-winning, limited-release Bonder’s Editions at Dublin Airport Duty Free and Cork Airport Duty Free has been a great success for ARI and testament to the impact of strong partnerships.
At the exclusive launch, J.J. Corry Founder Louise McGuane expressed: “ARI are leading advocates for Irish Whiskey. Creating these exceptional whiskeys exclusively for ARI is a testament to our commitment to the art of whiskey bonding and the enduring partnership we share.”
Montreal Duty Free helped drive the ambitious roll-out of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire
Celebrating the J.J. Corry Irish whiskey launch at Dublin Airport
ARI and Teeling toast their latest joint exclusive at Dublin Airport Duty Free
Another exciting collaboration earlier this year was with our partners at Teeling Whiskey – we launched a limited-edition Crystal Malt exclusively at Dublin Airport Duty Free.
The bottling of the award-winning single malt was triple distilled in the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Dublin City Centre to create this unique and innovative offering. It is just another example of our continued commitment to sourcing the very finest-quality whiskeys for our customers. Further afield at Cyprus Duty Free the power of partnerships is hugely evident in the development and success of the local range of products exclusively available there, through the ‘Kypriaca’ collection.
Former Business Development and Innovation Manager Sergios Sergiou, who recently moved to Supply Chain Manager at Cyprus Duty Free, has been instrumental in developing and building the range. He said: “When we began developing this range, our goal was to introduce a range of products that are unique to Cyprus and to support the local business community. We focused on building close and long-term relationships with our supplier partners to bring a strong sense of place to our stores along with the authentic flavours of Cyprus.
“Five years on, we can see that the benefits of these partnerships are evident for all; for our business at Cyprus Duty Free, for our customers who experience a taste of great local products and for our suppliers who have gained a customer base through this window to the world that we can offer them.”
The partnerships developed by the team in Cyprus have included Lambouri Distilleries, suppliers of Ovis Whiskey and Iris Blue and Iris Pink Gin; Karseras Cypriot wines; Yolanda’s Chocolates; Mylonas t-shirts and many more. By investing in these small great local businesses, Cyprus Duty Free has supported their growth and afforded them the opportunity to expand in the domestic market too. The strength of the partnerships has also created opportunity for cross-category collaboration, for example with Yolanda’s Chocolates developing a new range infused with the essence of the whiskey, gin and brandy flavours of Cyprus Duty Free.
This unique relationship, built over the past few years, has room for more opportunity, development and growth for Cyprus Duty Free as it builds on the learnings so far and continues to bring Cypriot traditional and local products to customers.
A highly engaging Toblerone Pralines activation at Larnaca Airport
Likewise in Portugal, we are seeing the same trend with a strong sense of place represented by premium port. The extensive range that we have in our Portugal Duty Free locations, curated in collaboration with premium port houses, delivers the best range and variety to give shoppers a true taste of Portugal.
At ARI Canada this year we partnered with Diageo for the highly anticipated launch of Johnnie Walker Xordinaire, a Canadian exclusive at Montreal Duty Free. The collaboration included seamless coordination between multiple departments to deliver an exceptional experience to passengers. By showcasing Johnnie Walker Xordinaire through tastings, the team aimed to elevate passenger engagement and as a result drove an uplift in sales of +40% year-on-year for the Johnnie Walker brand.
In some cases, the joy of experience for customers is the big win for both ARI and our partners. We recently partnered with Mondelez WTR to support their activation of Toblerone Pralines, a key focus for their brand, and saw great growth and success for the category as a result.
Mondelez WTR Head of Customer Marketing Beatriz De Otto said: “This year Toblerone Pralines is a top travel retail focus for Mondelez WTR. Thanks to ARI, pralines has taken centre stage across Europe, inviting travellers to indulge in the new premium creation. We are delivering delicious moments and captivating experiences that advance the channel, none of which could be achieved without our strong partnerships.”
As these examples have shown, it is clear to us as a business that having powerful partnerships with our suppliers is truly the cornerstone of our business growth, both now and in the future. These strategic alliances have enabled us to consistently offer a diverse and exclusive range of products, meeting the evolving needs of our customers. By working closely with our suppliers, we have been able to innovate and introduce unique offerings and world exclusives, allowing us to stand out in our industry through strengthening our current operations while paving the way for our future success.
At ARI, we understand that these collaborations with our valued partners and our continued focus on building lasting relationships is key to delivering the best experience and offering for our customers, as we continue to deliver joy on your way.
Irish Distillers and ARI teams mark the Redbreast Cuatro Barriles launch at Dublin Airport Duty Free
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The Moodie Davitt
eZine 336 | 20 August 2024
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