Leadership of thought and action in 2020

“Sailing an industry back to hope”

“At 20:00 hours, all our extensive preparation was finally delivered to our first loyal guests as Captain Marco Massa and the MSC Grandiosa team started to sail an industry back to hope.” The words of Head of Retail Adrian Pittaway as MSC Cruises pioneered the return of cruising in the Mediterranean in August.

The cruise sector worldwide was devastated by the impact of COVID-19, and the return of MSC Grandiosa was a critical breakthrough. From an industry point of view, Grandiosa was the first ship to implement a comprehensive health and safety protocol that was approved by national authorities. In line with the new standards in place across MSC ships, MSC Retailing also significantly adapted its own processes to ensure an enhanced level of safety. MSC protocols have since been adopted by other cruise lines as best practice as they plan for the wider return of cruising in 2021.

Breakthrough opportunity: The QDF Factor

Innovators, ideators, disrupters, dreamers and entrepreneurs were encouraged – and boy, did they respond – to take part in The QDF Factor, an unprecedented initiative to encourage and champion creativity at a time when travel retail needed it most.

It was the brainchild of Qatar Duty Free (QDF) and The Moodie Davitt Report, a competition open to all brands, both within or outside the travel retail channel, offering a top prize of a complimentary, six-month listing and high-profile promotion at Qatar Duty Free’s award-winning retail offer in Hamad International Airport, Doha.

As we have reported, The QDF Factor – which culminated in the naming of short-list and winners at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo – attracted a diverse and compelling array of entries.

Ultimately, Long Haul Spa and Make Sure were named as the joint grand prize winners, with ethical jewellery brand Article 22 the third place runner-up.

As reported, all ten finalists secured a six-month listing with Qatar Duty Free, as revealed in a stunning announcement by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Akbar Al Baker before the final winners were named.

The ten finalists were:

1. Long Haul SPA inflight travel kits 2. Make Sure hand sanitiser gel 3. Suqqu make up and skin care 4. The Perfumist Pro application (by Big Data Solution) 5. The Dalmore Ensemble Collection by Whyte & Mackay 6. Caribbean Expedition Cognac by Camus 7. Somrus Cream Liqueur 8. Cihuatán Rum 9. Article 22: Jewellery handmade from bomb scrap in Laos 10. Kind Bags: made from 100% recycled plastic bottles

Qatar Duty Free Vice President of Operations Thabet Musleh memorably summed up the initiative, saying: “We are beyond humbled by The QDF Factor journey. What this competition demonstrated is that travel retail really is the perfect shop window for innovation. We have heard a lot about digital and ecommerce, but let’s not forget about the physical retail space where customers can touch, feel and really experience products. That’s what the industry is all about.”