Travel Retail Exclusives

Daring to be different

A focus on the market for travel retail-exclusives, with a selection of 12 recent eye-catching launches in the channel.

Special editions developed for the travel retail channel by brands can go a long way to satisfying the consumer (and retailer) demand for differentiation and novelty. When executed well, exclusives can play a powerful role in sign-posting value, in driving gift purchases or buying for oneself as a souvenir of the journey. For the retailer they should help premiumise the range, offer a talking point with which to engage consumers and ultimately help grow the business. For the brand owner they should add value, be relevant to the shopper and encourage discovery. In this section we feature some eye-catching recent examples that stood out for their creativity and points of difference.

Hennessy X.O collection captures the spirit of four ‘dream’ destinations

Maison Hennessy has revealed a special travel retail-exclusive Hennessy X.O collection in four select ‘dream’ destinations – Paris, Hainan, Macau and Singapore. Alongside the connection, Hennessy is hosting an array of site-specific experiences in each location. Partners include Paris Aéroport and Lagardère Travel Retail (through the Société de Distribution Aéroportuaire joint venture) at Moët Hennessy’s luxury concept Les Caves Particulières in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminal 2E; DFS Group in Macau; China Duty Free Group, CNSC, HTDF, Shenzhen Duty Free Group and Global Premium Duty Free (GDF) Plaza/Dufry in Hainan; and Lotte Duty Free at Singapore Changi Airport. The Hennessy X.O Paris edition made its debut at Les Caves Particulières in 2021, marking the avant-première of the special collection. Conceived “like a one-way ticket to the celebrated French art de vivre”, the edition highlights iconic outlines of some of the capital’s most renowned monuments, from Les Invalides to the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. Comment: LVMH says that its new Hennessy X.O Travel Exclusive Collection delivers “new energy” to the channel though differentiation and exclusivity, and enhancing the sense of luxury in the traveller experience. That experience is multi-faceted. The site-specific experiences in each of the destinations include tasting rituals designed with head bartenders at famed palace hotels, a curated gift selection, and insider tips on appreciations and pairings. It is digital too. An online gateway for ‘Hennessy Spirited Travelers’ allows participants (from each of the travel-exclusive destinations) to embark on a virtual journey to Cognac, France, and share their experience across a variety of trend-leading digital media platforms.

Brining a “new energy” to the channel through Hennessy X.O. localised editions

L’OCCITANE unveils travel retail-exclusive Shea Butter Hand Cream

As part of its Earth Day celebrations in April, L’OCCITANE Travel Retail launched a travel retail-exclusive edition of its hero Shea Butter Hand Cream. The limited edition expression featured a striking packaging design that depicts a woman hugging a tree. The illustration was created by South Korean artist Allie Kim. The Shea Butter Hand Cream is L’OCCITANE Travel Retail’s best-selling product globally. It is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 and has been reformulated to contain 96% natural-origin ingredients; including sustainably-sourced organic Shea butter from Burkina Faso. The travel retail-exclusive line was the star of a recent nature-positive campaign which kicked off at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in April. The pop-up campaign continues during the summer months in other key European aviation hubs with Dufry and rolled out in Americas and Asia Pacific travel retail at the beginning of July. This will be followed by a London takeover in August. The Paris pop-ups were launched in partnership with Lagardère Travel Retail (through the Société de Distribution Aéroportuaire joint venture with Groupe ADP) to coincide with Earth Day on 22 April. The Paris animations immersed shoppers in relaxing natural environments. They featured real flowers and bird and locust sounds to mimic the sounds of nature. A recyclable cardboard tree was the central element of the pop-ups. Constructed with sustainable materials, the tree invited customers to pick a leaf to redeem a complimentary hand massage or skin diagnosis. Each leaf contained a pack of flower seeds to encourage customers to plant new trees in their own gardens.

Comment: Ethical practices, natural formulations and experiential pop-ups come together for a channel-exclusive launch and a campaign that walks the walk on sustainability.

The vegan-friendly, sustainably-sourced Shea Butter Hand Cream is L’OCCITANE Travel Retail’s best-selling product

Starboard Cruise Services unveils Summersalt and 4Ocean onboard Celebrity Beyond

LVMH-owned cruise retailer Starboard Cruise Services recently unveiled its ‘first at sea’ retail offer onboard the new Celebrity Beyond vessel. Starboard Cruise Services’ onboard retail offer was designed as an ‘immersive lifestyle shopping experience’ and features several new luxury concepts and first-at-sea brands. Fashion-inclusive brand Summersalt made its global physical store debut onboard Celebrity Beyond. The female-owned brand offers ethically-made resort wear for a wide range of sizes. Lifestyle brand 4Ocean is also available onboard Celebrity Beyond. The brand donates a portion of sales to support beach and ocean clean-up initiatives globally. 4Ocean, which is exclusively available with Starboard, has already cleaned up 25,000 pounds of plastic waste from global waterways. Comment: Starboard Cruise Services gives just as much focus to new and up and coming brands as it does to well-established names, giving sustainable, independent brands like Summersalt and 4Ocean a chance to shine. For now, both Summersalt and 4Ocean are exclusively available in travel retail and only with Starboard Cruise Services.

The Macallan underlines sustainability values

The Macallan recently launched a travel retail-exclusive expression called The Harmony Collection Fine Cacao. It is the first in a limited-release series of single malts progresses the brand’s journey towards sustainable packaging. The limited-edition collection was inspired by nature and comes in sustainable packaging made from recycled cacao husks. The launch is supported by a sustainable retail experience. A first for The Macallan, the experience minimises waste, carbon emissions and the use of non-renewable sources. The concept’s displays are made with 95% sustainable materials. Of the displays, 80% are recyclable and 100% can be dismantled and reused for future activations. The Macallan Whisky Maker Polly Logan travelled to Girona, Spain to learn about Spanish chocolate-making techniques and chocolate flavour profiles to create the Fine Cacao edition. Logan partnered with acclaimed Spanish Pastry Chef Jordi Roca of famed patisserie El Celler de Can Roca, a long-standing partner of The Macallan. Drawing from Roca’s chocolate expertise, Logan created The Macallan Harmony Collection Fine Cacao by selecting a combination of European and American oak casks that offers rare chocolate notes. The single malt whisky has a medium chocolate profile created to pair perfectly with chocolate. Comment: A creative collaboration between Polly Logan and Jordi Roca brings together the worlds of whisky and cacao in this striking travel retail-exclusive release.

Creatively proud, sustainably packaged: the new release from The Macallan

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The Moodie Davitt eZine Issue 312 | 22 June 2022