House of Suntory has launched its first-ever whisky showcase in Latin America in partnership with Duty Free Americas at Panama’s Tocumen International Airport. The showcase marks a crucial step in the company’s strategic expansion across the Americas and highlights the growing importance of Latin America in House of Suntory’s global travel retail strategy, the partners tell Travel Markets Insider.
The showcase features House of Suntory’s renowned range of whiskies, including Hibiki, celebrated for its harmonious blend of malt and grain whiskies, Chita, a smooth and light single grain whisky, and Toki, the latest addition to the Suntory family. Toki is a unique blend of Yamazaki and Hakushu Single Malt whiskies, alongside Chita Single Grain whisky, and redefines traditional blending with its balance of malt and grain, created through innovative artistry.
Duty Free Americas Vice President Dov Falic tells TMI the showcase is just one example of the strong and growing partnership DFA has with Suntory Global Spirits, and that we can expect to see more collaborations between the companies in the future.
“Duty Free Americas is proud to partner with House of Suntory on this initiative, celebrating the opening of their first-ever Japanese whisky and more showcase in the Latin American travel retail channel,” says Falic. “Our Latin America store network provides House of Suntory with incredible exposure to whisky collectors and enthusiasts eager to explore the booming Japanese whisky category. Given the strict allocations, Japanese whisky is rarely available in the region, making this partnership with House of Suntory even more valuable. We are proud to collaborate with Suntory Global Sprits to introduce their exceptional The House of Suntory whiskies to a growing audience in Latin America. This is just the beginning of what is to come.”
Ashish Gandham, Global Travel Retail Managing Director, Suntory Global Spirits, says that the partnership with DFA has strengthened significantly over the past couple of years.
“Our first The House of Suntory showcase in Latin America marks a significant milestone in our long-term partnership with Duty Free Americas. As pioneers of the Japanese whisky category, it is essential for Suntory to lead in the markets where the Japanese whisky market is taking off, and our partnership with Duty Free Americas is central to achieving this vision to introduce our iconic brands to new consumers,” says Gandham.
“The partnership is based on driving mutually beneficial initiatives that deliver a strong value proposition for the shopper along with engaging in-store experiences that drive category growth. DFA is one of the few retailers in the travel retail space looking to deepen their participation in this channel in times of increased volatility.
“Apart from their historical presence in airport DF and border stores, they have made further investments in the diplomatic channel and BlockBar continues to lead the way for NFTs. This extensive presence allows us to collaborate towards addressing different shopper groups, demographics and nationalities, while continuing to explore new avenues towards unlocking mutual growth. The collaboration in Panama is part of this global partnership with DFA, setting the tone for increased focus and emphasis towards Americas travel retail and targets the high-profile traveler in this geography with the right product offering as well as enhanced in-store experience.”
Both Falic and Gandham say Tocumen International Airport, known as the “Gateway to Latin America,” is the ideal location to feature the House of Suntory showcase and underscores House of Suntory’s dedication to strengthening its presence in Latin America, a market rising in popularity for Japanese whisky.
“By combining exclusive offerings with an immersive showcase experience, we aim to captivate collectors, connoisseurs, and new whisky enthusiasts alike,” says Falic. “Building on our experience launching the first-ever Shop-in-Shop in the Americas travel retail channel for The Macallan at Tocumen International Airport, we have developed a valuable database of high-net-worth whisky collectors, which we are excited to introduce to the House of Suntory showcase.”
“Tocumen is a key hub for the affluent traveler in the Americas. It is an airport frequented by consumers traveling between North America and Latin America, along with being an important destination for business travelers. The airport is expected to see robust PAX growth over the next 5 years. Passenger data indicates a shopper demographic keen on exploring premium spirits either for personal consumption or gifting. Whisky has a significant contribution to overall category value in Tocumen and a sizeable portion of that is in Ultra-premium or luxury whiskies,” says Gandham.
“These factors indicate a perfect opportunity to create a showcase for House of Suntory in Tocumen, ensuring some of our most iconic whiskies as well as other Japanese spirits are available for travelers. Product availability along with the right story-telling supported by our staff would enable us to create momentum behind our key brands across consumer groups from Latin America as well as North America.”
The Americas is a key market for Suntory Global Spirits, and the company will be featuring its highly sought-after Japanese whiskies in select locations, says Gandham.
“We see tremendous opportunity in Americas travel retail for our extensive portfolio of whiskies, both given our current position in this geography and the momentum or demand we see for our brands. We are building the right capabilities within our team and focusing on further strengthening our customer partnerships as part of our accelerated ambition and the growth opportunity we see,” says Gandham.
“Even in these times of increased volatility or slowdown in growth momentum for travel retail channel globally, we are seeing strong demand for Japanese whisky. This still means demand is outpacing our product availability. We continue to make choices ensuring we are making our best brands available in key locations to maximize impact for the global traveler. This would mean key regional and global hubs. The House of Suntory showcase in Panama is part of this intent of making our iconic brands available to the key consumer and shopper groups in the Americas region, especially given the increased importance of Tocumen as a travel hub. As part of this showcase, we would continue to bring our most sought-after portfolio to shoppers in this location.”
As DFA adds more locations and channels outside of the region, the partnership with Suntory will also grow, says Gandham.
“Our partnership with DFA extends across geographies and channels. We continue to collaborate towards finding opportunities to create category value as well as build immersive experiences for the global traveler. As DFA expands its footprint in key global hubs, we will continue to explore avenue to bring novel experiences and showcases for the shoppers in these key locations.”
