Proximo’s global travel retail business continues to grow across all regions, Roy Summers, Head of GTR at Proximo Spirits, tells TMI. The company is investing in its brands in the Americas, including its biggest ever activation earlier this summer at JFK for Dobel Tequila.
“We have established big businesses in the Americas and Europe, but equally we have strong pockets of growth, particularly across some countries across Asia. Specifically in the Americas, Proximo has an established travel retail airport business where we do major activations. We’ve also got a major cruise business. Cruise is key for us currently, and it will be going forward,” says Summers.
Cruise plays an important role in allowing the company to interact with passengers and introduce them to the Proximo portfolio, says Summers.
“Cruise allows us to expose a lot of passengers to key serves for our brands, like margaritas with our tequilas, but also it affords us the opportunity to introduce more premium styles on more premium cruise lines. That’s where we can do tastings and dinners. For a lot of our brands, it is a great opportunity to engage with passengers,” he says.
In August, Proximo’s Dobel Tequila celebrated its sponsorship of the US Open with activations across all terminals at New York JFK through multiple travel retail operators. The activation was a smashing success, says Summers.
“Dobel Tequila and the US Open is a multi-year partnership for us, and it is the perfect link between Dobel and tennis. This year was the first year ever that we’ve had activations across every terminal within JFK. We wanted to capture all passengers, giving them the same message and the same experience. It’s been our biggest and best ever activation. We sampled more than 10,000 people. It’s something that we will absolutely do again,” he says.
“We saw sales increase on our core premium Dobel tequilas, but also, as part of the activation, we gave consumers the opportunity to buy some limited editions as well.”
Proximo’s tequila portfolio, which also includes its iconic Cuervo brand, features spirits at multiple price points.
“We have tequilas at $25. We also have tequilas that we sell at $5,000. So it’s important for us to make sure that we put the right tequilas into the right spaces, but also it is important how we educate and introduce new innovations. It gives people reasons to buy, and it keeps the category relevant and ensures that we’re constantly pushing forward. It keeps the category fresh,” says Summers.
At the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, Proximo launched its first ever 1800 Tequila Triple Cask Añejo expression, created exclusively for global travel retail.
Envisioned by founder Juan Francisco Beckmann, the new 1800 Triple Cask Añejo reflects his belief that tequila could be elevated to the same stature as the world’s finest whiskies and cognacs.
“Within 1800 we’ve got a brand ladder which goes from the core styles up to the more premium and super premium. It’s about how we take passengers on that journey,” says Summers.
Proximo has big ambitions for 1800 Tequila in travel retail, and the company needs to make sure that it keeps evolving, says Summers.
“Categories are growing fast. For our core brands, how do we capture passengers and keep their imagination going? It’s about making sure we’ve got the right path, we’ve got the right formats, and making sure that brands are accessible. For example, do we have smaller platforms for people who want to try? For the new emerging categories and regions, it’s making sure we’ve got brands that have really important stories to tell.”
Proximo’s portfolio of spirits brands has a long history of relevant stories, and the company has plans to take those stories into the future, says Summers.
“We’re 12th generation, family owned. Innovation runs through our business DNA. There’s a story to tell for each and every one of our brands, whether it’s a tequila brand or whether it’s the oldest licensed whiskey brand in the world with Bushmills. There is over 400 years of stories that we can tell. In travel retail we are trying to bring these stories to life,” he says.
“There are three growth categories for us in travel retail, and we are nicely placed within them. One is tequila. Two is malt whiskey, with Bushmills. And three is spiced rum with Kraken. As a business, we like to position ourselves behind the growth categories, make sure we’ve got innovation coming through the tracks.”
