Miami-based specialist distribution company InnoTRI has partnered with Cell Shop Duty Free for the opening of the largest land-based free shop in Brazil this month. Christoph Henkel, InnoTRI co-founder and manager, tells TMI the collaboration with the Brazilian land border operator for its new 2,000 sqm store located in the Catuaí Palladium Shopping Mall in […]
Spirits
Bottega produces gold bottles for two Francis Ford Coppola limited-edition “Awards” wines
Bottega S.p.A. is going to the Oscars! Travel retail’s favorite winery has created two exclusive golden bottles for the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, which has produced two limited-edition wines in honor of “Hollywood’s most prestigious cinema awards.” The Northern California winery has created a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both from 2019, made from grapes […]
Duty Free Global bolsters its team in the Americas
Duty Free Global, Barry Geoghegan’s specialized wines and spirits brand partner focused on building brands in the global Duty Free and Travel Retail channel, has bolstered its presence in the Americas with two key appointments. Experienced duty free veteran John Gallagher has joined Duty Free Global to Head up sales in the Latin American region […]
André de Almeida moves on from Loch Lomond and Travel Retail
Loch Lomond Group Managing Director – Global Travel Retail André de Almeida is leaving the company to take up a new role outside of the Global Travel Retail channel, he announced last week on his blog insidethecask.com. De Almeida, who joined Loch Lomond Group in August 2016, played a key role in bringing Loch Lomond’s brands, […]
Curran Zinn joins WEBB Banks as Director of Travel Retail and Key Accounts
Curran Zinn is the latest highly respected spirits executive to join fast-growing distribution company WEBB Banks. Zinn has been named as Director of Travel Retail and Key Accounts. Reporting to Jose Castellvi, VP of Spirits and Travel Retail, Zinn will be responsible for sales and marketing for all of WEBB’s travel retail business, cruise lines, […]
Tariffs impact spirits sales in both the U.S. and Europe
Tariffs imposed on both U.S. spirits and Scotch whiskey as a result of unrelated trade disputes have had a significant impact on spirit sales on both sides of the pond, according to industry figures. As a result of these tariffs, exports of Kentucky Bourbon fell 35% in 2020, with shipments to the European Union tumbling […]
Brown-Forman’s iconic brands cushion travel retail sales decline during year of lockdown
Aude Bourdier started her new position as Vice President, Managing Director Global Travel Retail for Brown-Forman in August, right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic which has hit the duty free industry so hard. Bourdier tells TMI that even with these COVID-19 setbacks, Brown-Forman Global Travel Retail is in a strong position to rebound […]
Beam Suntory embraces “digital revolution” to weather COVID-19 storm
Phil Restall’s first few months in his new position have been “a baptism of fire.” But the Beam Suntory General Manager of Travel Retail, who was appointed to his new position in October, confidently predicts Beam Suntory’s global travel retail business will emerge from this pandemic in a strong position, thanks in part to its […]
Tito’s Handmade Vodka revs up giving back in times of need
Giving back has always been fundamentally at the core of Tito’s Handmade Vodka’s business, which was founded by Bert “Tito” Beveridge in 1997. This philosophy was never more evident than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Austin, Texas-based vodka powerhouse revved up its support for nonprofit organizations and essential workers, especially for people who work […]
Relationships times three lead WEBB Banks to powerful new brands and growing business
With tourism essentially shut down, WEBB Banks’ focus on the Caribbean local markets during the coronavirus pandemic has helped propel the leading wine and spirits distribution company to a stronger position than it was in a year ago, says WEBB Banks CEO Andy Consuegra. TMI met recently with Consuegra; Phillip Jarrell, Vice President, Marketing & […]
MONARQ Group reaches customers with digital innovations
As international tourism dried up MONARQ Group shifted its focus to digital marketing, social media and e-commerce, Managing Director Robert de Monchy tells TMI. To promote its brands on social media, the independent premium wine and spirits distributor launched MONARQ’s Social Club early on during the pandemic with overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants. The company […]
Duty Free Global’s Barry Geoghegan doubles down on travel retail worldwide
When the coronavirus pandemic essentially shut down international travel, Duty Free Global doubled down on its core travel retail business. Duty Free Global Founder & Commercial Director Barry Geoghegan tells TMI that as wine and spirits duty free specialists to travel retailers worldwide, DFG did not pivot to domestic markets. “Duty Free is what we […]
Wine Classics: Staying connected in Canada despite border shutdown
The U.S./Canada border has now been closed for more than a year. But Wine Classics International’s relationships with its suppliers and the Canadian duty free operators is stronger than ever, Sherri Gidney, Sales and Marketing Travel Retail Manager at Wine Classics, tells TMI. The two countries closed the border on March 21, 2020, and the […]
Juan Gentile creates Distribution Spirits Company to build premium brands in the Caribbean
Respected spirits executive Juan Gentile has created his own wine and spirits distribution company based in Miami with a focus on the Caribbean and duty free markets. Gentile, who worked for Edrington for almost 20 years most recently as Senior Vice President, Managing Director Americas Travel Retail at Edrington Americas, tells TMI he will use […]
Otis McAllister: “We are committed to Travel Retail”
Otis McAllister was expecting 2020 to be another record year for its travel retail division before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped that momentum in its tracks, Otis McAllister Vice President Sales and Operations Marc Panara tells TMI. The company has steadily grown to be the pre-eminent regional confectionery distributor in North America. “Like everyone, the pandemic […]
