Travel Markets Insider Newsletter Vol. 22 No. 19

The Travel Markets Insider newsletter is attached to this letter as a PDF file. To open the PDF file, please click here.

BREAKING NEWS:

The UK Government announcement today that tariffs on Scotch Whisky have been suspended for a further five years as part of a UK-US deal on future aerospace subsidies.

Karen BettsChief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, commented on the good news: “The past two years have been extremely damaging for our industry, with the loss of over £600m in exports to the United States caused by a 25% tariff on Single Malt Scotch Whisky imposed as a result of the long-running dispute between US and European aircraft manufacturers. This deal removes the threat of tariffs being reimposed on Scotch Whisky next month and enables distillers to focus on recovering exports to our largest and most valuable export market.”

She notes that tariffs on American whiskies entering the UK and EU remain in effect, as they are a result of a separate dispute on steel and aluminum.

“We hope these tariffs can also be resolved quickly,” said Betts.

US-EU travel. In more good news, the European Union has added the US to its ‘white list’ of safe countries, which lifts restrictions on Americans for non-essential travel. Although it is non-binding, the move allows Americans to travel to and within the EU for tourism reasons, but governments have the authority to require test results or vaccination records and to set other entry conditions.

WiTR NOTE: The next Women in Travel Retail webinar will take place on Monday, June 28, 12:00-13:30 UK BST (07:00 – 08:30 USA EDT ). This month’s webinar looks at the important China market through the eyes of two women with huge experience in doing business in China: Erin Lillis, Lacoste’s APAC Travel Retail Director and Lee Mei Li, Vice President of Marketing at China Duty Free Group. To register, please click on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rkxtfNWRTh2T5OFse7mMuQ

And now to the news:

With the TFWA Asia Pacific Hainan Special Edition commencing this coming Monday, TFWA President Jaya Singh reaffirms the Association’s commitment to holding a physical World Exhibition in Cannes in October, as TFWA CEO John Rimmer unveils details of the new TFWA 365 digital platform launching at the Hainan event. Page 1.

PEOPLE:

The industry bids farewell to retiring Mathis Dreher, one of the founding members of Mondelez WTR. On a personal note, the very first article I wrote when I joined this industry in 1993 was on the formation of the Kraft Jacobs Suchard duty free division, the precursor of Mondelez. Since Mathis joined that group very early on and spent most of his career in the Americas, our paths often crossed. I feel very privileged to have worked with him over these years and wish him a wonderful next chapter with his family.

See full story and global accolades on page 2. 

AIRPORT CONCESSIONS: SPECIAL REPORT

TMI presents a continuation of our detailed look at the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association “Facing Facts” White Paper that lays out plans for concessions and airport recovery, including a one on one interview with ARRA’s Executive Director Rod Wigington. See pages 3 & 4.

In more concession news, 3Sixty Duty Free announces a partnership with new U.S. charter airline Global X. Page 4.

IAADFS and m1nd-set have issued the Q2 edition of the B1S Recovery Monitor on shopper behavior for North America, Central America and the Caribbean. See which region is experiencing higher conversion rates on page 5.

DISTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT: WB CANNA CO. & WELLNESS LAUNCHES

Miami-based wine and spirits distributor WEBB Banks has opened a new division focused on the distribution of top-quality cannabidiol (CBD) and wellness products, a product area in which the company sees tremendous growth potential. The new wholly owned subsidiary, called WB Canna Co. & Wellness, has put together a very impressive portfolio of the top brands in both categories for distribution in the Caribbean, Central America and travel retail.

TMI presents an in-depth interview with WEBB Banks CEO Andy Consuegra, COO Phillip Jarrell and his CANNA CO team, along with a deep look at the group’s flagship product offers from leading company cbdMD. Pages 6 & 7. 

SUPPLY SIDE: AT THE POINT OF SALE

M·A·C Cosmetics, in partnership with Hudson, has opened an innovative specialty retail concept in Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) – Concourse A that serves both domestic and international travelers.

The first-of-its-kind concept for M·A·C offers a curated shopping experience based on consumer insights and industry trends. Read more on page 8.