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As our colleagues and readers throughout Asia get set to embark on celebrating the Year of the Snake, we at TMI wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Meanwhile, here in the Americas, there is a lot of fun and excitement at the point of sale throughout the region.
CONCESSIONS
ARI North America has unveiled its newly refurbished duty free store at Edmonton International Airport in Canada – where the retailer went the extra mile to introduce an authentic sense of place. ARI incorporated elements from local landmarks and significant historic and cultural moments to give each store its own unique features. See details on page 1.
At New York’s JFK International Airport, International Shoppes and LVMH Beauty have partnered to create the first Guerlain Bee concept in Travel Retail North America. See page 2.
And at Chicago’s Midway International Airport, Avolta’s Hudson division, in a joint venture with Vantage Group and SSP America (Midway Partnership), has opened two new Hudson locations and a Fannie May store – an iconic Chicago chocolate brand – as part of the airport’s transformation of its concessions program. Read the full story on page 2.
INDUSTRY NEWS
The International Association of Airport & Duty Free Stores — IAADFS –has announced further details of its education sessions taking place at the Summit of the Americas, March 8-11, 2025, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami.
Please see details of two workshops on page 3—one on the challenges and opportunities facing airports, and another – in a special Americas edition of the TR Consumer Forum — on the power of experiential retail in duty free, based on research from m1nd-set. Two more workshops are being finalized; details to be announced shortly. Page 3.
WiTR+. Women in Travel Retail+ has chosen its 2025 charity– Toutes a l école, a school committed to providing a high standard of education to 1,700 underprivileged girls in Cambodia. The WiTR+ program will raise funds to renovate the dormitories of the 400 ‘post-baccalaureate’ girls. The dormitories are currently in very poor condition and covered in mold. Page 4.
WiTR+ is also celebrating the construction of KOMA House #36, in the Philippines! The KOMA Karanth Foundation was the recipient of the WiTR+ 2023 fund-raising effort. Enough money was raised to construct six of the KOMA homes, which have now been completed. Congratulations to everyone involved in this very worthwhile project. Page 4.
BY THE NUMBERS
International tourism has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism. In addition, international tourism expenditures reached record levels in 2024. See details on pages 3 & 4.
SUPPLY SIDE: IN THE TMI SPOTLIGHT
The Macallan has unveiled the latest edition in the Harmony Collection, with two new whisky releases as part of the brand’s collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. Page 5.
WEBB Banks has rebranded as Southern Glazer’s Wines & Spirits Travel Retail Sales & Export Division. See more details on story on page 5.
