GERMANY. Duty free retailer Gebr Heinemann has been giving its customers the opportunity to experience premium brands first-hand in an innovative partnership promotion with premium wines and spirits company Maxxium.
The Luxury Lounge, located in the Travel Value & Duty Free Shop in Schengen 1 at Frankfurt Airport, has been offering customers sampling opportunities since the beginning of April.
The focus of the campaign, which runs until the end of May, is on Champagnes, Cognacs, whiskies, vodkas, gins, aquavits and brandies from Maxxium’s range.
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| The Luxury Lounge promotion at Frankfurt Airport gives customers the opportunity to sample premium wines and spirits and take advice from industry specialists, say organisers Gebr Heinemann and Maxxium | |
Customers can sample the products and receive comprehensive advice from trained spirits promoters or simply choose to sample something new at one of the many tasting stands.
One of the premium brands being sampled is Highland Park 16yo single malt Scotch whisky.
Also available is Rémy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac. This comes in a carafe handmade from Baccarat crystal and is part of a limited edition of only 786 numbered bottles worldwide (for background click here).
“It represents a genuine rarity for the Travel Value & Duty Free Shop in Frankfurt,” said Maxxium Marketing Manager Petra Nagel.
Another highlight is Absolut Pears – the latest addition to the Absolut Vodka family – which has previously only been available in the US.
“In Maxxium we have found an excellent and first-rate company with which to work on this promotion“ |
RAOUL SPANGER, Member of the Board, Gebr Heinemann |
Although the planned date for the product’s launch into the German local market is 2008, it is already exclusively available at Gebr Heinemann’s Travel Value & Duty Free Shops.
Outside the store, Gebr Heinemann’s sales team provides travellers with information about the promotion in glossy booklet handouts, which can be exchanged for a free bar of Hachez Chocolate inside the shop – building footfall in the process.
The concept behind this promotion was trialled last autumn and generated excellent sales, the companies said. This success and the growing relationship between Gebr Heinemann and Maxxium provided the platform from which to build the latest promotion, they added.
“In Maxxium we have found an excellent and first-rate company with which to work on this promotion,” said Raoul Spanger, Member of the Board at Gebr Heinemann.
“As a company involved in marketing and distributing well-known top brands, Maxxium is one of the best in the international market for spirits.”
Maxxium’s Global Travel Retail Sales Director Peter Gärtner explained that “the luxurious environment offered by the Gebr Heinemann shop provides an ideal area for presenting our premium products and shows them to their best advantage”.
Both companies are expecting to generate substantial additional sales from the promotion.
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