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Celebrating the new humidor’s unveiling were (l-r) DFS Merchandising Manager Lina Chan, JFK Operations General Manager Nina Zeiling, PSM Store Operations JFK Shari Cooper and Davidoff Oettinger AG Senior Vice President Global Travel Retail Christian Vonthron |
DFS Group and leading cigar company Oettinger Davidoff have opened a new 100sq ft walk-in humidor at New York JFK Terminal 4, the brand owner’s first such unit in a US airport. Located inside the DFS spirits & tobacco store, the humidor will “enhance our customers’ experience by creating an inviting and private shopping atmosphere,” according to DFS Merchandising Manager Lina Chan.
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Davidoff and DFS aim to elevate the consumer experience at JFK with the new installation |
Davidoff Senior Vice President Global Travel Retail Christian Vonthron told The Moodie Report: “This is our flagship project in US duty free. The goal is to take the quality of what we do downtown to travel retail in this region. If you are expecting customers to spend US$300 on cigars then you need to provide the best possible environment, merchandising and service to them.”
He added: “With around 15 million passengers a year, JFK Terminal 4 is an important location, serving flights to Europe and Asia, and high spending passengers including Russians and Israelis.”
Both partners noted the quality of the environment as a key factor. Chan said: “Once inside the walk in humidor, our customers’ senses come alive with the rich tobacco leaf aroma and the exquisite design and workmanship of the interior, fully lined with the very best cigar product range. Cigar customers will be able to purchase their cigars and accessories all in one place. This industry-setting initiative is a reflection of the strong partnership between DFS Group and Davidoff.”
Among the ranges on offer will be Davidoff, AVO, Zino and Winston Churchill, as well as other cigar brands. The humidor also delivers good gifting options, added Chan.
“Customers will find great cigar gifting ideas in limited editions, special travel sizes catering specifically to traveling customers, as well as cigar humidors and cigar cases,” she said. “Gifting is a great opportunity in travel retail, and cigars and accessories fit perfectly into our customer service approach.”
And the business should receive a major boost with the new installation, she added. “We expect strong growth with the launch of the walk-in humidor. Due to spacing challenges in the past, we had offered a very limited product range. With the new inviting cigar walk-in-humidor, we will see significant growth in cigar and accessories sales.”
Beyond the JFK project, Vonthron said the company has been upgrading its solutions to travel retailers with a range of upscale wall bays and humidors, tailored to the space available at each location.
“We are continuing to invest in the channel to help our partners upgrade their stores. We can design wall units from 40cm to 4m, as well as cigar rooms that we design and create for our partners. As well as working with DFS in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, we are rolling out new projects with World Duty Free Group in Peru and Mexico, and are developing our presence in the Caribbean at St. Maarten too.”
As well as merchandising, Davidoff is also continuing to develop new products. Among these is the new Short Pleasures Assortment. This features four premium cigars, from the milder Entreacto and Grand Cru No. 5 to the more intense Millennium Blend Short Robusto and Puro d’Oro Gorditos. This is new and available now for the global travel retail market. Also planned is a selection of robustos to augment the Short Pleasures range.
Also new is the Davidoff Nicaragau range, taking the brand’s repertoire beyond its historic Dominican Republic roots. This will be available worldwide from the second half of the year.
In accessories, a new Travel Line by Zino range is also now on offer. This comprises a small capacity humidor with an adapted humidifier, cigar cases to hold two cigars plus a cutter and lighter.
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The walk-in humidor is a first of its type at US airports, say the partners |
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