UK/INTERNATIONAL. Leading cruise retail specialist Harding has revealed a strategic rebrand as Harding+ to coincide with TFWA World Exhibition. The company said the fresh look and branding reflects its “business and cultural transformation”. CEO James Prescott discusses the thinking behind the move in The Moodie Davitt Magazine for October, which can be accessed at this link.
Harding+ said the move is built around its “key pillars” of team and culture, innovative partnerships, a focus on growth and business strength, and vision and insight, supported by its people strategy.
The introduction of the ‘+’ and the multi coloured propeller icon help bring the Harding ‘Making every cruise better’ business purpose come to life, saying these offer impressions of “added value, forward thinking and inclusivity”.
Prescott said: “The rebrand personifies our mission and desire to always do better, go further and provide a space for the potential of all of our team members to really contribute to our business success and also be able to grow themselves as a consequence. It’s a spirit already embedded in our culture that we want to shout louder and prouder about, to show how we are the better choice for cruise lines, brands and employees as their partner of choice.”
He added: “The ‘+’ addition is a clear commitment to being innovative in all we do, to boundary pushing and keeping clear sight of our purpose. From championing the proprietary cruise guest data model we have pioneered in the past few years to shape the right retail solutions, to pushing sustainability goals further, and becoming increasingly inclusive in all aspects of our people and internal strategy.
“The new branding also signifies how we stand alongside our cruise and brand partners in being bold, modern and fully focused on how to contribute to the positive return of global travellers to cruising. This is not about the status quo, but about thinking ahead, driving action and sharing the values of those we work closely with every day on what now amounts to more than 100 ships across 20 different cruise partners and our 1,500 strong team both land and sea of whom I am incredibly proud.”
The rebrand is the result of a five-month research and planning journey comprising many conversations with cruise and brand partners and internal teams to understand what Harding meant to them and how the business could better reflect those impressions and needs. Maintaining the Harding name and heritage was an important part of the review outcomes, but with a fresh focus on momentum next-generation needs, said the retailer.
Prescott said: “It is an exciting time for the industry as well as Harding+. Cruise may see record levels of passengers next year. We are winning new and extending existing long term contracts, and delivering strong numbers. Many interesting brands are joining us and creating some intriguing firsts. And we are mixing the positivity of an internal promotion culture with attracting new talent from parallel industries that include Dyson, M&S and Godiva. So our ‘+’ fits well with the times, with shared ambitions and with the collaborative spirit that we are proud to have at the heart of all our relationships.”
Harding+’s its transformation is being boosted by a recruitment and promotion drive.
Recent additions include Katie Floyd who joins as Head of Marketing. For the past five years she was Global Contentainment Manager at Dufry. In addition, Tom Fitzgerald joins as Head of Insight from Dyson where he previously spent seven years as Senior Insight Manager.
Daniel Greaves, formerly Head of Merchandising, has been promoted to Director of Merchandising overseeing a key part of the business. These new senior hires report to Chief Commercial Officer Matthew Hodges.
