Airport food & beverage sector shows widespread support for AAA Retail & Commercial Forum

AUSTRALIA. Six major food & beverage (F&B) operators in the Australasian airport market have thrown their support behind the upcoming Australian Airports Association Retail & Commercial Forum by joining a dedicated F&B Industry Support Panel sponsoring the event. They are Airport Retail Enterprises, Cater Care, Delaware North, Emirates Leisure Enterprises, HMSHost International and SSP.

As announced, the Australian Airports Association (AAA) has partnered with The Moodie Davitt Report (TMDR) and The Mercurius Group (TMG) to deliver its first stand-alone event for the airport retail and commercial sectors.

To be held on the Gold Coast on 20-21 July, the inaugural Forum will be a chance for the industry to celebrate its resilience through a deeply challenging two years and offer critical wayfinding to help the sector come back stronger than before.

In March, the conference organisers announced that they were pioneering a new sponsorship approach.

Rather than seeking the typical platinum/gold/silver/bronze style sponsorships, industry support panels have been created. These allow multiple players in a sector to support the event individually and collectively in a cost-effective manner and show industry-wide solidarity for the recovering travel retail channel.

The industry support panel concept kicked off in the duty free sector and was quickly embraced by four of the major players – DFS, Dufry, Heinemann Australia and Lagardère AWPL.

That spirit of support and solidarity has been mirrored in the F&B sector through the commitment of Airport Retail Enterprises, Cater Care, Delaware North, Emirates Leisure Enterprises, HMSHost International and SSP (listed in alphabetical order).

John Chapman, CEO of Airport Retail Enterprises – identified as the largest operator in the region by the 2021 AFABS Report, said, “As the market-leading F&B operator in Australia we are honoured to join with our F&B industry colleagues to support this event. We’ve all done it tough over the past two years but now it’s time to focus on the future.”

Cater Care Chief Operating Officer Rob Rutter said, “Cater Care only joined the airport space in Australia through our acquisition of the Spotless airport F&B business in 2018 and we have gone from strength to strength, continuing to operate most of our concessions through the pandemic. It hasn’t always been easy but we are sure that it has been appreciated by our airport partners, so we are pleased to join with them at the Forum to help navigate a brighter future.”

Kieran Fitzpatrick, Chief Operating Officer of global multi-sector powerhouse Delaware North, said, “Delaware North has been a long-time participant in the Australian and New Zealand airport F&B market. We are proud of the role we play in this industry and the contribution we have made to the growing importance of F&B revenue to airports. So we are delighted to support this important Forum.”

Justin Scotti, Managing Director of Emirates Leisure Retail Australia and New Zealand said, “With our global backing, we have been able to take a long-term view of the travel retail sector, even expanding via acquisition in the USA during COVID in 2020. We have worked hard to support our airport partners during the toughest of times and we see this Forum as an opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our F&B industry colleagues to show that we care and support our industry.”

HMSHost International Regional Managing Director Asia Pacific David Mackay said, “We are committed to growing our footprint in the Australian airport F&B market and see this development as a strategic step for our wider presence in the Asia Pacific region, reinforcing our position as one of the largest global airport F&B operators.

“Through supporting this Forum we are signalling our ambitions for and dedication to the Australian market and our business partners as we move towards recovery. By bringing together all facets of the commercial airport industry, sharing learnings and experiences, this Forum can position the industry for a strong recovery together.”

SSP Chief Executive Officer Asia Pacific Jonathan Robinson said, “SSP is committed to supporting the development of the Pacific region’s airport market by bringing new and exciting food and beverage outlets to the locations we serve. We’ve had a presence in Australia since 2009, which has been further strengthened recently through our acquisition of the majority of Red Rock’s airport business and several recent contract wins. This is a very attractive market with considerable future opportunities, and we see the Forum as a unique way to engage with the industry and assist sector recovery.”

The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said, “We’re very encouraged to see the collegiate spirit that such a strong line-up of F&B players – like their duty free counterparts – has shown in supporting this inaugural event. It augurs well for a highly successful event in July.”

For further details on the Forum and to register for the event visit the website:

Airport retail and commercial forum – Australian Airports Association

For sponsorship please contact:

Sarah Genest, Vice-President Sales & Events, The Moodie Davitt Report: Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com

or

Ivo Favotto, Managing Director, The Mercurius Group:ifavotto@themercuriusgroup.com
+61 423 564 057

NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report has recently relaunched its FAB Newsletter. This regular newsletter features highlights of openings, events and campaigns from around the world of airport and travel dining.

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