EUROPE. Copenhagen-based travel retail consultancy Blueprint is working on a white paper that assesses how the industry will evolve against an uncertain global backdrop.
Titled ‘Inconvenient predictions about travel retail – Why airports, operators & brands must reinvent themselves’, the report will examine facts, figures and evidence-based cases on how megatrends are transforming the travel retail ecosystem.
The consultancy noted that while the industry is “blessed with continued passenger and retail sales growth”, the channel faces many challenges.
“The dramatic changes in shopping behaviour, the rise of AI technology along with rapidly evolving social commerce and the unpredictable impact of geopolitics call for a multi-dimensional approach to travel retail,” noted Blueprint in a year-end statement.
“We remain committed to future-proofing our work on how to leverage megatrends when it comes to developing, implementing and tracking commercial strategies. We are here to advise but also help the travel retail community act,” said Blueprint Partner Karl Walter.
“2025 has been another exciting year of growth, learning and partnership. We’ve brought new voices to the table, pushed our dynamic thinking further, and delivered future-ready commercial strategies.”
Reflecting on the past 12 months, Blueprint Partner Thomas Kaneko Henningsen said, “I do not recall experiencing this degree of unpredictability, instability and rapid change on a global scale during my 25 years in this industry.”
“We are at a critical crossroads where the old travel retail playbook is being phased out and replaced by a new one shaped by younger lifestyle travellers, AI (artificial intelligence) technology, experiential retail, social commerce and highly volatile geopolitics.”
The consultancy addressed the impact of megatrends on European airport shopping in a series of four features by Blueprint, published by The Moodie Davitt Report earlier this year.
The analysis, in association with ACI Europe, included a five-year forecast for revenue per airport passenger in Europe across retail, duty-free and F&B categories and provided insight into future spend trends and commercial potential.
The analysis concluded that F&B will continue its growth trajectory towards 2030 but that retail, including duty free, are on a downward trend in relative terms. This analysis was presented at the ACI Europe Commercial Forum in Antalya and the TR Consumer Forum in Amsterdam earlier this year.
To further embrace the European airport revenue forecast 2030, Blueprint launched a dedicated team of Gen Z advisors, bringing insights from the next generation of travellers into strategy projects.
To track and predict Gen Z and Millennial lifestyle shopping behaviour, Blueprint made a strategic investment this year in Indivd, the Swedish AI company that provides patented GDPR-compliant shopping behavioural analytics to leading retailers worldwide.
The first project with a leading airport went live in early October and is being scaled. The consultancy also added geopolitics to its list of megatrends providing insights and perspectives for the travel retail community.
Tenth anniversary in 2026
“As we approach our ten-year anniversary in 2026, we’re more committed than ever to helping the travel retail community stay ahead by anticipating how megatrends will transform shopping on the go” said Blueprint Partner says Sonja Soskic. “We will continue to push a shopper-centric approach and take innovative collaboration between airports, operators and brands even further.”
Blueprint said it will continue to support the industry by joining the newly formed ACI Europe Airport Lounge Task Force, serving on the Nordic Travel Retail Group advisory board and as members of APTRA and WiTR+. ✈
