Writing Instruments
The Martin Moodie Interview: Schwan-STABILO Group CEO Michele Molon on colour and creativity
“Let’s use colour, a new brand and a new proposition to really innovate the travel retail space,” says Schwan-STABILO Group CEO Michele Molon, as the 170-year-old German house prepares to make its TFWA World Exhibition debut.
World-renowned writing instruments house STABILO is making its debut at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes next week. The brand’s long-awaited foray into travel retail promises one of the event’s most colourful debuts ever.
“Let’s use colour, a new brand and a new proposition to really innovate the travel retail space," says Schwan-STABILO Group CEO Michele Molon, as the 170-year-old German house prepares to make its TFWA World Exhibition debut.
“The global duty-free and travel retail market is at a critical inflection point of recovery and quality improvement,” said CDFG as it unveiled the expansive document that systematically interprets consumer trends, category evolution and channel transformation logic.
With the addition of DF2, Hyundai Duty Free now operates three of the airport’s six duty-free zones (including DF5 and DF7), becoming Incheon’s largest travel retailer and the only one to embrace full range of categories, from luxury fashion to cosmetics and liquor.
The travel retail powerhouse has introduced a new wave of retail and dining concepts at the busy German hub, fusing global food trends with regional culinary culture to elevate the travel experience.
The two concepts add to the airport’s expanding retail mix, which includes Tech2Go, Amuse and Duty Free @ WLG.
During the same period, 1.279 million shoppers purchased 8.012 million duty-free items in Hainan, marking year-on-year increases of +16.6% and +9.9%, respectively.
Spanning multiple categories, TREX shines a spotlight on products, campaigns and collaborations that deliver unique, channel-specific value to travellers.
2026 got off to a flying start for offshore duty-free retailers as sales soared to RMB712 million (US$101.8 million) during the three-day New Year’s holiday. Some 442,000 items were sold while footfall and conversion were encouragingly heavy.
Records tumble as Dubai Duty Free brings down the curtain on an extraordinary 2025. Not only did annual sales smash through the previous all-time record but December proved to be the most successful year in the retailer’s remarkable 42-year history.
As Dubai Duty Free celebrated its 42nd anniversary, shoppers at Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports celebrated the retailer’s traditional annual sale, collectively spending US$6,250 a minute over a 24-hour “shopping frenzy”.
“Within transactions over AED500 (US$136), the highest growth was in the AED10,000 (US$2,720) and above segment,” notes an understandably upbeat Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Ramesh Cidambi. “The next highest was in the AED5,000-10,000 segment (US$1,360- 2,720).”












