EUROPE. The European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) hosted its first Business Forum since January 2020 in Amsterdam yesterday. It brought together over 130 participants from more than 75 ETRC member organisations.
ETRC President Nigel Keal said: “We are delighted to have been able to host our members in Amsterdam again. ETRC prides itself in delivering annually a Business Forum that is insightful for its members as well as provides great networking opportunities.
“ETRC continues acting as a platform to support the recovery and future growth for our industry in Europe, especially in those uncertain times.”
The sessions were chaired by ETRC Vice-President Public Relations and Communications Nina Semprecht (Director Corporate Communications & External Affairs at Gebr. Heinemann).
Delegates heard from travel retailers, suppliers and fellow trade associations who underlined the importance of ETRC as a platform for cooperation to tackle the challenges affecting travel retail in Europe. The keynote address on the economic outlook for Europe and the world was made by Emily Mansfield, Europe Regional Director at The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Pi Insight Managing Director Stephen Hillam delivered the results of the ETRC Business Performance Index for January to September 2022. Value sales at Europe’s airports fell -19.2% compared to the same nine-month period in 2019 but climbed +153.1% against the same period in 2021. He noted that spend per passenger in the period was higher than in 2019. Individual sub-categories have shown varying rates of recovery, he added.
The data session also featured ForwardKeys Vice-President Insights Olivier Ponti, who offered the latest air traffic forecasts plus insights into consumer trends and behaviour.
A policy roundtable addressed threats and opportunities facing the industry. Topics included arrivals duty free shopping, illicit trade, product-specific challenges and sustainability. Speakers included ETRC Secretary General Julie Lassaigne, TFWA Managing Director John Rimmer and Senior Counsel Ricardo Oliveira representing ETRC and the Duty Free World Council.
The day concluded with a presentation by physicist and astronaut Dr. Suzie Imber.
As reported, the new ETRC logo was also unveiled as part of a revamp of ETRC’s wider communications. A new website will be launched later in the year. 
