Furla has appointed a US-based distributor to manage its travel retail business for the Americas.
Effective immediately, Actium LLC will serve as its exclusive agent for Canada, North, South, Latin, Central America and the Caribbean. Under the terms of the agreement, Actium will operate all existing and new travel retail and duty free business, excluding inflight.
Commenting on the partnership, Furla Global Travel Retail Director Gerry Munday said: “In the past two years we have made significant progress in establishing the Furla brand in travel retail throughout the Americas and we currently have business with retailers through 16 locations including airports and downtown duty free stores.”
Murray added that Furla was looking for a company with local expertise to help it grow its domestic and travel retail business in the region.
Based in Miami, Actium was founded in 2004 and distributes several leading brands in the Americas in the fashion & accessories, beauty & fragrance and beverages categories. Clients include Lancel, Hermès, Hermès Parfums, Puig Group, L’Oréal Luxe-Lancôme, Whyte & Mackay: Dalmore and Jura and Laurent Perrier.
Actium Director of Lifestyle and Beauty Division Marta Castellanos-Campana said: “We are delighted and very proud to initiative our partnership with Furla, a company whose 100% Italian design with style has made its mark on the international stage, and has become a symbol of essential elegance throughout the world since 1927.”
Castellanos-Campana went on to say that Actium’s vision and objective was to significantly increase visibility and presence in the region by opening and servicing mono-brand stores, corners and shop-in-shops in key travel and duty free markets and locations.
Furla is currently sold in 91 countries worldwide and has five subsidiaries in France, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and the United States.
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Furla Global Travel Retail Director Gerry Munday (left) & Furla Chief Executive Officer Eraldo Poletto (right) | |
Furla Chief Executive Officer Eraldo Poletto, who met with The Moodie Report at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last month, said Furla had significantly grown its brand presence following Munday’s appointment. “Since Gerry has come on board, Furla has entered 44 more countries and opened 141 more doors through a very aggressive expansion plan,” he said. “We have room to grow but still want to maintain a personalised space in the market.”
Poletto added that Furla’s travel retail business plays a key role in the company’s presence in markets worldwide. “The airport is the new centre of the world,” he said. “Our customers are global shoppers – the customer dictates where the city is. We follow the customer.”
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Furla’s new concept store in Hong Kong |
Reflecting on last year’s launch of Furla’s new concept store through openings in Asia, the Middle East and Europe, Poletto said Furla was looking to create a “˜brand experience’ for the customer. The idea behind the new concept for domestic and travel retail locations draws inspiration from the architectural details of the brand’s headquarters in an 18th century villa in Bologna.
