UK. Today saw the official unveiling of the “Glenfiddich Experience” – a pioneering stand-alone retail and promotional unit – at London Stansted airport. The fixed merchandising display, created in conjunction with World Duty Free (WDF), is located in a prime position in front of WDF’s main tax free store. It has been constructed around a supporting pillar known as a “tree”, in an innovative use of previously “dead” space.
The unit, which covers 12.5sq m and carries up to 500 bottles, is the first of its kind. It offers the entire Glenfiddich range of single malts, up to and including the top-of-the-range £10,000 (US$18,330) Glenfiddich Rare Collection 1937 Vintage – of which only 13 bottles remain worldwide of the original 68.
Permanently manned, the Glenfiddich Experience offers complimentary tastings for travellers, and a unique personalised gifting service, whereby customers can have selected malt whisky purchases personalised with their name and a choice of message, free of charge. This service – which takes just 30 seconds – is available for all the premium variants of the range, such as Glenfiddich Caoran Reserve 12 Year Old and Glenfiddich Havana Reserve 21 Year Old. All the product on display can be purchased at the stand, which houses its own till point.
The Glenfiddich Experience – designed by The Edinburgh Consultancy – features a giant DVD screen that imparts information about the distillery and its brands, and an eye-catching 3-D hologram of a stag, the brand’s icon (Glenfiddich literally means “Valley of the Deer” in Gaelic).
The initiative brings together a “˜dream team’ in terms of whisky sales: Glenfiddich is the biggest-selling single malt whisky in duty free; while WDF is the world’s biggest single retailer of single malt whisky – domestic or duty free – selling some £40 million (US$72 million) of Scotch whisky each year.
WDF managing director Mark Riches commented: “This project has been a year in the making. It is something special – something of real scale, real expertise and real initiative. William Grant were pioneers in travel retail – one of the first to come forward with special products for the channel. That pioneering spirit continues in the form of this exciting new initiative.”
Bob Downing, duty free director of Glenfiddich owner William Grant & Sons International, said: “We have delivered something really very special; it is the first – and best – in the world. [The Glenfiddich Experience] really speaks to the consumer. And it’s the ultimate expression of partnership.”
He added: “It brings the range in its entirety to the consumer. It’s informative, stylish, educational and offers great added value. It will build equity around the brand with the consumer. And it will also serve as a beacon for liquor in general – and malts in particular – within the terminal.”
Downing did not rule out further roll-outs of The Glenfiddich Experience. “We’d like to think there were opportunities for more [such initiatives] out there, but it’s very much a case of wait and see,” he commented. “Obviously, this has to make money, for us and for WDF. And a unit like this needs a significant amount of space.”
The personalisation of bottles, however, is being further developed. “We started this service just after Cannes last year, in four to five key locations. It’s now available in 30, including key airports such as Sydney, Singapore Changi and Hong Kong. And we are working to adapt the technology so that the personalisations can be done in languages other than English.”
The Glenfiddich Experience is part of an ongoing development of the retail offer and terminal at Stansted which began in earnest 18 months ago. Around 30,000sq ft of space has been renovated to date; the final phase of the project – which involves redeveloping a further 6,000sq ft – will begin this winter, to be completed by spring 2005.
Meanwhile, within the beauty sector, imminent changes include Chanel relocating to a bigger space and MAC entering the terminal with a 500sq ft shop-in-shop. Within fashion, a 600-700sq ft Ted Baker store is due to open in March, in the space previously occupied by Thomas Pink.
Elsewhere, WDF will open a new World of Whiskies store in London Gatwick South terminal in March. Also within the liquor sector, the much-anticipated Ultimate Duty Free Shop will open its doors in London Heathrow terminal four on 28 May.
