Our regular feature, brought to you in association with Duty Free Global from Ireland, celebrates memorable scenes, moments, launches and campaigns related to the global aviation and travel retail sphere.
CYPRUS. Today’s images come from our visit this week to Larnaca International Airport, where The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt was a guest at the opening of Hot Shop, a new beauty concept that reimagines how on-trend, emerging and local brands are presented in travel retail.
Beyond the excitement of that opening (full story at this link), we found much to admire on a walk through the departures store led by Cyprus Airports Duty Free General Manager Andrew Baker, Retail Manager Toni McDonald and their teams.
The beating heart of the store is the acclaimed Kypriaka zone, which stands out as an example of how destination merchandise can span multiple categories in relatively limited space, be authentically of the region, and be showcased with creativity and cultural respect while contributing commercially.
The producers who use the store as a showcase make a big contribution here. Listen to Veronica Pittas, owner of organic olive oil Aledrades, tell her family story of growing, harvesting and pressing the olives and her connection to the land with such passion, and I defy you to walk away without sampling or buying.
One of Cyprus’ great exports is halloumi cheese, presented in all its varieties at Kypriaka. Its diversity comes to life through Cyprus Duty Free partners such as Chef Evagoras Ioannou, whose halloumi-topped bakes from the in-store oven are a culinary delight and a real drawcard, as we observed on our visit.
Even outside the promotions there are many reasons to stop here: a beautifully curated set of artifacts inspired by Cypriot history; a surprisingly broad wine offer led by hero brands such as dessert wine Commandaria, whose production is said to date back as far as 800BC; or Yolanda’s luxury artisanal chocolate.
Cyprus Duty Free’s own brands are a particular highlight, led by Ovis whisky, Lambouri gin, arak, ouzo, brandy and recent additions in an aged Zivania (Cypriot spirit), bergamot liqueur and a cream liqueur, each developed in partnership with local producers. With this contribution and that of other brands, local products account for 30% of all spirits sales in the shop.
Crucially, every item sold in Kypriaka must be made in Cyprus, a strict rule meaning destination-themed keyrings made in China for example are only offered in a separate store elsewhere.
The Kypriaka space stands out for many reasons. The Agora-style hand-cut floor tiles made by a local artisan lend lustre to the sense of place. Beyond this, store-wide the vine leaf motif and sandstone back wall finishes pull not just Kypriaka but all categories together while allowing brands the chance to express themselves.
We also visited the Kypriaka promotional space on our departure to hear more about Cyprus Duty Free’s activities to support the bee community and enhance Cyprus’s biodiversity, fittingly on World Bee Day (20 May).
As we reported previously, the retailer last year launched its own honey brand. The project began when Cyprus Duty Free embarked on an ‘Adopt a Hive’ initiative, partnering with local bee farm Oros Machairas to adopt four working hives.
Now, jars of the premium, locally produced honey are being promoted and sold in-store, drawing a crowd (pulled in too by the admirable efforts of Maya the bee mascot) during our visit.
There is much more activity across the floor: a big, bold campaign for Loch Lomond whisky on entry to the vast liquor space; Tito’s vodka displayed with colour and verve in the central bar area, with cocktail mixes aplenty; and high-profile promotions for leading beauty brands such as Jo Malone London after the post-security decompression zone, a space that has proved highly effective for and popular among Cyprus Duty Free’s brand partners.
The shop format works well. The walk-through pulls travellers through the store, leading on key category P&C (neck and neck with tobacco as a sales contributor), followed by whiskies (which will soon be reconfigured) and other spirits, then on into destination, confectionery and tobacco.
What stands out is the superb visibility across a store of over 4,000sq m all the way from the start; no gondola is over 1.4 high.
Alongside promotional hotspots the brands themselves act as stop points; Charlotte Tilbury was an immediate number one cosmetics brand in the business when it joined the beauty portfolio. Chanel, MAC, Dior and others are centrally placed on the main walkways as beacons for beauty shoppers.
The retailer makes no apology for leaning heavily into value messaging (below) across every category; bundling of multiple purchases (crucial in spirits) and special offers that give the sense that there are deals here.
The business had had to manage turbulent times, from the pandemic to the end of Russian flights due to the Ukraine war (Russians coming through other locations such as Yerevan are still 2% of passengers from 23% previously) to the latest impact of war in the Middle East.
And yet since 2018 the business has grown by over +40%. That’s a testament to the finally tuned offer, operational excellence and constantly changing rhythms at Cyprus Duty Free, led by Kypriaka, a hero of travel retail destination category spaces. ✈
