Our regular feature, brought to you in association with Strange Nature gin from New Zealand, celebrates memorable scenes, moments, launches and campaigns related to the global aviation and travel retail sphere.
IRELAND/UK. The return of duty free liquor & tobacco on UK routes to and from the European Union following Brexit was a boost not just for the airport sector, but also for ferries on UK-France and UK-Ireland crossings.
On UK-Ireland routes, ferry companies such as Stena Line (Stena Nordica pictured on this page in our image choice today) and Irish Ferries have hailed the increased onboard sales and profits delivered by the duty free channel.
Value messaging on cigarettes and standard spirits plays a big role in amplifying the appeal of these core categories as our images also show.
That business was boosted by strong travel over the Christmas and New Year period. For Stena Line, this includes not only its ships but also its land-based business (in several shipping containers) through affiliate R&F Travel Retail at Holyhead port, pictured.
It may not always have the merchandising one associates with the airport world (though in some cases it is a match), but the ferry business delivers valuable volume and profit for retailers and brands, especially in duty free environments. On these UK routes this represents one (rare) example of a Brexit benefit. ✈
