Mahiki coconut rum, owned by Copper Dog Founder and nightclub, bar and restaurant entrepreneur Piers Adam, has launched exclusively with World Duty Free at London Stansted and Manchester airports.
The rum, priced at £25 (€28.70) for 1-litre, is being promoted via a Mahiki tiki bar activation at Stansted and Manchester. It is available exclusively at both locations until September.
The tiki bar, which plays the same soundtrack as Mahiki nightclub in London, features a brand ambassador who offers tastings and product information.
“I want Mahiki to become a great British brand” – Piers Adam
The promotions will run until mid-June and further pop-ups are planned at Heathrow and Gatwick airports later in the summer. The brand company said it is also in talks with Gebr Heinemann to launch Mahiki rum at Copenhagen Airport.
During the activation period, customers who purchase a bottle of Mahiki will receive a free lip balm which tastes like the rum.
TV presenter and celebrity Mark Wright entertained travellers at the Stansted World Duty Free store last Thursday with an hour’s DJ set. He posed for selfies and signed bottles of Mahiki rum. The Moodie Davitt Report was the exclusive media at the event.
Mahiki Founder Piers Adam revealed that during the activation period so far, Mahiki rum has been the best-selling spirit in World Duty Free at Stansted Airport. Adam said: “Initial results are really encouraging and it shows the market awareness of Mahiki. When making the liquid, [our production partner] Diageo conducted a survey in the UK and 27% of people had heard of Mahiki , which is positive.”
Mahiki coconut rum (21% abv) is made from a blend of real coconut, Polynesian and Jamaican rum. The product aims to encapsulate the Mahiki nightclub experience in a bottle and is targeted primarily at females aged between 18 to 25.
To further support the launch, Mahiki rum is the official drinks partner for the Baywatch 2017 film, which stars Zac Efron and Dwayne Johnson. Mahiki is giving away over 3,000 pairs of Baywatch branded sunglasses during the promotional period at Manchester and Stansted airports.
Adam commented: “We have won awards for our Mahiki bar cocktails so thought it was right to do a brand extension. We chose to launch at Stansted and Manchester because the UK market knows the brand. I like to think small and creatively but I really think that Mahiki as a brand, be it bars or rums, can go global. I want Mahiki to become a great British brand.”
Adam continued: “I try to always have a bit of fun and not take things too seriously. Travel retail is the perfect launch platform to convey that. The great thing about travel retail is that so many people can see the product and taste it.
“I’m so incredibly thankful to travel retail”– Piers Adam
“One day I would like to do Mahiki bars in airports because there is a symbiotic relationship between travel and having a cocktail. I think Mahiki fits nicely within duty free, from the bar experience to the customer experience and the liquid.”
Commenting on the partnership with World Duty Free, Adam said the retailer had been ‘fabulous’ to Mahiki as a small brand. “They [World Duty Free] have given us a huge opportunity to launch, which in turn gives my team confidence and creates excitement. When my young employees see this kind of event happening, they then feel like they are really part of a global brand rather than just working in a bar. I’m so incredibly thankful to travel retail.”
[Brand promoter Sunny has a dance-off with a hen party at Stansted Airport]
