Belgian chocolatier Neuhaus showcased its Souvenir Collection of giftboxes at last week’s IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas.
Featuring colourful designs of iconic city landmarks, the full Souvenir Collection will eventually comprise 26 different country giftboxes. Locations include the USA, Hawaii, Bruges and Korea.
Said to be an ideal gift for travellers, giftboxes include 16 of Neuhaus’ icon chocolates and are ready now for shipment.
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Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report in Orlando, Neuhaus Director International Sales Philip Geeraert said that the Souvenir Collection will be a key item for the brand in travel retail. “The box designs are really bright and stand out on-shelf. We carried out a number of surveys before the IAADFS show, and first results are very, very good.”
Geeraert revealed that the company will be launching further Asian destination boxes at next month’s TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition (stand B2, G26).
Talking about Neuhaus’ travel retail business in the Americas, Geeraert said that 2015 was a strong year for the company. “Business in the Americas was very good last year. It was mainly driven by locations like Los Angeles Tom Bradley International Terminal (LAX TBIT), San Francisco, New York JFK and Hawaii. We expect to have a strong year in 2016, lots of things are happening.”
Initial feedback on the Souvenir Collection is “very good”, said Neuhaus Director International Sales Philip Geeraert (pictured) at the IAADFS show |
Neuhaus has a presence in over 200 airports in more than 65 countries. According to Geeraert, the brand’s top spending nationalities in travel retail are Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Americans, who are big spenders in Europe.
Geeraert revealed that according to research carried out by Neuhaus, 30% of consumers do not know what the price points of products are, 30% of customers think prices are more expensive in airports, 30% think prices are less in airports and only around 10% of travellers actually know the correct prices.
“Making a brand a success in airports is a challenge,” said Geeraert. “It’s a tough job for all three parties of the Trinity; to make it work requires investment, commitment, cooperation. It’s a joint partnership, brands need to work with retailers and if the opportunities are given then they should take them. It is also important to have consistency of pricing too, which is a complex issue.
“If consumers see an item they buy every day and it is retailing for more in airports then it has a very negative impact.”
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Hawaii and Korea giftboxes will be followed by further editions later in the year | |
At the beginning of March, Neuhaus began working with HMSHost and Heinemann on the Café Cocó concept at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, a partnership Geeraert is very pleased with. “We are very proud of the involvement with Café Cocó at Schiphol. Customers receive a Neuhaus chocolate with every cup of tea and coffee or glass of Champagne they purchase. It’s a great partnership between HMSHost, Heinemann, the airport and us.”
“In luxury environments, retailers are looking more and more for added value in F&B and I think this concept really fits in and has a lot of potential,” Geeraert concluded.
In terms of domestic markets, Europe is the company’s stronghold. The brand has more than 100 stores in Belgium, with France, the Netherlands and Germany also top performing countries. “Neuhaus started the Belgian chocolate tradition so we are the confectionery brand that tourists want to take away from Belgium.”
Geeraert also proudly revealed that Neuhaus is the number one selling chocolate brand in London department store Harrods.
Look out for a major launch from Neuhaus later in the year.
