INTERNATIONAL. Leading cruise travel retailer Starboard has announced a new corporate structure across three business units – Starboard Cruise, Starboard Luxury and Starboard Resort.
The newly named Starboard Group has also revealed plans to enter land-based retail with Starboard-branded boutiques to open by the end of 2024 and early 2025 with resort developer Westgate Resorts.
The company said it is entering “a new era of growth with an expansive vacation retail business vision and expanded capabilities.”
Starboard Cruise, the foundation of the company, manages retail on more than 90 ships across 15 cruise line partners, with expanded ecommerce capabilities and other products. Starboard Cruise has secured the onboard retail contract for Royal Caribbean International’s third Icon Class ship, Icon III, slated to launch in 2026.
Each portfolio will be led by a senior executive: VP, General Manager Claudia King-McWilliams for Royal Caribbean and Asia; VP, General Manager Stuart Breen for Carnival Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages and TUI Cruises; and VP, General Manager Ivette Pimentel for Celebrity Cruises and Holland America.
Starboard Luxury, said the group, has experienced “explosive growth in the luxury segment” since forming with six luxury and ultra-luxury cruise lines in its portfolio. Starboard Luxury aims to introduce unique and elevated retail concepts, products and experiences designed and curated for luxury travellers, with a heavy emphasis on artisans and local goods from destinations around the world.
The newest division, Starboard Resort, is created on the basis that “consumers on both cruise and resort vacations share a similar mindset, travelling for an average of seven days, often celebrating something special, and exploring unique destinations, making this a natural next step for the group”. Starboard Resort will design and deliver shopping environments “that capture the essence of each resort and its location with tailored retail strategies that deepen owner and guest engagement and elevate resort ambiance while driving growth and profitability”.
Stacy Shaw has been named SVP, Luxury & Resorts and will lead the Starboard Luxury and Starboard Resort business units.
As noted, Starboard Resort will launch its entry into land-based resorts with Westgate Resorts, one of the largest resort developers in the US.
“Starboard is experiencing tremendous growth, which is enabling us to broaden our vacation retail business while staying true to our North Star purpose, to Curate a Vibrant World,” said Starboard Group President and CEO Lisa Bauer.
“We’ve strategically reflected on the key drivers of our future success, focusing on strengthening our core cruise business while venturing into new channels, including our entry into land-based retail this year as well as aligning our organisation around key future focused opportunities.”
In key people moves, Lisa Kauffman has been named Chief Marketing and Experience Officer. She will lead a new department focused on Retailtainment – immersive and engaging events and activations, as well as the creation of “unique and compelling retail environments, digital experience and ecommerce”.
Another competitive advantage of Starboard Group’s joint venture with ONE (Open Network Exchange) is that the group is positioned to deliver an extensive Marketplace ecommerce solution on land and at sea pre, during and post a guest’s vacation experience, said Starboard.
Starboard Group has named Sherrie Day Head of Private Brand and Product Development. The company said it will offer expanded assortments of exclusive product offerings, “contributing to continued differentiation across cruise line and land partners as well as win/win profitability”.
As reported in December, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton struck an agreement to sell a majority stake in Starboard and sister company Onboard Media, to a group of investors. These were led by Jim Gissy, Executive Vice President of Westgate Resorts, with LVMH remaining “an important minority shareholder”. At the time, the investors said the plan would be to extend Starboard’s retailing expertise from cruise ships to vacation locations on land.
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