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INTERNATIONAL. Starboard Cruise Services, a division of LVMH Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, has been awarded the onboard retail concessions on Crystal Cruises.
The cruise concessionaire will operate onboard Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity – which each carry around 1,000 passengers – from Spring 2014.
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Starboard described Crystal Cruises as an ultra-luxury brand and pointed out that, compared to operators of larger ships, it had high-ticket revenue price points. It added that it also had a very high percentage of repeat guests, often embarking on long journeys.
Starboard Cruise Services Senior Vice President Finance & Administration Ares Michaelides said: “Given the strength of our organisation, our accessibility to the high-end brands that suit the discerning Crystal demographic and the very strong merchandising capabilities of our team, we are confident we can greatly enhance the retail environment, maximise the beautiful shopping spaces and, in turn, increase retail sales.”
He added that Starboard was currently studying Crystal’s historical sales information to determine the best brands and categories of merchandise.
“We will continue to operate in their current environment, and will likely build out the retail space to ensure that the newly introduced luxury brands are best merchandised and parallel the guest experience,” he said.
“The retail experience we deliver should always be an extension of that brand essence.”
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Crystal Serenity is one of two cruise ships operated by Crystal Cruises |
Approximately 70% of Crystal Cruises’ passengers are North American, with the rest a mix of international travellers from the UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, and other affluent markets.
Starboard Cruise Services was featured in The Moodie Report Print Edition for July as one The World’s Top 25 Travel Retailers, ranked by annual turnover, with close to US$600 million in sales in 2012. Its current cruise line partners include Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Lines and Celebrity Cruises.
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