AUSTRALIA. Starward Whisky Commercial Director Scott English has joined the speaker line-up for the upcoming Tasmanian Travel Retail Brand Bootcamp.
Developed by The Mercurius Group, the Travel Retail Brand Bootcamp aims to help small and emerging producers better understand and harness the brand-building power of the travel retail sector. Starting with Tasmania, the concept is being rolled out to other airports and locations across Australia and New Zealand.
The April event will include both a webinar session on 9 April and a full-day immersive classroom-style bootcamp at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hobart on 30 April.
The initiative is designed to support Platinum Sponsor, Hobart Airport, and its objective to increase local brand representation as part of a major terminal expansion. This development will see the airport triple the size of its retail programme.
Part of a burgeoning Australian whisky industry, with over 400 distilleries across the country, Starward Whisky won The Most Awarded Distillery of the Year at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
It was the first Australian distillery to take the top honour in the event’s 22-year history, with Starward competing against close to 5,000 of the world’s renowned spirits.
Starward’s journey in travel retail started in its home state of Victoria, Australia, with a listing in Lotte Duty Free at Melbourne Airport. This was followed by partnerships with Gebr Heinemann at Sydney Airport; DFS across various locations; LagardèreAWPL at Auckland, Adelaide and Cairns airports; Avolta at Perth Airport and Lotte Duty Free at Singapore Changi Airport.
Starward has also recently sealed distribution in key international locations with Dubai Duty Free, and with Gebr Heinemann in Europe including Amsterdam, Istanbul, Copenhagen and Frankfurt.
As reported, Starward Whisky was a first-time exhibitor at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last year.
“We are delighted to be able to share our travel retail experience with other Australian brands,” English said. “We will share what we have learnt about pricing, packaging, promotions, new product development and the role of trade shows. The Bootcamp is a great initiative for emerging brands; I wish it was around when we started our journey.”
The Mercurius Group Managing Director Ivo Favotto added: “An important part of the Bootcamp learning experience is about hearing from others who have already made the journey and Starward Whisky has not only made the journey but is flourishing in the travel retail channel. We are truly excited to have them on-board.”
The Bootcamp is supported by the Tasmanian State Government, which saw an opportunity to help develop Tasmanian brands beyond Tasmania and with Hobart International Airport as the Platinum Sponsor.
LagardèreAWPL and SSP have also joined the project as sponsors. So too has travel retail consumer research specialist TH?NK Global Research and Tasmania’s Callington Mill Distillery, which entered the travel retail channel after successful exhibiting at the 2023 Australian Airports Association (AAA) Retail & Commercial Forum. The Moodie Davitt Report is a Gold Sponsor.
Delegate registration to attend the Tasmanian Travel Retail Brand Bootcamp 2024 is open via The Mercurius Group’s website: Tasmanian Retail Bootcamp | The Mercurius Group
For further details on the event and for Australasian sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Ivo Favotto, The Mercurius Group on ifavotto@themercuriusgroup.com.
(Note: the 2024 AAA Retail & Commercial Forum, co-organised by the AAA, The Mercurius Group and The Moodie Davitt Report, takes place on 22-24 July, 2024 in Melbourne, as reported. Further details on the AAA website: Airport Retail and Commercial Forum 2024 – Australian Airports Association.) ✈
