NORDIC REGION. On 19 January Tallink Duty Free gathered business partners to celebrate the recent launch of its new MyStar vessel and the opening of 2,500sq m of well-executed retail space onboard. The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt, who was on location with Tallink in the Baltic Sea, examines some of the onboard highlights and key talking points. We also feature reaction about the new shopping environment and offer from key brand partners below.
*For our online story from the day of our visit in words, images and videos, please click here. For coverage on this story in The Moodie Davitt eZine, click here.
The digital dynamic
An unmissable feature of the new environment is the level of digital engagement. This runs from LED screens dotted through each category to the eye-catching promotional space with its wraparound display. It is especially impactful as you descend from level eight to seven in the heart of the shopping area.
Currently housing campaigns and launches from Toblerone, Finlandia, Lancôme and Lombard wines, you can see why other brands are clamouring for month-long spots in this zone, both for sampling and for the chance to engage the traveller through technology.
Engagement via digital is now just about the store: pre-order and web shop offers are closely connected to driving loyalty (Tallink has 2.9 million Club One members) through regular communications with consumers.
Beauty to the fore
The 500sq m of perfumes & cosmetics on level eight represents a new standard for beauty in the regional maritime travel retail market, brand owners told us. You can see why. Alongside the chance to use the large LED screens, there are high-impact back walls and gondolas that allow better showcasing of brands than you’ll see in most ferry retail environments. Consumers will find an unexpected breadth of range and newness aplenty, including skincare from Estonia or Finland with strong sustainability credentials, alongside a solid international brand range.
Shop-in-shops for key brands La Mer, Jo Malone and Kiehl’s are a particular highlight, with La Roche Posay– a first for the cruise ferry business in Europe – and Kylie Cosmetics, a first for the retailer onboard, add further lustre.
Regional flavour
The expansive Nordic Corner on deck seven allows many regional brands to shine in generous space not normally associated with the cruise ferry business. Finnish character Moomin carries huge international appeal, which Tallink aims to tap into with a dedicated zone plus a fun photo opportunity with the Moomin ‘family’ of characters.
Finnish brands such as design house Marimekko and Globe Hope also feature prominently, as does powerhouse Danish brand Lego.
A fresh view of fashion
Nobody can argue that Tallink is under-indexing on men’s fashion on this ship. Of the 700sq m of fashion & accessories, a big area on deck eight is devoted to men’s apparel, shoes and other items, where brands such as Gant, Camel, Tommy Hilfiger, Superdry and Lindberg of Denmark are prominent. Brands that have high youth appeal such as Vans, Jack and Jones, New Era and Only offer further variety.
Women’s luxury of course receives strong treatment too, with Furla, Coccinelle, Bally, Coach, Samsonite Victorinox, Swarovski, Gucci, St. Laurent, Michael Kors, Prada and Versace in focus.
Further on, a fashion pop-up area (currently housing Calvin Klein) features a regularly changing selection of goods that are exclusive to MyStar within the Tallink fleet.
A haven for wines & spirits
Wines across price points, regions and styles represent another stand-out feature of MyStar, and certainly exceed in space and variety what you’ll find at many leading airports.
Within spirits, there is room for single malts alongside standard whisky ranges and Cognacs popular with regional travellers including Larsen and Renault. A fine selection of gins, including some novelties, suggests a category that still has a big role to play in driving growth in the spirits business.
Special editions
Tallink has striven to surprise across the offer, with every category housing some ranges that can only be found on this ship, or on its fleet. Regular travellers will be familiar with Tallink’s own branded chocolates, a staple of the assortment for a long time, but there is much more besides, including special onboard editions from Fazer and Toblerone.
Drinks products exclusive to MyStar include Veuve Clicquot MyStar Champagne, Estonian handcrafted Junimperium MyStar Special Edition gin, MyStar flagship Cognac by Larsen and Teerenpeli MyStar special edition single malt whiskey.
Sustainability
Tallink’s big focus on sustainability in the materials used onboard and in how the ship was built translates to the retail arena and offer. Mondelez World Travel Retail built a major unit in the centre of the confectionery area using only recycled materials (see below). There are many stories of sustainable products that chime with the retailer’s ethos too, whether it’s Natty organic craft nut butters, Remedyway treats from certified organic farming or Meki dried berries, or many more examples.
View from the brands
During our visit with Tallink Duty Free on 19 January, we gauged the views of some key brand partners about the environment and experience onboard MyStar.
The Estée Lauder Companies Vice President/General Manager, Travel Retail Europe, Middle East and Africa Umair Ansari
“We have a great partnership with Tallink and this great new space on the innovative MyShip offers the very best consumer experiences to shoppers onboard. This continues our partnership of opening dedicated spaces for our brands, including La Mer, Jo Malone London, Tom Ford Beauty, Estée Lauder, Clinique and Origins and our presence allows us to offer a much-expanded assortment to travelling consumers. It takes these brands to a new level in the maritime retail environment.”
L’Oréal Area Manager Travel Retail EMEA Yann Gounon
“We have a long-lasting strong partnership with Tallink and we are excited to introduce La Roche-Posay for the first time onboard a ship anywhere in Europe together.
“We share the same passion with Tallink to introduce new brands which paved the way to the launch of La Roche-Posay onboard, as the number one dermo-cosmetic brand worldwide. As L’Oréal, we are excited about this new addition to our already existing portfolio of unique brands in the skincare category. We are looking forward to stretching the presence of La Roche-Posay further to other ships of the fleet in the months to come.
“Partnering with dermatologists to develop skincare products that address a wide range of skin needs is in the DNA of La Roche-Posay; therefore, our consumers will have access not only to our products but also they will benefit from our dedicated dermatology experts onboard.”
Mondelez World Travel Retail Senior Business Development Manager Europe & America Peter Max
“We have long had a strong partnership with Tallink, which is among our biggest customers in the Nordic region. With MyStar we are building on this to reflect the needs of travellers and their shopping behaviour.
“That means a big focus on sustainability. We recognise that the new generation has a different sustainability agenda and we need to live that agenda. In terms of sustainability, we are also where the retailer wants us to be.
“A good example is the POS we have built for Toblerone in this environment, where we have used recycled products. That helps us live the wider sustainability agenda. We developed a scorecard two years ago, that is also available to the industry, to benchmark how we produce and use POS material. It’s about walking the talk.
“It also promotes the values of our Cocoa Life programme to the consumer, and through QR codes and other messaging we can explain what is behind this.
“We have also introduced a snack & go option with Tallink that brings smaller, convenient packs to the shopper at the tills. It suits the needs of the Tallink shopper for on-the-go snacking and helps the retailer increase basket size in the category.
“With personalisation such a key driver of purchase today, offering the option to print their own Toblerone sleeve is an important additional service. We also create personalised ribbons that can be used for gifting. These play on the need to offer not just retail but also an experience. We have to continue to succeed through differentiation, while doing theatre and personalisation even better than ever.
“We are continuing to build on the power of our international brands in this region, with Toblerone SKUs among those leading in confectionery.”
Fazer Director, Travel Retail Kari Kuikka
“We have a long and close cooperation with Tallink. The cruise ferry channel is very important for Fazer; we use it to test and pilot new products and bring selected novelties here before even domestic markets.
“Our digital presence is powerful here, and is the first time we have installed a visual solution on this scale in the ferry channel. It is adaptable too – once different nationalities come and other languages are required, for example Korean or Chinese, we can message them directly from our dedicated space.
“It is a big opportunity for us because it also brings our portfolio together well. This includes best-selling tablets from Karl Fazer, our Geisha line, Moomin licensed confectionery – which is hugely popular with Asian visitors – and our other regional lines.”
Liviko Export Marketing Specialist Gloria Hallaste
“Tallink is a very good customer and partner for Liviko. We aim to do more to support each other in the categories we play in and with our brands from Crafter’s gin to Vana Tallinn liqueur.
“These have a very good presence onboard and are important for our expansion plans. With each we are continuing to innovate, trying new flavours and expressions, as we grow in travel retail and export markets.”
Brown-Forman Manager – GTR Europe North Victor Hafström
“We are very active in the Nordic cruise ferry channel and Tallink is a vital regional partner that we collaborate closely with over many years. We are very happy to see the level of investment in this ship and in the drinks category.
“We are pleased to have such an impactful presence with Finlandia in the promotional area in this early phase for MyStar. It allows us to speak directly to customers and offer them an experience as they interact with our ambassador, learn about cocktail making and satisfy their interest about the brand using the QR codes on display.
“Jack Daniel’s will receive further dedicated exposure, as will our single malts, led by Benriach and Glendronach, which are playing to the growth of those premium whiskies in this region.
“Jack Daniel’s has a big presence already with a number of our travel retail exclusives featured onboard, alongside Woodford Reserve – which is helping to widen interest in premium American whiskies. 
