Welcome to the second annual TREX Awards results.
Following the success of the inaugural edition last year, The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted and proud to reveal the results of this trailblazing celebration of the finest travel retail-exclusive (TREX) products and related innovations worldwide.
The results are being released in phases this week.
Spanning multiple categories, TREX recognises differentiation and excellence within travel retail, shining a spotlight on products, campaigns and collaborations that deliver unique, channel-specific value to travellers.
The top performer in each category secures the prestigious Winner title, awarded to the entry that best embodies unrivalled excellence. Gold and Silver follow (only where merited), acknowledging fellow excellent initiatives, resulting in a tiered celebration of the industry’s most outstanding channel-exclusive products and innovations.
Today we reveal the results of the Children’s Products, intensely competitive Confectionery & Food, and Cosmetics categories.
Submissions were assessed by a diverse panel of experts, led by veteran drinks and travel retail sector executive Tim Young, UK-based Founder & Managing Director of Young Spirit Consulting. Tim has enjoyed a stellar career across more than three decades in senior management roles with two of the world’s largest spirits companies, Seagram and Brown-Forman.
Tim was joined by The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie, creator of the TREX Awards and host of the acclaimed new B2B-B2C crossover video series, The TREX Factor.
Martin has spent almost four decades in the industry and is a perennial champion of the travel retail-exclusive (forever known going forward as TREX) concept and considers himself almost as old as the original T-Rex/Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The panel is completed by Hong Kong-based Canny Kwok, Director for Search and Consulting at Exquisitz Asia and a highly regarded figure in the Asian beauty and travel retail worlds. Canny has more than 30 years of business development and market growth experience across Asia, Mid Pacific, Hawaii and mainland USA, specialising in luxury travel retail across jewellery, watches, accessories, and perfume & cosmetics.
Martin Moodie said: “The volume and quality of submissions in our second TREX awards is glowing testament to the burgeoning importance of the TREX concept to retailers, airports and brands alike.
“Truly differentiated, not token, products are now a critical element of any travel retailer’s mix. Intensifying and often cut-throat pricing competition from cross-border ecommerce, other online platforms and low-cost local market operators, actually leaves travel retailers little choice but to say, ‘Hey, you can find something different and interesting here that you will not find anywhere else.’
“Communicating that point of difference is as critical as the TREX itself and the judges felt that too many entries this year let themselves down by not shouting that exclusivity from the store rooftops.
“Once again in our judging, we have made it clear that simple size variations or packaging tweaks don’t constitute a meaningful TREX. In our assessments, we were searching for products that truly enhanced the travel retail proposition through genuine differentiation, stand-out quality and value.
“I am delighted to say that we discovered many such gems. The scoring in several categories – confectionery, spirits and marketing, in particular – was incredibly competitive. That reflects an impressively high-calibre TREX roll-call for 2026.”
The TREX results follow below by category. Silver and Gold (when awarded) are listed first, followed by the Winner.
The results culminate with the reveal of The Patogotitan Award – the highest-ranked TREX across all categories.
Silver: Lilo & Stitch Singapore Merchandise – Lagardère Travel Retail Singapore
The TREX proposition: The Lilo & Stitch Singapore Destination Collection was launched by Lagardère Travel Retail-run Discover Singapore as a TREX to coincide with the launch of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch movie in 2025. Featuring Stitch, one of The Walt Disney Company’s most beloved characters, the collection reimagines a globally recognised icon within a uniquely Singaporean setting.
Judges’ comments:
A nice souvenir-based TREX, whose Singapore scenes give the products a clear differentiation.
An excellent collaboration between Disney and Lagardère Travel Retail to launch this special collection, giving a clear sense of place to internationally popular animated figures.
Destination collections offer rich pickings for TREX products. This collaboration with the ever-popular Lilo & Stitch characters reimagines them in Singapore settings. A neat concept.
What better place for Stitch to crash to Earth than such a beautiful destination as Changi Airport? The range (from wearable T-shirts to collectible keepsakes) neatly combines playful characters appeal with cultural storytelling.
Gold: Portugal Duty Free Happy Charity Puppets – Portugal Duty Free (ARI/ANA Aeropuertos de Portugal)
The TREX proposition: Portugal Duty Free’s Happy Charity Puppets showcase both the retailer’s ESG commitments and a strong sense of place within the travel retail environment. Using a quintet of Portugal Duty Free mascots (the ‘Duty Friends’), the puppets were designed to offer passengers a playful farewell from Portugal while also supporting Terra dos Sonhos (see details below), an outstanding Portuguese non-profit organisation.
Judges’ comments:
An excellent charitable TREX and related promotion by ARI, simultaneously promoting the airport, a good cause and an environmentally friendly product. Well done, and I hope to see more similar activities in airports globally.
Love the fact that this product is rooted in place (Portugal) and has a link to charity. Good results and nicely executed. A very close second in this category for me.
A really neat concept that fuses Corporate Social Responsibility with a fun children’s product. Five Portugal Duty Free puppet mascots – the ‘Duty Friends’, Duarte (Lisbon), Diana (Faro), Diogo (Porto), Dinis (Madeira) and Dora (Azores) – offer passengers a playful farewell from Portugal while also supporting a fine cause.
Terra dos Sonhos, a Portuguese non-profit organisation, promotes the well-being of children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations.
This TREX was designed in Portugal with a strong focus on environmental responsibility. The Happy Puppets are made of 100% recycled PET Plastic. Each toy uses the equivalent of one recycled 500ml PET bottle, saving 920ml of water, 100 watts of electricity, 100ml of oil and a 620g reduction in carbon emissions.
There is a real feeling of cultural and social responsibility integrity here, a hallmark of Portugal Duty Free. Outstanding and a near-winner for me.
Winner: Munz Sportsline Football, Tennis, Basketball – Maestrani Swiss Chocolates
The TREX proposition: In 2025, Munz introduced the Munz Sportsline TREX, an innovative children’s product combining premium Swiss milk chocolate with an interactive sports game. The concept was exclusively launched with Dubai Duty Free, supported by a high-visibility activation.
Munz Sportsline is a hybrid product: chocolate balls are packed inside a reusable sports-themed tin that doubles as a game element. Each variant represents a different sport – football, basketball or tennis – encouraging children to choose their favourite and collect multiple editions. The tin can be used as a basket to catch the ball, while the included wristband enables creative, movement-based play using hands, arms or feet.
Judges’ comments:
A great exclusive product, delicious and playful. The launch activations were also very well executed with impactful displays.
All-round excellent TREX. Really like the combination of chocolate and a sports game. This is a fun product. Good scores across all metrics.
This is fun with a capital F. I have personally seen the level of consumer engagement it engenders. And I am talking young and old (in my case, very old). But this is no gimmicky product. The chocolate is high quality as you would expect from Maestrani and the presentation superb.
An in-store showstopper. Bravo on every level.
Silver: Kueh Lapis in Bamboo Container for SG60 – Lagardère Travel Retail Singapore
The TREX proposition: Created exclusively for Discover Singapore store at Changi Airport to commemorate Singapore’s 60th year of independence in August 2025, the Kueh Lapis in Bamboo Lunchbox is a TREX confectionery concept that marries heritage, sustainability and modern convenience in a single, cohesive offering.
At its heart is Lapis Legit, more commonly known locally as Kueh Lapis. This highly popular and luxurious layered cake was introduced to Singapore in the 19th century and later embraced by the Peranakan community.
Judges’ comments:
A TREX that combines sense and taste of place, timeliness (it was launched to celebrate Singapore’s 60th year of independence) and a commitment to sustainability. This premium, layered Peranakan cake makes for a memorable, travel-friendly gift.
A very good product combining storytelling, craftsmanship and an environmental angle.
Lapis Legit in a bamboo lunchbox pack (innovative and reusable packaging). Lacks channel- and Changi-exclusivity references on the packaging, however, or I would have scored it higher.
Gold: Cyprus Duty Free Adopt a Hive – ARI
The TREX proposition: Cyprus Duty Free’s Adopt a Hive initiative began in early 2025, when the team partnered with Oros Machaira bee farm as part of an ongoing ESG initiative. Since April 2025, the retailer’s adopted hives have so far pollinated an estimated 9 billion flowers across Cyprus, a powerful reminder of how collective action supports ecosystems, biodiversity, and food sustainability.
As a result, Cyprus Duty Free launched Cyprus Duty Free Honey – a TREX produced by the workers, as it were, within the retailer’s hives at Oros Machairas and available exclusively at Larnaca and Paphos airports.
Judges’ comments:
Very strong environmental focus on this launch. The packaging is very well-executed and attractive.
I like so much about this understated entry. It scores on every level. Let’s start with the parlance – Adopt a Hive. How cool, caring and personal is that?
And what a lovely, authentic and sustainable keepsake of Cyprus. The labelling on the jars tells the story of the partnership, as well as the positive environmental impact Cyprus Duty Free has created through the hive adoption.
Such storytelling, which in this case encourages passengers to ‘Shop with Purpose’, is arguably as important to a successful TREX as the product itself.
A very good airport-exclusive honey with wonderful links to the local environment.
Gold: Toblerone Converter Bar – Mondelez World Travel Retail
The TREX proposition: In April 2025, Mondelez World Travel Retail expanded its Toblerone portfolio with the Toblerone Converter Bar, a 200g Milk bar with travel-exclusive Gen Z messages.
The Toblerone Converter Bar, ‘Chosen by Gen Z for Gen Z’ was born. Two new on-pack messages – ‘Total Bestie Vibes’ and ‘Seriously Epic Travel’, both exclusive to travel retail and to the Toblerone Converter Bar, embraced the parlance of a generation.
Judges’ comments:
A clever idea to offer a product that might drive people to post about it on their social media. Also a unique gift idea.
Budget friendly. Aimed at Gen Z shoppers. Results are very strong. Messages on bar are relevant to the target shopper. Marketing activity seems to be display led.
Based on some impressively extensive consumer research, Mondelez World Travel Retail concluded that gifting to friends is the leading chocolate purchase occasion in duty free for both Gen Z and Millennials.
A range of message options was provided to participants to determine the most popular selections among both Gen Z and other age groups.
While my generation (Baby Boomers) might shudder at such phrases as ‘Total Bestie Vibes’ and ‘Seriously Epic Travel’ (the latter a tautology if ever there was one), that is precisely the point. This is not a Baby Boomer TREX (I wonder what the wording would be in such an equivalent) so ‘Total Bestie Vibes’ and ‘Seriously Epic Travel’ it is.
Impressive results, too. The launch of the Converter Bar resulted in a tripling of penetration for this bar format (+244% in three months after implementation).
Total sales of the Toblerone bar 200g range continue to be incremental and have not cannibalised the core, indicating 1) That the converter bar is relevant for new consumers and 2) How successful line extensions can amplify the original brand proposition.
Gold: My City Trip – Haribo
The TREX proposition: Launched in April 2025, My City Trip offers an innovative, travel retail-exclusive product that celebrates Europe’s iconic cities and tourist attractions and creates deeper, more sustained engagement with the traveller – embedding the product more deeply into the journey and beyond.
Judges’ comments:
An exciting travel-related product, and the game is a nice addition for travellers to kill some time while waiting at the gate.
Travel edition called out on the packaging. Great reach with activations in 250 stores. Nice digital game element. Very TR-relevant and differentiated. Would have liked to see more results in the nomination.
An outstanding concept, supported by a well-written entry, My City Trip is a TREX with a difference, celebrating travel (and, in particular, European cities and tourist attractions), making shopping an intrinsic and fun part of the journey.
Whoever thought this concept up, take a bow. My City Trip offers a range of six colours and six flavours with each shape sharing a story echoing the major landmarks, history and culture of Europe.
To deepen engagement with the traveller, the pack also includes a QR-activated digital game that encourages customers to share in an entertaining journey of discovery across Europe. Wunderbar!
Gold: The Power of Pistachio: Elevating iconic confectionery formats through flavour-led innovation – Lindt & Sprüngli Global Travel Retail
The TREX proposition: Developed exclusively for global travel retail, the Lindt Pistachio Flavour Festival responds to travellers’ growing appetite for distinctive, premium pistachio-led chocolate flavours.
The performance of Lindt’s Dubai Style Chocolate, launched in 2024, contributed to heightened demand for pistachio products, prompting the introduction of this complementary Limited Edition Pistachio Range in 2025.
Judges’ comments:
An exciting and wide-reaching campaign riding on the Dubai chocolate/pistachio wave. Impeccable in-store execution.
As you would expect from such a renowned chocolate brand, this is a very well thought-through TREX with many boxes ticked from a communication and responsibility point of view. Results are strong. However, I wonder why TREX is not written on the packaging rather than ‘Limited Edition’.
Flavour-led innovation has become quite the thing in travel retail, a dynamic that has helped create what I call true TREX integrity, rather than the mere packaging or size variations that so often masqueraded as travel retail-exclusive products (especially) in this category in the past.
Lindt takes the view that flavour can be a scalable platform for premiumisation within travel retail and I agree. Launched initially as a TREX with Avolta, it was then rolled out to other travel retailers. The results (provided by Lindt but not for publication) are impressive.
Gold: Lindt Tokyo Style 2025 – Avolta
The proposition: Lindt Tokyo Style Chocolade – Matcha Strawberry, a definitive TREX, was created as part of Lindt’s handcrafted ‘Style Chocolade’. This limited edition marked the next expression of the brand’s commitment to merging global cultural heritage with Swiss chocolate mastery.
Judges’ comments:
A beautifully authentic TREX on multiple levels. Rather than just tapping into the global matcha trend, Lindt chose to create both a product and a cultural experience.
The aim was to encapsulate a translation of centuries-old Japanese tea tradition within a contemporary travel retail experience that tapped directly into the surging worldwide popularity of matcha.
The TREX component was underlined emphatically by the fact only 300 artisanal numbered tablets were produced globally. Each tablet became a collectible (until consumed at least, which based on the quality of the chocolate, one suspects was pretty fast…).
The launch itself was a classic example of how to launch and showcase a TREX. For the global premiere at Zurich Airport, Avolta and Lindt chose an in-store activation shaped to mirror the quiet elegance of tea preparation and cultural heritage behind it.
Premium showcases highlighted the tablet’s artisanal character, storytelling elements explained Chamei matcha, and guided sampling invited travellers to explore the flavour profile. I liked these words from the nomination very much: “In an environment defined by movement, the activation offered a rare pause; an encounter with stillness, craftsmanship and cultural depth.”
Responsibility and cultural respect played a central role in the initiative. By choosing ceremonial grade matcha with clearly communicated origin, Lindt ensured authenticity rather than superficial trend adoption. Bravo on every level and a very near overall winner for me.
A very strong activation in Zurich for this exclusively made limited-edition chocolate, riding on the matcha trend. Very well done.
Only 300 tablets available. Excellent differentiation with a TREX Matcha Strawberry flavour. 360-degree activation with Avolta.
Gold: Anatol – BTA Havalimanlı Yiyecek İçecek
The proposition: ANATOL is a TREX confectionery Masterbrand inspired by Anatolia. Uniting Turkish delight, baklava, and cookies under one contemporary design system, it transforms traditional flavours into elevated gifting objects.
Representing 41% of category revenue and 11% of total store sales with only 2% of SKUs, it delivers exceptional commercial impact.
Judges’ comments:
This is quite the success story, from identifying a niche in an already well-supplied market, to developing an exciting product and marketing it in an impactful manner with a wide assortment.
A well thought-through TREX tailored to passengers in Antalya Airport. Destination-specific expression for Antalya only. Great for gifting purchases and very attractive design-led packaging. The collectible stone coaster as part of the pack is a nice piece of added value.
Now this is interesting. A TREX NOT sold in duty free.
How so? Simple. Anatol was developed and launched in May 2025 as part of BTA’s new landside Relay store opening at Antalya Airport.
Its creators tackled a basic challenge. Turkish confectionery is a core souvenir category but Turkish Delight was already widely available in duty free and visually indistinguishable within a crowded destination merchandise/souvenir sector.
The solution? A purpose-built TREX brand inspired by Anatolia and created in close collaboration with Cakes & Bakes Factory.
It combines a troika of tasty Turkish options – Turkish Delight, Baklava and Cookies. I particularly admired the parlance here, “The initiative repositions Turkish confectionery from a cliché souvenir into a design-led, contemporary gifting object, combining flavour-coded packaging architecture with an integrated collectible natural stone coaster.”
A TREX created for Antalya’s specific traveller profile – not as a generic national souvenir product. And just look at the numbers: 41% of category revenue and 11% of total store sales with only 2% of SKUs.
A role model destination TREX and a very near winner for me.
Winner: Toblerone Crunchy Popcorn – Mondelez World Travel Retail
The proposition: Toblerone Crunchy Popcorn launch was developed in collaboration with Avolta as a hyper-exclusive travel retail innovation. Only 2,000 of the individually numbered bars (combining a new golden chocolate blend with caramelised popcorn, toasted corn and salted caramel pieces) were produced.
They were released exclusively at Athens International Airport, in partnership with Avolta, during a two-month period between September and November 2025. Daily availability was limited to 33 bars, ensuring uniqueness remained visible and consistent throughout the activation.
Judges’ comments:
A very thorough campaign. The execution is impactful and whimsical, as can be seen in the overall sales increase for the brand.
Scarcity is a fabulous marketing tool and Toblerone has used it well with this hyper-exclusive product for Athens International Airport. I like the fact they have created urgency by only making 33 bars available each day.
Mondelez World Travel Retail leveraged Club Avolta to good effect and used influencers to create awareness.
Results were very good for the whole range. I like the innovation from a product, execution and communication perspective.
Hyper-exclusivity. Dwell on the term for a moment. This is precisely the kind of concept travel retail should be majoring on to emphasise differentiation, desirability and discovery.
As the entry notes, rarity has become a powerful driver of those three ‘D’s’. And travel retail should be no exception.
I also liked how this entry passed the true TREX test. This was far from a packaging or size twist but a genuinely innovative line extension in terms of flavour and a notable three-tier reusable packaging system, which reinforced its collectible positioning.
Prominent ‘Athens Exclusive’ messaging immediately communicated uniqueness, while a live counter displaying the number of daily bars still available transformed availability into visible retail theatre and created urgency as stocks reduced.
Each purchaser received a commemorative certificate linked to their individually numbered bar, reinforcing ownership and collectability.
A real standout in this year’s TREX Awards and a richly deserving winner against some high-class opposition.
Gold: Kylie Matte Lip Kit Lipstick Set 354 – Coty
The proposition: The Kylie Cosmetics Matte Lip Kit in the new shade 354 Until Further Notice is presented as an exclusive offer dedicated entirely to travel retail. The initiative translates one of the brand’s bestsellers – the Matte Lip Kit – in a custom-designed shade and packaging available only within the channel.
The kit delivers a complete, ready-to-wear matte lip routine through a duo composed of a creamy Lip Liner and a high-pigment Matte Liquid Lipstick. Personally selected by Kylie, the shade 354 Until Further Notice introduces a coral-pink nude tone.
Judges’ comments:
A trendy product, and it’s good to see a TREX shade. Beautifully packaged.
I like that ‘Travel Exclusive’ is highlighted on the packaging.
A high-class TREX, well-suited to a female traveller’s needs. I love the stand-out packaging, a complete wow.
I also like the ‘Until Further Notice’ reference, which underlines the exclusivity of the product and creates shopper urgency. And you have to admire the concept of a TREX shade coupled with a delightfully compact beauty routine on-the-go lip routine, ideal for travellers seeking convenience and ease.
Winner: Maison Margiela REPLICA Travel Memory Box – L’Oréal Travel Retail
The proposition: Maison Margiela Fragrances set out to elevate the gifting experience with the REPLICA Travel Memory Box, a TREX designed as a miniature suitcase to house and transport cherished scented memories.
This set features the brand’s Lazy Sunday Morning bestseller in a travel-ready 30ml spray, paired with a 100ml eco-conscious refill bottle, emphasising L’Oréal’s commitment to sustainable luxury.
A standout feature is the inclusion of an exclusive ceramic pillow, designed to be infused with the fragrance to scent travel bags and closets while consumers are on-the-go.
Judges’ comments:
A beautifully executed set, though it would have been nice to see more details about the launch and promotions supporting it.
I Iike the Travel Memory Box concept and exclusive ceramic pillow.
I am impressed by this TREX, which is as much about experience as it is about product. Everything screams travel.
L’Oréal has merged its sustainable refill system of the Lazy Sunday Morning fragrance with a disruptive, reusable suitcase design and a unique ceramic diffuser. The set has real counter stand-out as well as emotional resonance in the evocative way the product integrates the ‘Scent of Home’ into the fabric of the consumer journey.
While the entry was short on results, the quality of the product, packaging and conceptual thinking behind the lovely notion of transforming fragrance into a travel keepsake makes it a winner in my view.
*Announcing The TREX Factor – Reaching B2C + B2B Audiences
The Moodie Davitt Report has launched a breakthrough crossover B2B to B2C video series focused entirely on travel retail-exclusive (TREX) products. {Click on the YouTube Icon to view TREX Travels to the Duty-Free World, the introductory video to The TREX Factor} Filmed by our acclaimed Shenzhen-based Moodie Davitt STUDIO division, the pioneering B2B and B2C crossover series is being shown in multi-lingual form (led by but not limited to Chinese and English) on the Moodie Davitt STUDIO YouTube channel, our dual WeChat Video platforms and (coming soon) Xiaohongshu. EPISODE 1{Click on the YouTube icon to view Episode 1 on the Moodie Davitt STUDIO platform or here to watch on WeChat with Chinese subtitles} In our worldwide premiere, resident TREX Master Martin Moodie – the world’s leading duty-free shopping commentator and Founder of world-renowned The Moodie Davitt Report, introduces Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire, aged in former French XO Cognac casks, designed to add an element of smoothness and sweetness. Johnnie Walker Blue Label Xordinaire brings these elements together for an extraordinary finish. And, most importantly, it is a definitive TREX, available only in duty-free and travel retail stores. Click on the YouTube icon to view. EPISODE 2{Click on the YouTube icon to view Episode 2 on the Moodie Davitt STUDIO platform or here to watch on WeChat with Chinese subtitles} In our second episode, resident TREX Master Martin Moodie introduces you to two single malt whiskies from The Macallan, one of the truly famous Scotch whiskey distilleries of the world. Two very interesting variants with very different stories behind them. Click on the YouTube icon to view. EPISODE 3Our third episode features 叠川 The Chuan, which celebrates the vision of French drinks powerhouse Pernod Ricard to create a prestige Chinese malt whisky. Resident TREX Master Martin Moodie is joined on set by Rolls Wang, Retail Manager at Duty Zero by cdf, Hong Kong International Airport. Brands or retailers wishing to participate should contact Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com |
