Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) has revealed ‘Together We Grow’, a new platform to help its retailer partners accelerate its sustainable programmes. The company is celebrating the platform with a homepage makeover of The Moodie Davitt Report.
Together We Grow falls under the Regeneration pillar of NITR’s VERSE model (Value, Engagement, Regeneration, Sense of Place and Execution) which was the subject of a recent Moodie Davitt Spotlight Series eZine.
Together We Grow is exclusive to travel retail and made its channel debut at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes. NITR is rolling out B2B communication for the project in November, followed by in-store communication in 2024, when all the company’s communications will officially go under the Together We Grow umbrella.
NITR said that the platform can support its retail partners sustainability objectives in parallel to communicating the already significant environmental impact it has made through its packaging projects, the Cocoa Plan and Coffee Plan responsible sourcing initiatives over the last 15 years.
NITR General Manager Stewart Dryburgh said: “Together We Grow is an umbrella platform to communicate our sustainability efforts across our portfolio through one food category concept that will include both our confectionery and food brands.
“Its key objectives are to drive brand awareness and visibility and to lead the sustainability agenda with the retailers, at the same time as embedding key impacts we have made in our sustainability journey.”
Dryburgh highlighted the often blanket approach that confectionery brands take to sustainability. He said: “Flexibility is built into Together We Grow so it can be tailored to different brands and regions and elements of sustainability. It is both B2B and B2C facing and there are digital and in-store assets, including logos and visuals, that can be deployed across the consumer journey from pre-trip to in-store and post-trip.”
NITR is refreshing its travel retail-specific website to provide information on the new platform and its ongoing sustainability initiatives. All Together We Grow point-of-sale assets have QR codes which enable consumers to learn more about Cocoa and Coffee plan.
The platform includes all key NITR brands – KitKat, Smarties, Quality Street, After Eight, Nescafé and its latest addition Nestlé Sustainably Sourced Cocoa. The company believes the platform can drive incremental growth and enhanced promotional visibility whilst providing engaging educational assets across the entire customer journey.
NITR cites m1nd-set research which indicates that customers are cynical and not satisfied with brands’ sustainability efforts in travel retail. The company also highlighted traveller dissatisfaction with the lack of sustainable choices in airport shops and to the possibility of ‘green washing’.
The Together We Grow toolkit offers retailers both confectionery-centric and cross-category solutions, introducing new displays and airport furniture which were revealed at this year’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes. Branding can be applied to wall bays and free standing units (FSUs).
The platform also incorporates the use of sustainable and natural materials, including FSC-certified plywood. All units can be disassembled with ease and flat-packed for a minimum carbon impact.
All in-store furniture is made from recycled materials and designed for maximum flexibility and minimum waste with adjustable shelves to fit different product assortments and changeable side panels that mean messaging can be changed to highlight different brands and sustainability proof points.
NITR has also designed a cross-category solution for coffee and chocolate enabling consumers to make more conscious cross-category choices. This underlines the company’s belief that the Together We Grow concept could easily encompass multiple categories in the longer term.
“In fact, we have been discussing the possibility of joint initiatives and campaigns with our retail partners to support their sustainability objectives and strategy,” Dryburgh added.
“The concept was very well received in Cannes by our retail partners as it provides a flexible space-efficient system that can support multiple brands and categories and showcase the retailers’ commitment to sustainability in an impactful way.” ✈
