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Global travel retail exclusive: Glenfiddich 19yo |
UK/US. Following a record year in travel retail, William Grant & Sons enters 2011 with a focus on the Americas and a significant strengthening of the travel retail team in this region.
The company recently announced the appointment of Stephen Corrigan as Director Travel Retail North America and Pablo Boggio as Brand Activation Manager for the Caribbean cruise lines, and will shortly confirm the appointment of a regional Trade Marketing Manager.
This strong commitment to the channel is supported by the recent purchase of Tullamore Dew, the world’s second largest Irish whiskey, and the roll-out of Sailor Jerry rum.
The company will be present at the IAADFS show in Orlando (Booth 100), where it will be highlighting the following brands:
GLENFIDDICH
This year sees a “massive” investment in a new look and feel for Glenfiddich, which is exclusive to travel retail, William Grant said. “This is the largest investment in cutting-edge merchandising across the channel that Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky, has ever undertaken. Created to bring to life the pioneering spirit that lies at the heart of Glenfiddich, the venture has seen three incredible Glenfiddich Crystal Stag Gondolas placed in travel retail at London Heathrow T5, Frankfurt Terminal 1B Schengen and Dubai T3.”
Alongside the Crystal Stag gondolas, new wall units, podiums, lightboxes and visuals are being rolled out across key airports and venues, including Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto, while the new golden imagery becomes the flagship for Glenfiddich in all travel retail advertising and promotional activities. This new look and feel in travel retail supports the global advertising campaign, One Day You Will, Glenfiddich’s largest global marketing campaign in its 124-year history.
2011 sees the launch of Glenfiddich Age of Discovery, a 19yo global travel retail exclusive aimed both at gift givers and whisky connoisseurs. The product celebrates the pioneering nature of the 15th century Portuguese merchants who were at the vanguard of finding new trading routes into Asia and who started to map the world. The 19yo Madeira-finished single malt uses casks sourced from Henrique and Henriques, an independent Madeira company.
Orlando also sees the introduction of new premium packaging for Glenfiddich 21yo, moving it into the rare range alongside 30, 40 and 50yo. A new bottle and giftable outer case have been developed, improving the stand-out and highlighting the quality of the liquid inside, the company said. Global travel retail is the launch market for the new 21yo and will have this packaging exclusively for at least six months.
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New premium packaging: Glenfiddich 21yo |
HENDRICK’S GIN
2011 will see a focus on creating a stronger brand image in the Americas for Hendrick’s super-premium gin. The past year has seen a number of high-profile promotions in the region, including branded till points with International Shoppes at New York JFK Airport.
“We have a number of stand-out, show-stopping promotions planned for 2011, using themes such as our Grandfather Clock, Penny Farthing, and Ice Cream Cart, supported by new retail furniture, sampling and added-value promotions to drive sales,” said Global Marketing Manager Ian Taylor. “Our US domestic team are creating a Hendrick’s bar with HMS Host at Newark this year, which will be a real focus at the airport and will help to increase brand awareness.”
The travel retail exclusive Tea Time Martini gift pack, combining theatrical design with travel-themed graphics, will continue to be available throughout 2011. It contains a bottle of Hendrick’s gin and a fine bone-china teacup.
THE BALVENIE
This year, The Balvenie single malt Scotch whisky sees the launch of batch three of The Balvenie Forty. The first batch of just 150 bottles was launched at the TFWA Asia Pacific fair last year exclusively to travel retail; batch two is available in domestic markets across the globe; and, due to demand, a third batch, again of only 150 bottles, will be made available this year.
The Balvenie offers two global travel retail exclusives in Golden Cask 14yo and The Balvenie Forty, while the limited-edition 17yo Peated Cask and The Balvenie PortWood 21yo are bottled at a higher alcoholic strength and are not chill-filtered as they are in domestic markets, appealing to gift givers and collectors alike.
GRANT’S
For Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky, the focus continues to be on premiumisation with the continued roll-out of the global travel retail exclusive 25yo, which has been called the Best Blended Scotch Whisky 19 Years and Over in Jim Murray’s 2011 Whisky Bible, as well as the premium 12yo. This is supported by the global travel retail exclusive Distillery Edition. Developing this wider range to highlight the depth and quality of the brand has helped to cement Grant’s position as a leading Scotch in the channel and helped to build the brand’s premium credentials, the company noted.
To support the range of Grant’s whiskies, William Grant & Sons is installing new wall bays at key airports across the world and creating theatre in-store with a series of high-profile sampling activities.
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Global travel retail exclusive: Grant’s 25yo |
SAILOR JERRY
With sales well in excess of 500,000 cases in US domestic markets, the potential for Sailor Jerry rum in global travel retail, and particularly the Americas, is seen as significant.
“In 2011 we are looking to build new distribution across the channel with a particular focus on US airports and the Caribbean,” said Director Travel Retail North America Stephen Corrigan. “Sailor Jerry is a brand with great character and lends itself to impactful and entertaining promotions and sampling activity, and as we have now classified Sailor Jerry as one of our core brands, focus will be put behind it to drive listings in 2011.”
TULLAMORE DEW
The purchase of Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey last year was the largest acquisition ever made by William Grant & Sons and gains entry into one of the fastest-growing and dynamic categories in spirits. Tullamore Dew is the world’s second largest Irish whiskey. In 2011 the focus will be on increasing distribution and building up visibility in the channel.
STOLICHNAYA
Since 2009 William Grant & Sons has handled the distribution for Stolichnaya in US duty free, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Sales have grown steadily over the past year and the activation of the brand will continue apace in 2011, the company promises. “Our plans centre around premiumising the brand through increased listings of the super-premium Elit and widening the distribution of the flavours,” said Corrigan.
“In Orlando we will also be displaying the first global travel retail exclusive bottle available for many years in US duty free. We firmly believe in offering exciting, giftable limited-edition bottlings that help generate interest and have real stand-out on-shelf. The new travel retail exclusive has incredible impact with a really beautiful label designed by the leading New York artist Yuri Gorbachev. It seems extremely fitting that the exclusive that we can unveil has been designed by a Russian with incredible taste and flair who has made his home in America.”
Travel retail: “A vital showcase”
“The global travel retail channel is seen as a vital showcase for developing our global brands,” observed Global Travel Retail Director Rita Greenwood. “Its importance can be gauged from our approach to Glenfiddich and our mission to rejuvenate the brand this year. That project is entitled The Seven Pillars of Glenfiddich, and suffice it to say that global travel retail is one of those pillars.
“This year, in particular, we are keen to gear up our activity in the Americas and thus this year’s IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas is key for William Grant & Sons. We look forward to meeting our customers there.”
Stand contacts in Orlando will be: Stephen Corrigan Director North America; Jeff Orson, Regional Manager Canada; Jose Castellvi, Regional Manager Latam/Caribbean/US Southern Border; Erik Thomsen, Region Manager Europe; Pablo Boggio, Brand Activation Manager, Caribbean Cruise lines; Ian Taylor, Global Marketing Manager; and Emma Humphreys, Marketing Assistant.
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2011 will see a focus on creating a stronger brand image in the Americas for Hendrick’s super-premium gin |
For details, contact Ian Taylor, William Grant & Sons, tel: +44 20 8334 1258, fax: +44 20 8332 1695 or e-mail Ian.Taylor@wgrant.com
