Recent consumer research undertaken by Diageo has cast doubt on whether price is a key consideration for duty-free spirits buyers. The research challenges one of the cornerstones of the industry – that the channel must offer a significant price saving over the domestic market. The research consisted of interviews with more than 600 spirits buyers travelling through Singapore, Frankfurt and New York JFK airports.

HMS Host, the largest airport food and beverage operator in the US, has reported strong sales of imported and craft beers. “We see people ordering higher-end beer,” said HMS Host vice-president concept development, Stan Novack. “They are bypassing premium brands such as Budweiser, Miller and Coors to order craft beers such as Sam Adams and Gordon Biersch. “Imported brands such as Heineken and Corona…

UK airport retailer World Duty Free has expanded its white spirits offer with the exclusive UK launch of Pinky vodka. The brand, which is produced with 12 botanicals, including violet and rose petals, giving it a bright pink colour, sold 300 bottles priced at £19.99 each in the first five days of being on the shel ves. Commenting on the launch, WDF head of…

Tiger Export PTE , the global distributor of Tiger Beer, has reported encouraging growth for its in-flight pouring business in Asia-Pacific and Europe. Tiger Export, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Pacific Breweries , has benefited from the boom in low-cost air travel in both Asia and India, picking up listings with new carriers such as JetStar Asia. There has also been increased demand from existing…

The head of Maxxium Global Travel Retail has expressed hope that the new owner of World Duty Free will continue the UK travel retailer’s long-standing commitment to the liquor category. It was announced last month that WDF, which owns 67 shops at seven UK airports, including London Heathrow and Gatwick, is to be sold by Ferrovial, the Spanish owner of its parent company BAA.

Speakers at the annual Middle Eastern Duty-Free Association conference held in Dubai last month delivered an upbeat forecast for the travel retail business for 2008 based on continuing regional economic growth, rocketing passenger traffic and ambitious airport expansion plans. MEDFA president Anthony Chalhoub told delegates that regional passenger traffic had grown 17.8 per cent in the first half of 2007, well ahead of the global…

Joint-venture operator Travel Free sro has opened a new duty-paid store on the German-Czech border crossing of Selb-A?. The crossing is used by more than 400,000 Germans a month , many of whom take advantage of cheaper prices on spirits, wine and tobacco . Customers can legally take home up to 10 litres of strong spirits, 20 litres of spirits below 22 per cent…