Collinson takes stake in duty free ordering platform Inflyter

UK/FRANCE. Collinson, the global customer benefits and loyalty company, has announced a “significant” investment in Inflyter. The French start-up business is the creator of the airport retail and duty free ordering platform of the same name.

An Inflyter ordering station at Beirut Duty Free, an established partner for the digital player

At the same time, Collinson also revealed that it has made a further investment in Grab, the e-commerce platform used by airport operators and concession partners to deliver airport food & beverage take-out ordering, either in Grab’s proprietary app or via airport apps.

The investor sees Inflyter and Grab as having great synergies with its own suite of services and assets, which include the airport experiences programme Priority Pass.

Collinson Founder and Chairman Colin Evans said that the two new investments form part of his company’s commitment to “redefine the airport experience for passengers”

Collinson Founder and Chairman Colin Evans said: “The travel retail business is experiencing tremendous change as it comes to grips with the increasingly digital passenger behaviour and their rapidly changing demands, such as pre-ordering and personalised experiences.

“Inflyter is a perfect fit for a growing need to engage passengers earlier in the journey, better understand their desires and to deliver when and how it is convenient for them.

“This latest investment, in addition to the deepening relationship with Grab, means we can make the most of the fantastic talent in these young enterprises as part of our ongoing vision to create a joined-up passenger journey.

“For both Inflyter and Grab, we offer the ability to continue to innovate as a scale-up, taking advantage of their size and nimbleness, and provide access to the support of a US$1 billion turnover business with close relationships with airlines, airports and financial services partners.”

Inflyter, which has recently introduced its own loyalty programme, inMiles, provides mobile order-ahead capabilities for duty free goods, allowing air passengers to browse and buy items before travelling. The service connects into duty free merchant catalogues at airports worldwide, allowing consumers to shop and pay for their purchases in-app and collect with several options outbound and on return.

Inflyter allows passengers to pre-order duty free products from their mobile devices

The platform has a number of other features to help retailers increase turnover and boost ancillary revenue for airports and airlines.

Inflyter CEO Wassim Saade said Collinson “could not be better aligned” with his company’s strategic direction

Collinson, which will take a seat on the Inflyter board, added that it aims to help “accelerate Inflyter’s development by enabling it to leverage Collinson’s global footprint, expertise and relationships to expand to new clients and markets”.

Wassim Saade, Founder and CEO of Inflyter said: “The new investment from Collinson marks our first round of direct investment with a partner that could not be better aligned with our strategic direction.

“With Collinson’s support and Colin’s direct involvement in our business, we are very excited to take the investment and scale at pace to keep up with the demand from Collinson itself, as well as airport operators, retailers and concessions.”

Collinson, which owns more than 1,200 airport lounges and amenities globally, currently has a client base of more than 1,400 banks, 90 airlines and 20 hotel groups. These include Air France, KLM, Asia Miles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, InterContinental Hotels Group, Qatar Airways and Radisson Hotel Group.

Note: This summer, The Moodie Davitt Report launches Airport Hospitality Services, a quarterly eZine dedicated to airport passenger lounges, hotels, spas and other leisure services. For advertising details please contact Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com.

Food & Beverage The Magazine eZine