Nuwave Channel Partners – the agency that specialises in travel and technology products – is ready to unveil an extended portfolio at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo.
A Silver Partner (#Virtual Stand FA-S5), Nuwave will highlight sustainable, eco-friendly face covers, including one made from bamboo extract, alongside an eco:sense range of gadgets using materials including reclaimed wheat straw.
A “revolutionary” new product for the travel retail market, the TripClip Travel Pro, will also be featured as Nuwave focuses on a product offer which is “relevant to the modern traveller”.
Underpinned by a socially-responsible ethos, Nuwave Channel Partners was founded and is headquartered in London, with offices in Hong Kong and China. It develops, designs and manufactures quality products for the travel retail market. Five in-house brands – Bitmore, Studio19 London, Armor London, Wavez and MoMoji – cover a range of product categories including gadgets and tech, through to personal security and beachgear. |
“We are constantly looking for new ways to produce our products in a way that minimises our own, and our customers’, carbon footprint. That’s a strong message we want to bring across to buyers visiting the Virtual Expo” – Nuwave Channel Partners CEO Hoj Parmar
As reported, Nuwave unveiled an innovative plan to reduce its carbon footprint earlier this year.
A ‘powered by eco:sense’ range for its in-house Bitmore brand of travel retail tech accessories aims to reduce the content of plastics in product categories such as audio, power, charge and sync, by up to 35% through the use of natural wheat stalk material.
The environmentally-friendly nature of the range is increased by the use of naturally-sourced and sustainable bamboo for the product finish in some cases, further reducing plastic content. The range also features certified recycled and recyclable packaging and biodegradable security tamper seals to eliminate the use of shrink wrap.
Nuwave extended its Armor London line-up with the ‘Safety F!rst Emergency Kit’ in April.
The kit contains five personal hygiene and sanitation products to help travellers protect themselves against COVID-19 and includes a reusable KN95 face mask, hand sanitiser, anti-bacterial surface wipes, disposable gloves and a carry pouch.
And a new Natura Face Mask was launched in June. The eco-friendly face mask is made with 100% sustainably-sourced, organic hemp material, is available in four colours and is packaged in biodegradable material.
Nuwave Channel Partners CEO Hoj Parmar said eco:sense underlines Nuwave’s mission to manufacture electronic and other products in an environmentally-conscious way, “with sustainability at the heart of product development”.
“We are constantly looking for new ways to produce our products in a way that minimises our own, and our customers’, carbon footprint. That’s a strong message we want to bring across to buyers visiting the Virtual Expo.”
Nuwave will also highlight its TripClip, a new product which it describes as a “revolutionary product for travel”.
The company’s exclusive agreement with Ireland’s JS Design Concepts to manufacture and distribute the device was announced this week.
TripClip (RRP€40, US$51) allows its travelling user to attach their smartphone or tablet to the seat in front of them at eye level, enabling easy viewing of material on the device. It comes with three interchangeable clip heads, adhesive metal disc/plate for phone/tablet and a carry case.
The first version of the product – TripClip Travel Pro – is due to launch exclusively with Ryanair next month (October). TripClip Creator and JS Design Concepts Founder and CEO Joe Shortt underlined his company’s focus on creating cutting edge products for the travel industry. On the partnership with Nuwave, he said: “Nuwave is a very experienced manufacturer of electronics products and has a fantastic worldwide distribution network, with a particular strength in the travel retail and airline markets. Partnering with them is a natural fit for this product.” |
Parmar added: “TripClip is a unique and very innovative product that solves a real issue that most people encounter on their travels. The product is close to being a universal solution and can be used on almost all forms of transport.”Also new to the Nuwave portfolio is the “realistic-to-leather but totally sustainable” Armor London credit card holder and wallet range.
The RFID-protected Assured card holder is made from plant based materials imported from Italy and approved by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
The Dalston wallet holds six cards and has an opening for cash and other small valuables. It is available in a range of stand-out colours including Passion Red and Orange Zest and four two-colour Clerkenwell combinations.
Nuwave will also feature travel retail exclusive bundles from Lego – including luggage tags, keyring LED lights, stationery and pens – and introduce eco-friendly licensed ranges from partners Ed Hardy, Hello Kitty and DC Super Heroes.
Hoj said Nuwave aimed to increase product listings in airport stores while also targeting the cruise market.
“Obviously travel retail is a hard hit sector at the moment, but I am confident it will bounce back and I think we will see the retail offer expand aboard cruise ships when they are fully back up and running. We have many relevant products to take advantage of that.”
Parmar said Nuwave is targeting travel retailers in every continent, with a particular focus on North America.
“We are well-established as a retail supplier to the airline industry, with products listed with more than 60 airlines from all parts of the globe. Through this we have developed a great network of distribution partners, so we are well placed to take advantage of any new geographic opportunities.”
Considering the impact of COVID-19 on the wider travel retail industry, Parmar noted changes in business philosophies.
“The disaster we have experienced has made us all realise that we can no longer take anything for granted. The pandemic has jumped on all of us, with no notice virtually – we knew what was happening in China, but we didn’t know what impact it would have on the rest of the world’s business and economies. We were caught completely off guard.”
That said, he believes travel retail can make a strong comeback. “Already airlines and airports have pulled out all the stops to make people feel safe in the travel environment again. There’s a growing feeling that it is as safe to travel as it is to do anything else. I believe that inner desire to travel is still there in everyone; that’s certainly the impression I’ve got from friends, family and colleagues, many of whom were back on a plane at the first opportunity.”
“There’s been a great spirit among airports, airlines, brands and retailers that we are all in this together and that spirit of collaboration is vital as the industry gets back to its feet”
Parmar said passenger safety is “paramount to drive the next stage in travel retail’s revolution”.
“I think all of the industry’s stakeholders have already done a terrific job in achieving that. We just need governments to recognise those strides that have been made and that they think again about imposing quarantines which are completely unnecessary in many cases in my opinion.
“Travellers are ready to go and have the confidence that all the necessary measures are in place in all aspects of travel to ensure their safety.”
Parmar believes this year’s difficult market conditions have prompted a “a strong sense of partnership from industry stakeholders, to a level that maybe we have never seen before”.
“There’s been a great spirit among airports, airlines, brands and retailers that we are all in this together and that spirit of collaboration is vital as the industry gets back to its feet,” he added.
“In our case, we have had to adjust our business quite substantially just to continue to drive revenue and we have found a number of new like-minded partners out there to help us achieve that. I think that generally fostering that spirit of collaboration can drive our industry forward in a very positive way.”
“We want to offer consumers a choice of products that can help them to minimise their individual carbon footprints – that’s a very important focus for Nuwave Channel Partners going forward”
Parmar also mentioned the major trend towards sustainable products. He noted a TFWA study which was released earlier this year, with 2,500 travelling passengers offering their views on sustainability and brands.
“The general consensus from these consumers was that they would make a conscious decision to favour products or brands with sustainable aspects, whether it be the packaging, the product itself, or some aspect from that brand that promotes environmental kindness.
“People are definitely leaning towards that and are more aware of environmental issues.
“It’s with this in mind that we continue to develop products under our eco:sense banner. We want to offer consumers a choice of products that can help them to minimise their individual carbon footprints – that’s a very important focus for Nuwave Channel Partners going forward.”
