Lamy targets Asia and Europe in travel retail expansion drive

Premium writing instruments manufacturer C. Josef Lamy GmbH is drawing up an ambitious growth path in travel retail in Asia and Europe with the help of specialist agent Travel Retail Experts.

The German design brand will exhibit at the TFWA Asia Pacific show this month with a wide selection of premium writing instruments (stand number: A10). Several of these have already been listed by airlines and airports across Europe and Asia Pacific.

New to the travel retail collection is the Lamy Studio product line in imperial blue, a dark blue variant of the Studio models available as fountain pen, rollerball pen and ballpoint pen.

The Lamy Safari rollerball set will be launched on China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Hainan Air this month

The studio’s contemporary design combined with its high quality materials and manufacturing processes proved “very popular” with visitors to the ISPY trade market in January, the company said.

From 1 May Lamy introduced on Korean Air an exclusive set consisting of an AL-star graphite mechanical pencil and AL-star graphite ballpoint pen presented in a black gift box.

China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Hainan Air now also list a new Lamy Safari rollerball set. It contains three rollerball ink pens in shiny white, matt black and red, each individually boxed inside a gift pack.

This follows the launch in December 2012 of the three-piece Lamy Safari ballpoint pen set on Asiana Air. It includes black, white and blue large-capacity ballpoints each presented in a stylish gift box inside the pack.

Travel Retail Experts has also helped Lamy to write contracts with other airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, and at several key airports including Frankfurt (three shops), Stuttgart (two shops), Munich (four shops), Colombo, Berlin Tegel and Berlin Schönefeld (four shops).

Travel Retail Experts Director Lutz Natonek said: “Lamy writing instruments are known for their exceptionally high quality and we find that, in addition to Europeans, they appeal particularly to Chinese, Korean and Japanese customers who appreciate the fine reputation of Lamy. They also like the very good price savings in travel retail compared to their corresponding domestic markets. However, our best selling tool is undoubtedly the compact open display tower which encourages impulse purchase in store.”

C. Josef LAMY GmbH Export Sales Manager Karl Gustav Siegel added: “The distribution partnership with Travel Retail Experts has introduced a whole new category of customers to our excellent product range. Our focus is not on flashy or gimmicky products; it is on the most technically advanced materials and production methods available. Our writing instruments represent the best German standards in engineering and design.”

For more information, contact Lutz Natonek, Director, Travel Retail Experts; tel: +41 61 401 57 00 or e-mail: info@travelretailexperts.ch.

The new Lamy Studio product line in imperial blue
The three-piece Lamy Safari ballpoint pen set launched on Asiana Air
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