INTERNATIONAL. Support continues to build for the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo with further brand exhibitors announced, from confectionery to spirits and from fashion to wellness. More will be announced shortly.
The unique 5-day ‘live’ Expo, followed by a 30-day showcase (click here to register) begins on 12 October, just after the conclusion of the Chinese Golden Week holidays. It features a star-studded series of activities across the five days, including a Symposium, category workshops and a new consumer research initiative.
“Any successful trade show requires buyers and sellers and we’re glad to report a stellar line-up of famous brands as exhibitors, and commitments by the channel’s leading retailers to visit them,” said The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie. “This is a premium show featuring premium players and we’re committed to delivering a game-changing event.”
Premium chocolate brand Lindt adds further lustre to an already strong line-up in the confectionery & food sector. Global Duty Free Head Peter Zehnder said: “We are happy to announce our participation in the first Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo and are very much looking forward to the unique opportunities arising from such an innovative virtual format. This year, Lindt is celebrating 175 years of chocolate history and we are delighted to celebrate this milestone with our customers and the travel retail industry – virtually, but with an unwavering dedication to creating unique chocolate moments across the globe.”
Desigual Wholesale, DS & Travel Head Jackie Hernandez said that the Spanish fashion brand team is excited to take part “in this cutting-edge event”. She said: “Thank you Martin Moodie and the entire Moodie Davitt Report team for leading the way and keeping our industry connected. At Desigual, we fully embrace the opportunities that digitalisation brings, with determination and creativity to adapt to changes. We look forward to meeting our existing and potential partners in the upcoming Virtual Expo.”
Representing fast-growing wellness brand H&H Group, Global Travel Retail Manager Jose Vera said: “We’re delighted to be participating in this Virtual Expo. H&H Group is a health, wellness and personal care consumer goods company for people at all stages of life, from babies to the elderly, operating across 14 markets.
“We’re showcasing our Swisse vitamins and supplements brand, Biostime infant formula and children’s probiotics brand, and Aurelia Probiotic Skincare combining probiotics with luxury BioOrganic ingredients for adults, as well as Little Aurelia range for babies and children. Swisse was named China’s top ecommerce brand for healthcare and nutrition in 2019, and Biostime is the world’s number one pediatric probiotics brand.
“We’re currently partnering with Dufry, DFS, The Shilla Duty Free, Lotte Duty Free, Heinemann, China Duty Free Group, King Power Group, KrisShop, SkyShop and Smart’way, along with Shinsegae and Hyundai department stores, to name a few. We are looking forward to catching up with partners and meeting new people within the great travel retail community.”
Oribe Hair Care General Manager Sid Katari said: “We are proud to be a part of the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo to connect with our global partners and offer a best-in-class experience for the travel retail consumer. We are constantly evolving to stay relevant and embrace this new forward-thinking format, which will allow us to share Oribe’s commitment to quality and performance through creative digital content.”
Independent Irish distillers Walsh Whiskey and Lough Ree Distillery have also signed up, bolstering the spirits & wines brand presence still further.
Walsh Whiskey Founder Bernard Walsh said: “Things have changed for now, but not changed utterly! We still need to engage with spirits buyers in a meaningful and qualitative way, but for now it needs to be virtual as well. Knowing the professionalism of the great team at Moodie Davitt, we can plan to do exactly that for our Writers’ Tears and The Irishman whiskey portfolios through The Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo.”
Michael Clancy, Co-Founder of Lough Ree Distillery, said he was excited to participate in the new Virtual Expo format. “There are no large face-to-face events this year where we have the opportunity to meet with our duty free and international partners. We see this very much as a means to continue existing conversations with a view to expanding our distribution footprint and showcase products like our multi award-winning Sling Shot Distilled Irish Gin and The Bridge Irish Whiskey to new partners across the globe. Having met with the Moodie Davitt team, we’ve been impressed by their boundless energy and commitment to the travel retail sector and we know this will be a ground-breaking event.”
As reported, China Duty Free Group and The SEVA Group are Diamond Partners of the event. Platinum Partners include Beam Suntory; Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail; Parfums Christian Dior; Whyte & Mackay; Shiseido Travel Retail; Clarins; Duty Free Global, KrisShop, Puig, SK-II, JTI and Camus (Platinum-plus).
We’ll bring you more reaction soon, as well as news of more Platinum, Gold and Silver partnerships.
Note: For enquiries about exhibiting at the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo, please contact Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport. The event has already exceeded its original target and remaining positions are selling fast. Registration for retailers/buyers is free and each week up to and including the Expo itself, all registered retail representatives have the chance to win US$1 million or a luxury car via the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise prize draws. The first draw is this Friday.
Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo Partners List
