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“We need to put the traveller at the heart of what we do; the industry needs to change and bring in new thinking and new ideas.“ |
Devrim Cöbek General Manager Nestlé International Travel Retail |
Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) revealed further details of its strategy around “˜Creating special moments for global travellers’, and of its latest product launches, at TFWA World Exhibition last month.
With the number of global travellers rising each year, the company said it aims to “take advantage of the channel’s high potential and also meet the demands of an ever-evolving consumer”.
Nestlé International Travel Retail General Manager Devrim Cöbek said: “NITR’s 2016 portfolio remains driven by shoppers’ insights and our understanding of their needs and expectations. We place travellers at the heart of everything we do by creating “˜special moments’ for them through our well-known brands. NITR’s wide and diverse range of confectionery brands seamlessly lends itself to being able to offer an ideal brand for each moment of the journey.”
Speaking in Cannes, he noted that the drive to engage and convert more travellers comes amid a challenging period for the industry and category. “We see the business coming under pressure due to global conditions such as currency, regulation and retailer consolidation. The cost of doing business is just not sustainable, given the complexity involved, new labelling rules and the pressure on suppliers today.
“So we need to put the traveller at the heart of what we do; the industry needs to change and bring in new thinking and new ideas. We need to focus on more accessible products at a time when fewer than half of people buy anything. That’s the rationale for us when we talk about “˜creating special moments’ in the journey.”
At the show, NITR unveiled a series of innovations planned for 2016 across a number of its brands, including its leading focus brand KitKat, Smarties, After Eight, Mackintosh’s Quality Street and travel retail exclusive Nestlé Swiss.
The company said that its range of brands, with their varying positions and formats, answered consumer needs such as gifting, informal sharing, self-consumption and self-reward.
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KitKat Chunky: A makeover of the core travel retail range |
Early in 2016, the KitKat Chunky range will receive a makeover in a bid to create on-shelf stand-out, to further differentiate the range of flavours and increase its appeal. Alongside the new design, NITR will also introduce KitKat Chunky Peanut Butter as a stand-alone variant.
In 2016 NITR will also launch a new KitKat activation, in line with the global brand campaign, aiming to encourage people to celebrate and to share their own “˜break’ moments. NITR said the brand would deliver “eye-catching and engaging brand experiences at selected key airports worldwide”.
Smarties will introduce an all red giant tube (limited edition) exclusively for travel retail for Christmas 2015 and Chinese New Year. The tube, which is decorated with an elegant ribbon, is presented as a gift opportunity.
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Smarties: New limited editions (above) and an Animal Planet range (below) |
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Ahead of Easter 2016, the brand will launch a new “˜Animal Planet’ pack. The box features 12 assorted milk chocolate pralines filled with milk cream and decorated with colourful mini Smarties. The brand will continue the limited edition single colour launches into the summer of 2016 with orange and blue only giant tubes – with the orange variant a travel retail exclusive. The launches will be brought to life via the “˜Summer is more fun with Smarties’ activation planned for targeted airports.
Regional brand After Eight will add a new travel retail gift box in March 2016. The new pack combines After Eight thins and mint pralines in dark, milk and white chocolate.
Innovations are also planned for Quality Street and Nestlé Swiss in 2016, with further developments on KitKat and Smarties later in the year.
*Look out for more Nestlé news shortly, plus a big interview with Nestlé International Travel Retail General Manager Devrim Cöbek, coming soon from The Moodie Report.
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After Eight: New gift box for a strong regional brand |
