ESTONIA. Baltic ferry and short cruise operator Tallink Group is set to achieve a new record today (10 May) when attendance at its annual two-day duty free fair is expected to reach almost 2,000. This is up from 1,200 last year. The group is the biggest operator of passenger services on the Baltic Sea under Tallink and Silja Line branding.
The product fair, which is in its seventh year, gives brand suppliers a chance to familiarise Tallink’s employees with their products, particularly new-season listings. It has had substantially more visitors because ship staffing levels at the Estonia-based listed company have risen with the launch of Tallink Megastar at the end of January.
In addition, the opening of a major in-house logistics centre in Maardu in January 2016 has increased staffing on the logistics side of the business, enabling the ferry operator to take control of its expanding supply chain.
Photo: Kevin Rozario
At a dinner and awards ceremony on Tuesday night (9 May), Magnus Skjorshammer, Head of Business Development at Tallink Duty Free, said that there would be “new projects to look forward to next year”, without further elaboration.
The arrival of Megastar on the Tallinn-Helsinki route helped lift passenger numbers by +1.1% in the first quarter of 2017, however the group saw a slight drop in overall traffic across all routes of -0.7% to 1.95 million in the period. Last year, 56% of Tallink Group’s €938 million (US$1,028 million) revenue came from restaurant and shop sales.
Photo: Kevin Rozario
This year’s fair attracted 74 exhibitors mainly from the liquor sector, and other core categories such as confectionery and tobacco, with a dedicated area for beauty. Among the beauty houses represented were Clarins, Coty, L’Oréal, Finland’s Lumene, Puig, and Rituals.
Award winners were as follows:
- Best Perfumery Team: Baltic Queen
- Best Supermarket Team: Silja Symphony
- Best Retail Team: Silja Serenade Desigual
- Best Restaurant Team: Baltic Princess Buffet
- Best Bar/Pub Team; Victoria Starlight Palace
- Best Warehouse Team: Silja Europa
A special award went to the Megastar team for preparations prior to launch.
Photo: Kevin Rozario
