EUROPE. MSC Cruises’ new flagship, MSC Seashore, set sail from Barcelona with its first guests this weekend, with a groundbreaking retail offer over 971sq m across three decks. It is the second new ship launch from the company in three months.
As reported, the vessel introduces what the company called “an industry-first dynamic, seamless space” that is substantially larger than that of her sister ships.
MSC Cruises Head of Retail Adrian Pittaway said on LinkedIn: “Today we launched MSC Seashore, and raised the bar once more on our cruise retailing evolution.”
He hailed the three-level “interactive ‘retailtainment’ shared space at sea at the heart of an amazing new Times Square retail concept. Alongside this, beautiful new retail stores designed to be open, integrated and welcoming with +75% more retail space than onboard MSC Seaside, featuring many new exciting brand launches and more to come when we reach Miami later in the year. Fully integrated in-store experience spaces also feature across the 11 stores.”
He added: “Also, a wonderful concept with our new MSC Foundation store at the base of a four-storey high Venini glass sculpture, educating, inspiring and showing a really different way to offer logo merchandise that will make a real difference to many projects around the globe.”
Pittaway thanked his onboard retail colleagues and support team and partners, “who have delivered not only our second new ship launch in three months, but also in my opinion our most exciting and innovative retail concept to date”.
Ship highlights as reported include:
- A New York-themed piazza with 971sq m of retail space across three decks, in the heart of the ship’s Times Square area
- A “seamless, open-space design” allowing guests to flow effortlessly from shop to shop, without physical barriers and with interactive ways to experience the products
- A multisensory fragrance bar with videos and details about various perfumes, as well as a tasting bar in the duty free shop
- A dedicated jewellery area featuring three separate luxury watch and jewellery spaces
- Deck 8 features selling points in Liberty Plaza where guests can find a number of ‘discovery islands’ featuring rotating products and offerings, including those that benefit from further storytelling, such as recycled plastic sunglasses or coral-safe sunscreen
- The design of the new MSC shop is inspired by the shape of a snail shell, and houses a range of MSC-themed merchandise, including for only the second time onboard an MSC ship, a range of ship-specific products.
