Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail (GTR) is celebrating having won the ‘Best New Shop Opening’ Frontier Award in Cannes, honouring its Martell Boutique at Haikou Mova Mall, Hainan province.
As reported, the boutique – a collaboration between Pernod Ricard GTR, Alibaba Dufry Joint Venture and GDF Plaza – opened in June this year. The 140sq m store is Maison Martell’s second boutique in duty free, immersing travellers in the world of prestige Cognac through an interactive shopping experience.
The boutique also featured on The Moodie Davitt Report We Chat account.
Visitors to Maison Martell are invited to experience virtual and real-life retail theatre, including digitalised merchandising units, product personalisation, VIP tasting opportunities and Martell’s in-store shopper engagement feature, the Martell Untouchable Taste.
An industry-first, AI-powered shopping experience, the Martell Untouchable Taste guides shoppers through the Martell range, providing personalised tasting recommendations based on their preferences. The recommendation is shared with the Martell robot bartender, which selects and serves the shopper’s recommended cognac neat, over ice, or in a cocktail. Personalisation and gifting options are also available.
The boutique was designed using Pernod Ricard’s Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Tool for Merchandising. The tool analyses the environmental impact of a merchandising unit to measure and reduce carbon footprint. The LCA Tool and GWPs were also recognised at the 2022 Frontier Awards, with the People & Planet award.
Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail North Asia General Manager Simon van Moppes described the award as a “true recognition for the brand innovation and retail excellence that Pernod Ricard has spearheaded in travel retail and Asia in collaboration with our customers, in this case Dufry”.
“We know shoppers have high expectations regarding in-store experience in duty free, and our Martell boutique at Haikou Mova Mall is an example of retail theatre at its finest.”
Pernod Ricard GTR Retail Design Director Daniel Worboys commented: “The new travel retail ecosystem is a parallel journey of digital and physical retail intertwining, and our Martell boutique certainly pushed the boundaries of futuristic retail.”
“Our teams are passionate about providing shoppers with new and exciting retail experiences and this partnership with Pernod Ricard GTR has certainly raised the bar” – Dufry APAC Chief Operating Officer Pedro Castro
Dufry APAC Chief Operating Officer Pedro Castro added: “On behalf of everyone at Dufry we are delighted that the Martell boutique at the Haikou Mova Mall shopping centre has been recognised for this award. Our teams are passionate about providing shoppers with new and exciting retail experiences and this partnership with Pernod Ricard GTR has certainly raised the bar.”
GDF Duty Free Chairman Lim Guek Boon said: “We are proud to open this boutique with Martell, which introduces top-notch designs that attract cognac lovers to our duty-free store and provides a sophisticated, luxurious and experiential shopping experience for our shoppers”.
The 2022 DFNI-Frontier Awards took place at the Hôtel Martinez, Cannes on 5 October.
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report believes in publishing the results of rival publishers’ awards. We hope they will in time reciprocate.
