SWITZERLAND. Swiss confectionery brand Ricola recently teamed up with Dufry to host a series of live cooking demonstrations at Zurich Airport. The demonstrations showcased how herbal sweets from Ricola are made and took place over four consecutive weekends in front of Dufry’s main store at the airport.
The activations were launched as part of Dufry’s ‘Best of Switzerland’ campaign. In addition to showcasing Ricola’s hand-made production methods, the activations invited travellers to sample the Ricola portfolio and offered a ‘Buy 2, Get 1 Free’ promotion to further drive sales.
The pop-up also featured an herb field which highlighted the natural ingredients used in Ricola.
Ricola AG Vice President Sales Middle East & Travel Retail Andreas Reckart commented: “This is the first time we have held our candy cooking event at Zurich, and we are absolutely thrilled with the passenger response – and the sales results.
“European travel retail continues to perform strongly, boosted by increased airport traffic. These live demonstrations exemplify the type of appealing retail experience we are committed to providing and created a wonderful opportunity to attract and engage with travellers in a busy airport environment.”
Reckart added: “Our on-site ‘herb field’ helped passengers to immerse themselves in the Ricola universe, from herb to candy, and also emphasised our nature-friendly positioning. We were delighted to partner with Zurich Airport and Dufry to showcase this innovative discovery experience – and promote our Swiss heritage – in our home market of Switzerland.”
Dufry Global Category Head – Confectionery, Food, Souvenirs & Toys at Dufry Philippe Moryl added: “We asked Ricola to push the boundaries and they did it, delighting our customers at Zürich Airport. Despite all the technical challenges related to the implementation of such activations in the airside zone of an airport, we found a solution to make it happen.
“This is a great example of what we can achieve when brand partners, airport partners and retailers are working in close collaboration and partnership. It is a fantastic and innovative way to engage with customers, promoting Ricola’s great products, values and expertise. It allows as well to speak about ESG commitments that became so important for our companies and our customers. Thank you to Ricola’s team, to the Zürich Airport commercial team and to Dufry local team for their great teamwork.” ✈
