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INTERNATIONAL. We bring you a recent contribution to our regular series in The Moodie Davitt e-Zine, in association with The Design Solution, dedicated to the important, often misunderstood, concept of Sense of Place.
Alcoholic beverages can offer powerful expressions of the concept of Sense of Place. The Design Solution Managing Director Robbie Gill picks out some of the best drinks destinations from around the globe.
As I write this, my favourite soccer team, Leicester City, are mid-table in the English Premier League. But we know from past experience not to worry so early in the season – the champions will soon begin their steady progress up the table!
Some Leicester fans may be a little unsteady on their feet as they are still celebrating last season’s Premiership win. In partnership with Diageo’s Captain Morgan brand the club launched a special edition of the eponymous rum to celebrate the title win, incorporating a special tribute to club captain Wes Morgan.
The new ‘Captain (Wes) Morgan’ was pictured on the label, sporting a blue jacket in City’s colours, with the 1,000 bottles selling out within 42 minutes at the club shop.
I’m not sure that the tropical character of rum is especially evocative of an industrial (and often rainy) city in the middle of England but, in most parts of the world, alcoholic beverages are very powerful expressions of location and play a key role in expressing Sense of Place. Here’s a selection of drinks destinations from my journey around the world.
Of all the bars (and shops) in the world, you had to walk into mine…
Departing from London the drink has to be gin, of course. At Heathrow Terminal 5 I enjoyed the Bombay Sapphire activation, which was ‘a flight before my flight’. It uses Oculus Rift headwear technology to send you on a 90-second drone footage fly-through tour of the Laverstoke distillery and the distillation process that gives the brand its London Dry flavour profile. I certainly needed a good G&T after the slightly dizzying journey, but it was a very entertaining and relevant link to the city of London.
“In victory, you deserve Champagne; in defeat, you need it.” –Napoleon
No-one can say goodbye (or is it au revoir?) to Paris without a glass of Champagne. At Charles de Gaulle Airport, a FAB-award winning collaboration by Areas with chef Guy Martin, who heads the kitchen at the city’s Le Grand Véfour restaurant, has created I Love Paris. This is an eccentric but brilliant blend of a restaurant, upscale sandwich shop and Champagne bar in Terminal 2E.
The space is anchored by a stunning black-and-white-striped oval bar surrounded by bistro-style stools and crowned by two startling overhead installations that are part chandelier, part art-mobile, conceived by designer India Mahdavi.
The whole space conveys classic design elements from Le Palais Royal but with an added contemporary edge, including leather and velvet upholstery in rich jewel tones that convey a highly luxurious mood. It’s unmistakably Parisian, and the Champagne bar is a luxury experience to match the best of the French capital’s offerings.
At Stockholm Arlanda Airport the drink has to be vodka and ice. I love the simplicity of the Absolut Arch by designer Miki Grujovic; it is a fantastic expression of modern Swedish style. Even ten years or so since its creation, it transmits a very cool Sense of Place that reflects strongly both the city and the Absolut brand and makes the store into a real destination.
In neighbouring Finland, the stunningly elegant Pier Zero two-storey restaurant at Helsinki Airport instantly grabs the attention of every traveller – but explore a little further and you find the welcoming Arctic Bar and its distinctly Finnish feel. The Arctic Bar serves a number of Nordic-inspired beverages, including Tunturi Tonic and Kuura Julep cocktails, and it offers a natural Sense of Place: the bar’s main feature is an open roof terrace where passengers can experience Finnish weather – including the snow, of course.
Finavia Vice President, Commercial Services Jukka Isomäki explains that it aims to give Helsinki’s travellers a true feel for Finland. “We wanted to offer our transit passengers a small piece of authentic Finland,” he says. “Feeling the soft snow on their skin may inspire passengers to take their next holiday in Lapland.”
As it is October we shouldn’t miss the chance to enjoy the Beer Garden at Munich Airport. Europe’s largest roofed-in beer garden is complete with chestnut trees and a maypole, and the glass ceiling, water features and plants give a garden feel – the Oktoberfest vibe is often enhanced with live music, too.
On the beer theme I’d also like to mention the wonderful emphasis on local brews at so many US airports. Retail experiences are often weaker at US airports, but the passion they put into locally themed bars is inspiring, such as Stone Brewing at San Diego and Cisco Brew Pub at Boston Logan. Also, in whisky, I like the High West bar at Salt Lake City (the High West in nearby Park City is the world’s only ski-in distillery).
Poland matches Sweden in its strong claim on vodka, and I’m always impressed by the way that Aelia Duty Free creates in-store local expressions for brands such as Żubrówka and Chopin at Warsaw Chopin Airport.
The Aelia store, developed last year, incorporates two experiential zones created with those two key local brands, including an indoor Białowieża Forest, reflecting the use of bison grass as a flavouring in the vodka that has been made in the Białowieża region for hundreds of years. The design of the brand experiences displays a strong premium character which supports Aelia’s emphasis on ‘the Art of the Gift’ positioning, encouraging many shoppers to take home an authentic taste of Poland.
Portugal’s Porto Airport is similarly defined by one drink – port. The vigorous new emphasis on local flavours at the airport (operated by ANA) has created some great F&B options, but my favourite is the wine area which The Design Solution took great pleasure in designing – with Sense of Place right at the heart of our inspiration.
It presents a lively portfolio of local wines displayed in a store design that is a wonderful expression of modern Portugal. This is blended with a respectful nod to the region’s rich heritage, particularly in the playful use of Port wine box designs on the ceilings.
Staying with strong reds but moving across the planet, Australia is all about full-flavoured red wines. Partnered by Gebr Heinemann, Sydney Airport has done an amazing job in transforming its retail offer – and the wine offer especially is a real corker.
The Penfolds brand from Treasury Wine Estates is probably the dominant offer and has an especially engrossing showcase of the best of this iconic Aussie label. It includes the famous Bin range (with the Grange Bin 95 2009, A$795) as well as single vineyard offers, and there is always a new limited edition or exclusive release to investigate. It’s a fantastic way to spend a last hour in Australia.
In Hollywood, it’s amazing how many films get made simply because they have a great title; in travel retail, ‘The Wine Goose Chase’ is a wonderful name that always makes me smile when I travel through The Loop retail zone at Dublin Airport.
Unsurprisingly, The Wine Goose Chase by Aer Rianta – designed by my team – has no local wines; Dublin’s weather would frequently wash a vine but would never ripen the grapes. But the store lives up to its billing, and shares an engaging wine journey across the world. All the featured wines have authentic and entertaining links to the Emerald Isle, especially the Irish diaspora that has reached every corner of the globe – including the McGuigan wine label, which features at Sydney too.
With brands dominating the wine and spirits areas in airport stores, inevitably the emphasis is on temporary campaigns rather than optimising permanent merchandising solutions. And yet airports have the potential to play the ace card in terms of providing a vibrant and locally inspired backdrop, such as at Singapore Changi where DFS recently launched The Raffles Long Bar.
This is an irresistible setting in which to enjoy your final hour in Singapore, whether that’s with a Singapore Sling in hand or a sublime single malt, just as you would do in the original iconic bar downtown. That, in my book, is a perfect serving of shopper engagement.
