Halewood Wines & Spirits Managing Director Global Travel Retail Simon Roffe will leave his role at the end of April. The move is part of a restructure of the Halewood business caused by the “significant financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic”.
The highly respected Roffe, who previously held roles at Diageo and Rémy Cointreau, was the driving force behind the launch of the Halewood portfolio, led by Whitley Neill gin, into travel retail.
Management of Halewood’s travel retail unit will be transferred to Eamon Prunty with effect from 1 May. This is one of a series of changes across international markets at the group.
Roffe said: “I am very sad that the Halewood chapter in my career has come to an end. It has been a very different journey from my previous roles in large multinational drinks companies, but a fabulous one. To have developed Whitley Neill from a zero base to the position of one of the leading premium gins globally across the duty free & travel retail network is something of which I am especially proud. I would like to thank personally all the marketing agency partners, trade agents and distributors as well as the wider duty free & travel community for believing in me … and for supporting that success.
“In what has been, essentially, a start-up business, I have been able to draw on all the good practices, principles and contacts from my days at Diageo and Rémy Cointreau but, more importantly, have had to take a firm “hands-on” approach and that has been particularly enjoyable.
“Clearly, I am very keen to chase the next opportunity and to use my broad experience in new projects,” continued Roffe. “This is a very challenging time for our industry, and one the like of which we have never experienced before, but it is also a great time for brands to plan ahead so that they will be in a position to benefit when normality returns.”
Eamon Prunty joined Halewood in December 2018 in the European Export Business and for the last year he has been focusing on travel retail distribution development in the UK and Europe. His new role extends this to a global remit, where he will work with duty free & travel retail business partners in all channels globally.
