Sunil Tuli re-elected President as APTRA welcomes Lacoste and Australian Duty Free Association representatives to board

ASIA PACIFIC. The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) has announced the appointment of two new board member companies – Lacoste and the Australian Duty Free Association – following its AGM today (16 June). Sunil Tuli was re-elected as APTRA President.

The AGM was held via webinar, with an audience of members representing brands and retailers from across the region.

Tuli commented: “It is a great honour to be re-elected as President of APTRA and I am delighted to welcome Lacoste, represented by Erin Lillis, and the Australian Duty Free Association, represented by Richard Goodman [who is also Heinemann Australia Managing Director -Ed] to the APTRA board.

“Their experience and perspective will be of great value as APTRA helps our members through the current crisis and to explore and shape the future opportunities in travel retail.”

Tuli said that the industry has been “shattered by the impact of the pandemic”. He added that the APTRA board “believes 100% in the future of travel retail and, once conditions permit, this industry will rebound with Asia Pacific leading the charge.

“This is a young, dynamic, ambitious region that is also highly resilient. We have dozens of countries with young, aspirational populations and that is the core driver that will take us from recovery ultimately back to growth, once sustained travel can restart.”

The full APTRA board includes:

  • Changi Airport Group: Teo Chew Hoon
  • Auckland Airport: Lucy Thomas
  • Delhi Duty Free: Nuno Amaral
  • Chanel: Fabrice Hochet
  • Japan Tobacco International: Pan Har Ying (Treasurer)
  • Lindt & Sprüngli: Gabriela Steiner-Zajax (Secretary)
  • Lacoste: Erin Lillis
  • Distell: Luke Maga
  • King Power Group (Hong Kong): Sunil Tuli (President)
  • Kansai Airports: Stephane Geffroy
  • Australian Duty Free Association: Richard Goodman
  • Tax Free World Association: Sam Gerber
New APTRA board member Lacoste was represented by Erin Lillis (left) while Richard Goodman, Managing Director of Heinemann Australia, represents the Australian Duty Free Association

During the AGM, Tuli, APTRA Executive Director Christina Oliver and other board members detailed APTRA’s activities in 2020 and delivered the financial report.

They said 2020 was a year in which APTRA’s focus on advocacy was amplified to deliver seven campaigns and several country-specific campaigns focused on seeking economic support/recovery measures resulting from the pandemic. The work continues in 2021 with APTRA’s principal objective being to ensure that travel retail is able to trade as normal when borders open and that it is not weighed down with new protocols.

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The board members pointed out that advocacy support continued across categories, notably tobacco and alcohol, in 2020.

Last September, APTRA formed a new APAC alcohol working group with eight key brand members, to provide a platform for information sharing as part of an advocacy strategy for the category, supporting travel retail as a whole.

Tobacco advocacy continues in 2021, in preparation for MOP2 in The Hague in November.

Communicating to members through 2020 was another key focus of the association and included the launch of the APTRA Advocacy Report, summarising key issues around regulations and the potential impact on duty free categories.

The COVID Regional Update Report provided members with a regular update on travel, border controls, openings and political developments affecting the industry.

The APTRA Exchange was held in October as an online opportunity for brands, retailers and airports to discuss and debate ‘The Trinity Through a Crisis’. Its success led to the launch of The APAC Dialogue earlier this year.

As reported, this joint initiative between APTRA and The Moodie-Davitt Report, hosts a series of webinars studying topical issues and emerging opportunities as the industry adapts and shapes the new era of travel retail.

The first webinar in March looked towards a new airport retail consumer, and the post-COVID consumer, commercial and contractual landscape.

The challenges and opportunities facing retailers and brands in the booming offshore duty free sector in Hainan were considered in The APAC dialogue earlier this month.

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