Tallink Group marks 30 years at enhanced duty free fair in Tallinn

ESTONIA. Short cruise and ferry operator Tallink Group welcomed around 1,700 of its store and restaurant staff to its annual two-day duty free fair in Tallinn earlier this month. The company also celebrated a major milestone – its 30th anniversary – with a gala night ending in the cutting of a huge birthday cake. More anniversary celebrations are planned later in the year. 

Tallink Duty Free’s staff fair has grown into a sizeable event. [Pictures: Kevin Rozario]

The fair – now in its ninth year and chiefly focused on the core-categories of beer, wines and spirits; confectionery; and beauty – has been evolving over that time to reflect, in part, the way that Tallink’s €524 million retail and restaurant business has also been changing.

This year, a number of new core category brand suppliers joined the line-up of 76 exhibitors at the Saku Suurhall indoor arena in the Estonian capital. For the first time, Beluga Vodka, The Estée Lauder Companies, Ferrero, Ritter Sport and Russian Standard Vodka were present on their own stands.

Nele Nedaškovskaja: “It is a good sign that more companies are deciding to exhibit with their own stands.”

Also more evident were a greater number of craft beer labels – including Estonian brands with individual stands such as Hopster and Purtse – and a continuing focus from alcohol portfolio players on gins.

Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report – the only travel retail media at the fair organiser Nele Nedaškovskaja, said: “It is a good sign that more companies are deciding to exhibit with their own stands. I am particularly happy to see how these stands have been developing, and the investment suppliers have made.

Standing out: Eye-catching booths from Liviko (above) and Bacardi (below).

“When we started they just had tables but now it’s a real fair. Exhibitors like Bacardi, Wineestate and Purtse have been very inventive, while Liviko has created a real bar inside its space.” Liviko’s enclosure is also a ‘Faraday bar’ designed to block mobile signals so that once inside people are not distracted.

Tallink Duty Free Director of Business Development Magnus Skjörshammer said: “This event wouldn’t happen without the suppliers. The stands have evolved in an unbelievable way – each year is a surprise.”

The collection of new season Ship’s Wines.

Brand and category learning

Nedaškovskaja added: “Brands can familiarise Tallink and Silja Line retail and restaurants staff about the new products they are listing on our ships from 1 May, for example our new ships wines. For the staff it is useful to get information from the actual producers such as wine makers or whisky blenders who are also increasingly coming to our fair.”

Purtse was selected to carry the ‘Tallink 30’ logo (click image to enlarge).

In line with this informal education process are structured training seminars. In the separate beauty section, which housed big brands like Clarins, Coty, Elizabeth Arden, Lumene, Puig and Sensai, each hosted continuous training sessions.

On the wine and spirits side there were five different master-classes: wine, whisky, creative bartender, tequila/mescal, and gin. Nedaškovskaja – whose main role is Beverage Manager at Tallink Duty Free – said: “These master classes change depending on trends. For example we also had gin last year but tequila and mescal is new because it’s coming back.”

Home-grown Purtse exhibited independently from its distributor Momentin Group for the first time this year partly because it was selected as the official anniversary beer and carries the ‘Tallink 30’ logo. The logo has also been assigned to a number of other products including a South African red wine from drinks importer Amka; a sparking wine from drinks distributor Balmerk Estonia; and a specially-developed edition of Vana Tallinn from Liviko.

Ossi Uotila: “Ferries are important for us and the Baltic is a strong volume channel.”

At Ferrero – whose brands include Kinder, Nutella and of course Ferrero Rocher – there were different reasons for exhibiting independently. Head of Travel Retail Sales Europe & Americas Ossi Uotila said: “We were on the Conaxess Trade stand last year and we still work with them. But we felt we needed to really tell the stories of our brands to key Tallink staff, especially as the majority of our products are travel retail exclusives. Ferries are important for us and the Baltic is a strong volume channel.”

Peter Max with the in-store branding of ‘Biscuit Bakery’ which is being expanded in the Nordics.

Elsewhere. the presence of Estée Lauder reflected its decision to introduce some of its most exclusive brands to the Baltic Sea market such as La Mer.

Variable conditions but still rich pickings

Regular exhibitors such as Ian Macleod Distillers have expanded. The company has increased the number of skus across its brands from four to eight this season. “The Nordic market for whisky is still growing,” said Lars Bruns, noting that some Tallink routes were gaining business to compensate for others that were not.

At confectionery group Mondelēz, the company is working in what it considers a mature market but is now building its biscuit segment, which is growing fastest. “We’re using a larger assortment within the Milka brand and Oreo,” said Senior Business Development Manager Europe Peter Max. “We’re building the category on Tallink Silja and we’re using the in-store branding of ‘Biscuit Bakery’ where possible.”

Jörgen Herman: “This is the first ever travel retail exclusive from Liviko.”

Liviko, with its eye-catching stand, featured a special limited-edition blend of Vana Tallinn liqueur for Tallink’s 30th anniversary. The biggest liquor producer in Estonia was showcasing for the first time a travel retail exclusive ‘Coffee Fusion’ blend that the company is just about to launch into the channel.

Export Director Jörgen Herman said: “This is the first ever travel retail exclusive from Liviko. Duty free wasn’t so big for the company a few years ago, but it is huge now especially in the border business.”

Spectacular gala night

At the 30th birthday gala, the entertainment from Estonia’s high-octane Dance Factory (see pictures below) led into the annual awards ceremony. Winners were as follows:

* Best Bar Team – Manhattan Bar on Baltic Queen

* Best Perfumery Team – Silja Europa

* Best Pub Team – Sea Pub on Megastar

* Best Restaurant Team – Russian à la Carte Alexandra on Baltic Queen

* Best Retail Team – Fashion on Silja Symphony

* Best Supermarket Team – Tallink Isabelle.

In his anniversary message at the gala dinner Chairman of the Management Board Paavo Nõgene spoke directly to both staff and suppliers and said: “In the past 30 years we have worked hard to build up Tallink Group. As well as our own evolution, we hope we have enabled your businesses to grow so that the cooperation has been mutually beneficial.

“Tallink Group is very grateful to you all for working with us and trusting us. This has enabled Tallink Duty Free to become one of the top duty free businesses in the world. But Tallink Duty Free has not finished growing. We have very ambitious plans ahead to ensure we are successful in another 30 years time. The future is ours to shape.”

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