The travel retail industry underlined its generosity and willingness to give to needy communities and causes with a major contribution to Women in Travel Retail (WiTR) at last week’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.
Women in Travel Retail organised a raffle and silent auction to raise funds to provide housing for a further 30 children at the Brahmaputra Home built by TFWA Care in Guwahati, Assam, working with Lotus Flower Trust.
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Funds raised by WiTR will provide housing for a further 30 children in Assam |
The funds raised at a cocktail event in Cannes, supported by representatives of many brands and retailers, included a €1,000 donation from King Power Hong Kong Managing Director Sunil Tuli, who started life on Assam’s tea plantations. The evening’s total was €9,347, meaning WiTR was short of its €20,000 target.
However, at the Frontier Awards Dinner – where WiTR was recognised for its contribution to the industry – and in response to an impassioned plea by Furla Global Travel Retail Director Gerry Munday, Godiva CEO Mohamed Elsarky donated a further €10,000. That was followed by a €1,000 donation from Frontier and a further €500 from an anonymous donor. WiTR exceeded its target to reach €21,947.
“The generosity of many individuals and companies is so very much appreciated, particularly at this tough time for our industry,” Munday said. “Without Mohamed’s stunning gesture, we would have had to scale back our plans but this makes all the difference.”
World Duty Free Group Business Relations and External Affairs Director Sarah Branquinho added: “The extension to the Brahmaputra Home which already houses 25 children, will give 30 more children a safe home, regular meals and the opportunity to go to school, something that most of us take for granted. The generosity of this industry never fails to amaze me.”
WiTR thanked TFWA for its ongoing support, Italian sparkling wine producer Follador for supplying the prosecco and Rob Grossman of Quest Exhibits for his assistance with the logistics at the Cannes event.
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The extension to the Brahmaputra Home, which already houses 25 children, will give 30 more children a safe home, regular meals and the opportunity to go to school; pictured are Sarah Branquinho and Erik Juul-Mortensen on a recent visit |
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