Paul & Shark was a Platinum Sponsor at this year’s ACI EUROPE Airport Commercial & Retail Conference & Exhibition. Ahead of the event, Catherine Bonelli, Worldwide Travel Retail Director, briefed Ross Falconer on the Italian luxury fashion brand’s strategic ambitions in the travel retail channel.
Travel retail presents huge opportunities for brands to increase visibility, with airports in particular an international stage to reach potential customers. It is a strategically-important channel for Italian luxury lifestyle brand Paul & Shark, which by the end of 2016 had 62 points of sale (POS) in travel retail, and will reach 70 by the end of 2017.
Catherine Bonelli, Worldwide Travel Retail Director, Paul & Shark: “The ACI EUROPE Airport Commercial & Retail Conference & Exhibition is the perfect platform for Paul & Shark to raise its profile among airport authorities and retailers within the region.”
Over the last two years, the brand has experienced strong development in Asia and its attention this year is turning to Europe. “The ACI EUROPE Airport Commercial & Retail Conference & Exhibition is the perfect platform for Paul & Shark to raise its profile among airport authorities and retailers within the region,” says Catherine Bonelli, Worldwide Travel Retail Director, Paul & Shark. “We are, of course, already well-known in this part of the world, but in travel retail terms we still see huge development potential in Europe. The venue this year is perfect for us, as we are opening a superb multi-brand store at the new Nice Terminal 2 this May, which is a perfect example to other airport authorities of what a strong partnership between airport, operator and brand can accomplish.”
Customers at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport can expect a bright assortment, reflecting the local environment. “The location sits perfectly with Paul & Shark’s heritage and inspiration from the sea. The luxury environment and passenger demographic at the airport is totally relevant for us,” Bonelli adds.
Indeed, being a luxury lifestyle brand, Paul & Shark seeks locations and destinations that correspond to this luxury brand environment. The positioning is equally vital – a good visible location in a high traffic area is important as fashion is primarily an impulse purchase. “Once these two points are established then, where space and planning permits, we would study with the airport and operator to find the suitable location and size to perform at the airport,” Bonelli explains. “However, we are also open to shop-in-shops if the synergies are correct.”
This year, Paul & Shark has spent a lot of time analysing each POS result to adjust its assortment accordingly. The focus is on fewer SKU’s for global travel retail, using analysis of passenger buying patterns and preferences to create a much tighter offer highlighting styles and sizes known to work in the channel. “We now spend a great deal of time analysing sales from each of our outlets in travel retail to ensure we can work closely with individual buyers to create the perfect offer for each airport, chosen to reflect the passenger profile and which take into account bestselling styles,” Bonelli comments. “The next season’s collection is particularly innovative, practical, and different, which is something both retailers and passengers are always looking for.”
This innovation extends to offering the consumer something different and exclusive in the airport. Last summer, Paul & Shark partnered with Hong Kong International Airport Authority and Lagardère Services, introducing a bespoke embroidery machine to its boutique to celebrate the new opening. Travellers purchasing a Paul & Shark polo shirt could have their name or slogan embroidered free of charge within just a few minutes, creating a real sense of theatre.
“We are also able to create a point of difference by offering limited editions for a specific airport or retailer,” Bonelli notes. “Again, in Hong Kong we agreed with LATR (Les Accessoires Travel Retail) to offer a limited edition Paul & Shark Hong Kong polo shirt. We are very proud of this flexibility in being able to produce special items for retailers to create a point of difference for the boutique, and to offer travellers something that is unique. Coming up soon is our new ‘Personalise Your Button’ service that will be available for the FW Collection.”
With airport retailers increasingly developing the luxury and premium sectors, Bonelli expects the upward trend to continue, with Europe a key development focus. “We are seeing growth globally as more and more consumers discover the brand – that is where travel retail plays a very important role.”
