Distell makes key travel retail appointments

South African spirits producer Distell has made two top management appointments to drive the firm’s growth in global travel retail and Taiwan.

Distell has appointed Marius Fouché as Distell Taiwan managing director

Marius Fouché will take up the newly created role of Distell Taiwan managing director from July, having lead the company’s duty free sector since 2013 with year-on-year double-digit volume growth.

He will be responsible for furthering Distell’s current infrastructure in the Taiwanese market in order to create a “springboard” to release some of the group’s other leading brands.

Fouché said Taiwan’s GDP is forecast to by more than 3% this year, signalling “promising potential” for spirits such as Distell’s Bisquit Cognacs and Amarula Cream liqueur.

Stepping into Fouché’s former position of managing director global travel retail will be Richard Trimby, who joined Distell in 2011 and boasts 25 years’ experience in the wine and spirits industry across senior commercial and marketing roles, including 10 years with Diageo’s travel retail division.

“I am delighted to be returning to the travel retail where I started my career,” commented Trimby. “It’s an exciting time for the industry and I look forward to working with our customers, building on the excellent foundation established so far.

“There is a huge opportunity for us to realise the full potential of Distell’s unique portfolio of brands.”

According to world tourism body UNWTO the duty-free sector is worth US$1.159 trillion and set to grow 3.3% a year.

Fouché added that Distell’s duty free team had recently secured “important listings” in Chinese travel retail and was also in discussions with outlets in Hong Kong, South Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Furthermore, he said Africa’s travel retail market outside South Africa remains “highly fragmented”, but “exciting opportunities” could be fund in Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria.

“On the African continent, we are working in tandem with the major duty free retailers to establish a presence for our brands, as international travel hubs evolve and new trading opportunities open up,” Fouché explained, while also noting that the division’s next focus would be on Latin America.

“Through Amarula, a brand that enjoys considerable support in Latin America’s duty free and duty paid environments, we have established a good presence for some of our other global brands.”