Confessions of a retail buyer: Le Clos

Marek Sheridan, managing director for Le Clos, gives us the low down on selling spirits through one of travel retail’s hottest properties, Dubai Airport.

Everything we do relates back to our customer, so when adding to our already exceptional collection of products, we look at various elements to ensure we meet and exceed their expectations.

We have built an exceptional spirits portfolio that we are truly proud of, which features both breadth and exclusivity. We have one of the world’s largest collections of The Macallan available across our five stores, as well as our new outlet in Concourse D set to open later this year. We have also added many exclusives to our portfolio including the Glen Grant 50 Year Old, The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso and most recently Ledaig 42 Year Old.

We are always open to new ideas and brands that surprise and delight our customers. Although we have five stores in the airport, there is limited space, so we would encourage any new partner to provide us with input on how we can make their products stand out and capture the attention of the 6.7 million passengers (according to Dubai Airports) travelling through Dubai International airport.

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso is a good example of where we have worked closely with the producer to maximise awareness and drive sales. The product launch activities included a Le Clos VIP customer dinner hosted by the brand ambassador, an in-store window display and an engaging advertising campaign within the airport. This has all supported us in achieving high sales volume of the product. As a result we have exceeded both sales expectation and delighted the producer with both the retail and marketing experience.

Currently, Le Clos’ top three selling spirits by value are The Macallan Lalique V 62 Year Old, Yamazaki 18 Year Old and Highland Park 50 Year Old.

As we are located at the crossroads of the world, catering for a melting pot of nationalities, the seasons don’t have the same influence on sales as they may do within a domestic market. Our customers come from all over the world including China, India, US, and the UK, so changing global trends are reflected in our offering.

In the last couple of years we have extended our spirits portfolio to include Japanese whisky from well-known brands such as Nikka, to the more boutique producers such as Karuizawa, in order to broaden our customers’ experience. We have also recently launched a boutique gin collection in line with the global renaissance in this category with brands such as Sipsmith, Sacred, Portobello Road and Hayman’s.

At Le Clos we also ensure that we go the extra mile to ensure world class, personal experiences including bottle engraving, in-store tastings as well as the concierge-style delivery service where customers have their purchases hand delivered to them by staff as they pass through the airport. We are seeing an increased interest and desire for products with history and provenance, such as the recent launch of the Glen Grant 50 Year Old.

As a retailer that is passionate about our products and our customers, we are very selective in finding the right people to join our team. Currently we have a team that are enthused to provide customers with an experience that encourages them to come back. They are all WSET accredited and together speak more than 20 languages.

The most exciting part of my job and working with Le Clos is that there is a sense of huge future opportunity – and we have only just begun. We consistently strive to stay one step ahead, pushing boundaries and innovating to try to ensure we exceed the expectations of all our partners and our customers. We have a very loyal customer base and are continuing to capture the attention of new customers, whether they are holidaymakers travelling through the airport looking for something a bit different, or wine and spirits connoisseurs seeking us out from around the globe.

Our customers are of the utmost importance and so we spend much of our time listening to them and adapting our offering accordingly.