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Brown-Forman to mark 20 years in TR
Kentucky-based Brown-Forman will mark its 20th anniversary of travel retail activity at the upcoming TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes.
Marshall Farrer is leading Brown-Forman celebrations marking 20 years in travel retail
As part of the celebrations, the company will reveal a new travel retail stand and introduce its recent Scotch acquisitions, BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh single malt Scotch whiskies, plus Slane Castle Irish whiskey.
Billy Walker, master distiller across the three Scotch brands, and Alex Conyngham, Slane Castle Irish Whiskey founder, will be in attendance at the event, alongside Woodford Reserve mater distiller Chris Morris.
In 1996, Brown-Forman decided to formally enter the global travel retail business following much research and discussion at senior executive level.
“By the mid-90s, Brown-Forman was just beginning to fully appreciate and embrace the business opportunities outside of the United States,” said Marshall Farrer, managing director for Brown-Forman Global Travel Retail.
“At the time the company really didn’t have a full appreciation for travel retail and the far-reaching brand building opportunities the channel presented. At that point in time the great brand building benefits of travel retail just were not well understood. I think there may have been a slight appreciation for the Cruise channel in the Caribbean though.”
Despite the underappreciation, the company decided to look for an executive to lead a move into duty free. In 1997, Richard Ferne, then based in Hong Kong, relocated to Brown-Forman’s Louisville headquarters to take up the reins. Since then, global travel retail has grown to become of the top six revenue generating “regions” for the company and the duty free team comprises more than 40 people.
“Over the past two decades, the Brown-Forman Global Travel Retail team has been guided by some remarkably talented and far-sighted leaders,” Farrer continued. “These individuals – Richard Ferne, Patrick Moran and Jim Perry – made a number of key and insightful decisions and retained a remarkably talented staff in countries and regions critical to travel retail. They made Brown-Forman Global Travel Retail what it is today.
“It is now our opportunity to take our fine brands even further in travel retail through the excellent partnerships we have developed over these years.”
Brown-Forman will host a press conference at the TFWA World Exhibition to share global travel retail news, and Old Forester Bourbon updates.
The TFWA World Exhibition & Conference will take place at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, from 2-7 October 2016.