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Feature
Travel retail: liqueurs grow and grow
While other categories have a bigger share of the travel retail sector, liqueurs are growing at an astonishing rate.
*This feature was originally published in the September 2023 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.
With high-profile categories such as whisky and Tequila stealing the limelight in travel retail, particularly with their ability to offer top-end expressions, liqueurs aren’t exactly the star of the show in this channel, but that doesn’t mean they should be overlooked.
Accessible, and ideal for giving as gifts, liqueurs have performed well in travel retail recently, growing by 83% in volume from 2021 to 2022, IWSR figures revealed, ahead of the total spirits category.
Prominent among the liqueur brands making the most of GTR is Baileys, which Nicolas Wyckaert, Diageo’s head of white spirits, global travel, confirms is the company’s second-largest concern in the channel after Johnnie Walker. “It is a critical growth engine for our business and the brand through its universal reputation, and innovations continue to grow well across travel retail,” he says.
The combination of new launches and suitability for gifting is key to the success of Baileys. “Its positioning as an adult treat fits really well in this particular retail environment, with consumers often looking to buy a treat for themselves or others, and offering a distinct tasting experience, and with regular new flavours,” says Wyckaert. He mentions GTR-exclusive flavour Baileys Birthday Cake, as well as the brand’s Piña Colada variant, joining its permanent offering in GTR.
It’s all about the flavours for Edinburgh Gin in this channel too, which continues to have success with its gin liqueurs alongside its full-strength gins. “Our Edinburgh Gin liqueurs are performing very well, and we have exciting plans for the next 12 months, focusing on the three key flavours of Rhubarb & Ginger, Raspberry, and Elderflower,” says William Ovens, travel retail director of brand owner Ian Macleod Distillers.
Meanwhile, Dutch liqueur De Kuyper has received “more requests” for GTR exclusives, according to global marketing director Godelief van Erve, who called the ready-to-serve sector a “good fit for holiday occasions”.
Find an overview of the whole spirits travel retail market here.