The Travel Edition
(sort of - really just a Eurotunnel-inspired dream) + the joy of signage and the Museum of Modern Shopping
Several years ago I did some work with the Heinemann family on their duty free offering. It centred on what is now known as a D2C offer - the idea was for a set of travel essentials done better than anyone else.
One thing that struck me early on was the power that the big duty free players wield, alongside the mega-conglomerate brand houses (Diageo, AB InBev etc.) — the demands that they have on profit mean that you tend to see the same products everywhere you go.
Or, if you’re in the UK, you just see lots of WHSmiths (this really made me laugh).
In recent years, there’s been some interesting attempts to localise the offer at duty free (for the sake of this ‘argument’, let’s dub all travel retail duty free?) — most notably (to me, at least) are recent newcomers, like Marimekko opening at Helsinki, the slick-looking Highsnobiety spot in Zurich, and the news that Changi (Singapore) focusing more on local producers.
Recently I’ve had the chance to travel once more - from the beauty of the Outer Hebrides (if you’ve not been to Orkney, I recommend you do - incredible walking routes, abundant nature, and in Stromness, a very special town with an incredible gallery: The Pier Arts Centre); to the reassuring hum of NYC; and most recently Charente-Maritime in France (my pick here would be Royan for its incredible architecture, and a great little wine shop called Brut).
We drove back up to Calais to take the Channel Tunnel and, perhaps I’m naive, but the retail experience at the terminal was bizarre. This is the last chance to get a piece of France before boarding the train, and what’s in stock but all the same brands you get anywhere; barely any French booze, cheese, trinkets etc.
I realise this sounds a tad ‘Monocle’, but I can’t be the only one who arrives somewhere like this thinking “I could get something here that will give me a little more holiday-time once home.” The retail area was pretty sizeable, so that shouldn’t be a hindrance. Perhaps it’s in the works - I sure hope so as I’m running low on Pelforth already…
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I love this project: documenting Hong Kong’s neon signs (M+) - the sketches of them ahead of fabrication are truly beautiful.
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Who would want to own a hotel now? (FT) - after reading this I’m going to be keeping an eye out for Sonesta. It sounds like a well thought-through concept to me.
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The Museum of Modern Shopping is a recent find. I’m intrigued. And I hope there’s more podcasts to come - the presenters have a good rapport and shed light on different experiences. An easy, fun listen. They have a gallery space in Romford - hopefully I can check it out soon.
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WPP has gone D2C. Intrigued to see how Everymile plays out.
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Thanks for reading :-)
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ps. Shannon airport pic sourced from here