Concluding APAC Dialogue session to focus on digitalisation, diversification and domestic travel retail in China; Australasian sector recovery; and evolution of industry research

Singapore 27 September 2021 The concluding edition of The APAC Dialogue – a partnership between the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) and The Moodie Davitt Report – to be held on 12 October as a highlight of the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, will feature a blockbuster three-segment programme addressing key regional opportunities and issues.

The event will be conducted as part of a packed five-day Knowledge Hub line-up at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo. The session is open to all registered delegates at the Expo (to register click here).

The APAC Dialogue will last for 90 minutes, being conducted live at:

15:00 BEIJING/HONG KONG/SINGAPORE TIME (03:00 EST 09:00 CET) 12 OCTOBER 2021

The whole session will also be available ‘On Demand’ during the Expo.

The session will kick off with an overview of market prospects and key challenges by APTRA President Sunil Tuli. He will be followed by Lagardère Travel Retail North Asia CEO Eudes Fabre in a dialogue with The Moodie Davitt Report Chairman Martin Moodie.  Fabre will address:

• Duty free in China: diversification and digitalisation
• Beyond duty free: travel retail in domestic airports and high-speed rail

This promises to be a fascinating session, especially given Lagardère Travel Retail’s recent tie-up with Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com in China.

Next up, a panel of esteemed speakers will examine market prospects for travel retail in Australia and New Zealand – two countries hit hard by their respective governments’ hard-line stance on border closures.  Heinemann Australia Managing Director Richard Goodman, who is also Chairman of the Board of the Australian Duty Free Association, will be joined by Lucy Thomas, Head of Retail at Auckland Airport: Susan Gray, Managing Director of Concession Planning International; and Ivo Favotto, Founder & CEO of sector research and analysis company The Mercurius Group.

Favotto will then lead off a concluding session to assess the evolution of travel retail industry research, both consumer and B2B.  He will be joined by Neil Stollznow, Quantitative Director of StollzNow Research & Insights Advisory.

APTRA President, Sunil Tuli said: “Earlier editions of The APAC Dialogue have drawn wide acclaim from our industry and, by presenting such a diverse programme to coincide with The Virtual Travel Retail Expo, we are confident that we are delivering real value for our members and a wider audience beyond.”

Ends