Sense of Place is a term we are all more than familiar with across the travel retail industry. In a recent column with The Moodie Davitt Report, ARI Global Head of Liquor, Tobacco & Confectionery Paul Hunnisett questions where ‘Sense of Place’ stands for the consumer in its current form. Paul argues that a truly authentic Sense of Place cannot be achieved by simply listing a few local products, but rather by investing in local, thinking local, living local and acting local.

‘Sense of Place’ has become a part of the travel retail blueprint over the past few years – it’s a broad term that crops up in every strategy update, every new business pitch, every range review. It has become part of the standard retail checklist; but if done correctly, there should be nothing standard about a truly authentic Sense of Place.

I firmly believe that Sense of Place is one of the most important, and most distinguishable, parts of the travel retail experience. We are distilling the essence of a location into a compact retail space, hoping to give arriving passengers their first experience of a region, or departing passengers their final memory. ARI was one of the first retailers to really champion this concept and creating a bespoke Sense of Place at each of our locations is a fundamental part of our Customer Value Proposition.

We know that customers increasingly demand it as they crave authentic experiences and added value in travel retail. From a business point of view, it helps to support Environmental, Social, and Governance commitments and credentials by sourcing local, cutting down on transport and emissions.

But as an industry, we need to work harder. We need to elevate the concept and we need to work to ensure that a global footprint has a local identity.

To read more about how ARI takes a unique, bespoke approach in each of our stores, and to read the full article, click here!