INFLIGHT: DUTYFLY SOLUTIONS Inflight sales growth hinges on crew application Unlock the full potential...


Louis Dambrine, CEO, Dutyfly Solutions tells Luke Barras-Hill that the inflight concessionaire’s heavy reliance on the airline crew to make boutique sales means retailers and carriers should share equally the associated risks as well as the rewards.


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ast year was one of discovery for Louis Dambrine, who left Lagardère Travel Retail’s


Singapore and Malaysia business to join Dutyfly Solutions as CEO, replacing Philippe Le Goff. “It has been a big change as


although it is the same end- customers, the B2B relationship is entirely different,” says Dambrine, who goes on to describe the shift from directly managing ground store staff to motivating the crew to sell onboard. “When you operate the retail store


you can run a promotion one day and stop it the next. In inflight, it is much slower to take promotional actions.” Dutyfly Solutions, the wholly-


owned subsidiary of Lagardère Travel Retail and Servair, today works with 10 airlines: Air France, XL Airways, Alitalia, Luxair, Iberia, Air Tahiti Nui, Transavia, Czech Airlines, Blue Panorama and Air Burkina. The two ‘outstanding’ carriers


across all categories last year were Transavia and Luxair, with notable performances in electronics and cosmetics in the case of the latter.


Better-connected sales Accordingly, differentiating product selections and curating products for specific airlines or routes continues to deliver excellent results. One example of successful


to develop new and exclusive best- sellers fine-tuned to inflight. A separate but related conduit


is pre-order. Currently, it accounts for a mere 2-3% share of Dutyfly Solutions’ total sales. While Dambrine hopes that


will rise – not least in a climate of enhanced onboard connectivity – he makes clear it should not create ‘a scenario that suppresses crew engagement’. “Part of the inflight business is


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dependent on people who have no time to shop at the airport or forget something. Even those who develop the best pre-order you can dream of still need to be able to serve passengers who are in this situation, and here you need the crew.


customised service has been the introduction of ‘Sky Kids’ glasses for children onboard XL Airways that allows them to view relevant films in 3D. Meanwhile, the company is


exploring unique products and services related to the growing health and wellness trend. That job is made easier via a dedicated team that is integrated into Lagardère Travel Retail’s main buying functions, allowing the inflight concessionaire to lean on the deep-rooted retail expertise of its parent company and its extensive product database


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A revival on the cards? “In most cases, more than 95% of our sales is done through the crew. The global performance of inflight is highly dependent on crew motivation and dedication, meaning the risks and successes must be shared between the airline and inflight retailer. “Imagine one airline decides to


reduce the amount of crew onboard, they will obviously have less time to do the boutique business. This impact of these decisions need to be shared somehow.” Having notched growth of +3.1% to


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Dutyfly Solutions has partnered with gateretail to bid for the duty free and buy-on-board contracts for four Spanish airlines under the International Airlines Group (IAG) umbrella: Iberia Express, Vueling, Level and Iberia. In the case of the last, it will defend a contract it retained most recently in 2016. Elsewhere, the company confirms


it is also working on a tender for an African airline, but did not disclose further information. «


Dutyfly Solutions is eyeing opportunities in Africa and confirms it is working on a tender for an African airline.


$2.6bn in 2017, inflight retail appears to have turned a small but important corner and Dambrine believes this revival is here to stay. However, he make an important


distinction: “Growth on low cost will continue. On full-service carriers, it might be more challenging. Part of it is crew engagement; you have most of the services available, so passengers are not always ready to spend, whereas when you fly low cost, you know you will need to pay at one moment in time. The reality is different from one airline to another.” Looking ahead, he reveals


Above: Sky Kids 3D glasses onboard XL Airways.


Below: Louis Dambrine, CEO, Dutyfly Solutions.


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