SUGAR CONFECTIONERY: RICOLA


Ricola adopts long-awaited approach to structure the travel retail business


Swiss Herb drop manufacturer Ricola may have been present in DF&TR for the best part of 20 years, but not until now has it clearly defined its strategy. Andrew Pentol reports.


F


resh from showcasing its product range at the recent TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition


in Singapore and having secured several key airport listings, Ricola now seems to have a structured approach to the channel. Ricola Head of Travel Retail and


Middle East Andreas Reckart, who joined the company three years ago, tells TRBusiness: “At that point in time, Ricola was unclear about the purpose of being in travel retail and the real unique selling point it could add to the channel. “Travel retail was more of


an opportunistic business and pretty much everyone was trying to be successful in the channel without knowing too much about it. Now, we have a strategy and structured approach.” Being a consumer-driven


company, “the starting point was to undertake some consumer research with m1nd-set in Frankfurt and Hong Kong Airports. “The aim was to obtain a better


understanding from different parts of the world about what consumers are really looking for when they see Ricola in travel retail.” Despite undertaking the research


in two very different locations, the results were similar, according to Reckart. “The research determined gifting


and sharing as a driver for Ricola, but identified self-consumption as the most important. “For the latter, we did not have


any skus in our assortment so the top priority was to address the consumer need. “We subsequently brought out


a range comprising three tins of 75g and a small doypack of 125g just to address that need for immediate consumption.” He adds: “We showcased these


packs for the first time last year in Cannes and secured a good set of


JUNE 2018


listings with the likes of Dubai Duty Free, Duty Free Philippines, Gebr. Heinemann and Dufry Group.”


TR exclusives focus Recently, Ricola has placed a strong emphasis on travel retail exclusives. “It also came across in our research


that while consumers want individual consumption, they still want an exclusive item and something different from what is available on the local market,” observes Reckart. “We worked very closely on the


development of this portfolio with major retailers. They emphasised that we needed to have something specific if we wanted to move way from discussions about pricing in comparison with the domestic market.” Europe may be the region Ricola is


best known and where it has enjoyed the most success, but it now seems to be broadening its horizons. “Europe is definitely our


stronghold,” Reckart emphasises. “From a company point of view


several of our biggest markets are in Europe. That is where the brand


originated. Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland are our core markets. “That said, we are investing


a lot of resources into Asia and growing in a lot in places like China, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore. “For us, the biggest opportunities


in terms of incremental growth are in Asia.” Looking ahead, the company is


aiming to position itself as a global and unique brand in DF&TR with distribution through the top 10 global retailers. “There are still three or four


“The aim was to obtain a better understanding from different parts of the world about what consumers are really looking for when they see Ricola in travel retail.”


Andreas Reckart, Head of Travel Retail and Middle East, Ricola


TRBUSINESS 63


Above: Check- out items for individual consumption are available in 75g tins.


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