BROWN SPIRITS: RÉMY COINTREAU
Rémy Cointreau Group circles the changes in ‘transitional year’ for DF&TR business
Senior Vice President Global Travel Retail Ian McLernon has tried to refocus the business on retailing during his time at the helm. Speaking to Andrew Pentol, he reveals how the team as a whole can improve in the unique duty free and travel retail industry.
can see and touch our brands and maybe even experience them for the first time.” Referring to Rémy Martin Louis
XIII cognac as an example, McLernon believes “the first time you will probably see such a decanter is going to be in travel retail”. He continues: “If you think about
it, most [decanters] in restaurants are out of public display in the back bar. In travel retail, you can touch and feel.”
Above: Passengers passing through Singapore Changi T4 can enjoy Rémy Cointreau cocktails.
S
ince joining Rémy Cointreau at the end of last April, Senior Vice President Global Travel
Retail Ian McLernon has certainly made his presence felt in driving the company’s DF&TR business. In the first nine months of the
financial year (April 2017 to December 2017), DF&TR contributed to the ‘remarkable’ performance of The House of Rémy Martin brand during the period. Incidentally, The House of Metaxa
also confirmed its momentum in December 2017, thanks to the success of 12 Stars and in no small part, the return of Russian consumers in DF&TR. During the nine-month period, Rémy Cointreau generated sales
“We have been telling the team to spend more time in stores, think about the client, understand why people buy our brands and take a different mentality.”
Ian McLernon,
Senior Vice President Global Travel Retail, Rémy Cointreau
146 TRBUSINESS
of €862.1m ($1bn) with reported growth of +3% and organic growth of +5.5% (at constant exchange rates). As such, the travel retail business played a significant part in achieving these positive results. McLernon, who will become CEO
of the Americas from 1 June [David Ennes replaces McLernon as SVP GTR - Ed] tells TRBusiness: “It has been a good year and a transitional one. There has been quite a lot of change within the team. “I joined just over a year ago and
have been trying to focus the business back on retailing and acting like a retailer. We have been telling the team to spend more time in stores, think about the client, understand why people buy our brands and take a different mentality. “What happens in the shop is the
most important thing.” Emphasising the importance of
the GTR market to overall business, McLernon describes it as a shop window for its brands. “It is one where you build
desirability,” he explains: “The quality of traffic is good. We know conversation and penetration is a challenge, but for us it is about the many people walking past who
Remy Cointreau believes the first time consumers will see a decanter such as Remy Martin Louis III is in the DF&TR channel.
MAY 2018
Brand strategy For Rémy Cointreau, the brand strategy is focused on spirits of distinction (the top-end of the premium segment and products priced $50 and above). In DF&TR, the aim is to bring brands to life and create that experience. “To sell off a shelf is not enough,”
McLernon emphasises. “For us, what we want to do is firstly have good locations in-store which bring the brands to life. “It shouldn’t just be about price.
Unfortunately, in drinks retailing and TR too much of it is.” Drawing on his experience in the
fashion and cosmetics sectors having previously worked for Parfums Christian Dior, he compares these categories with liquor in terms of purchase motivation. “If you look at cosmetics and fashion, price is not the reason you
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