ASIA CRUISE RETAIL: MSC CRUISES
MSC Cruises reinventing the retail concept on new flagship Grandiosa
With nearly 1,000sq m at its disposal passengers can expect a strong retail offer onboard MSC Grandiosa, which sets sail from Genoa, Italy in 2019. Adrian Pittaway, Head of Corporate Retail, MSC Cruises updates Andrew Pentol on the progress of the company’s investment plan and how it is targeting the Chinese market.
designed as a Mediterranean ship. It is designed as a shopping ship,” he explains to TRBusiness. With the retail offer set to
comprise 200 brands, the aim is to sell brands how they want them to be sold. As Pittaway explains: “We spend a lot of time with the industry at the annual events in Cannes and Orlando in order to achieve this and have simple and direct relationships with each brand. “We began working with many of
Above: Fashion is among MSC Cruises’ strongest performers.
M
SC Cruises’ new flagship vessel MSC Grandiosa does not set sail on its
maiden voyage until 16 November 2019, but there is plenty for consumers to look forward to in the meantime on the retail front. Sales for Grandiosa, which will
depart from Genoa, Italy, opened in March. It is the fifth new ship out of 12, planned to be built by 2026 as part of a €10.5bn ($12.9bn) investment plan. The Baltics, Iceland, US, South
America and China are among the likely destinations. MSC Grandiosa will showcase an even larger Mediterranean-style promenade, a feature unique to the other MSC prototype float outs Meraviglia and Meraviglia-plus. This serves as the social hub of the
“Grandiosa is going to allow us to reinvent a little bit of our retail concept because we will have nearly 1,000sq m of retail space.”
Adrian Pittaway, Head of Corporate Retail, MSC Cruises
76 TRBUSINESS
ship with an array of shops, speciality restaurants, bars and lounges. MSC Cruises Head of Corporate Retail Adrian Pittaway tells TRBusiness: “Grandiosa is going to allow us to reinvent a little bit of our retail concept because we will have nearly 1,000sq m of retail space. “We are going to focus on the
categories where we are strong and those we want to develop into as well.” Further lifting the lid on the
planned retail offer, Pittaway says there will be a strong focus on perfumes and cosmetics, its number one category. This is alongside classic DF&TR offers
(cigarettes, tobacco
products and classic cigars, fine wines and spirits and confectionery) and fashion and accessories, all of which are strong performers. He adds: “Our MSC Logo gift shop will be
based on a much more dynamic and technological approach, while our luxury offer will be spearheaded by four separate shops in the La Piazetta (Italian square) area.” The design of the shops on
Grandiosa is an investment in flexibility and adaptability depending on nationality, according to Pittaway. “It is not as though it has been
our suppliers 10 or 15 years ago. Long- lasting partnerships are extremely important especially being an in- house [retail] operator.”
Exceeding expectations Looking back on a ‘very good’ 2017 in which MSC performed much better than expected, Pittaway comments: “Most categories developed
nicely for us. We have a very flexible approach to each of them and don’t want to focus on one over another.” According to Pittaway, MSC is
seeing consistent growth across all categories with the performance of different products relative to the destination. “As long as you approach each
category with the same technique and specialism you will generally achieve positive results,” he believes. Commercial performance in 2018 might well be linked to exchange rates – MSC sells in euros and dollars on board – and other external influences. “Exchange rates are our biggest
enemies. If they increase compared to local currencies it can be hugely positive and hugely detrimental. “The challenge for us is the balance
of price convenience and choice based on local competition.” External influences such as currency fluctuations have been a
MAY 2018
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