CEETRA
CEETRA: Intensified activities and wider representation on the agenda
The Central & Eastern European Travel Retail Association (CEETRA) announced some changes earlier this year, with Patrick Bohl named as Chairman. He spoke to Luke Barras- Hill recently about advocacy, membership and raising the association’s profile.
economy, the industry is ‘widely misunderstood and often overlooked by policymakers in the region’. Speaking to TRBusiness during the
recent ACI commercial conference held in Reykjavík, Iceland, he identified several important fulcrums in promoting and defending the region’s duty free business moving forward. “One of the objectives is to
increase the membership base,” he said. “I think the benefits of CEETRA for local operators and retailers is not yet fully understood in the region. “Airports might think they are
Above: Bohl presenting at this year's ACI Europe Airport Commercial and Retail Conference and Exhibition in Iceland. Source: ACI Europe Events.
I
sufficiently represented through ACI, or local retailers might think they are too small to be involved or influence large policy matters. “Both these segments will
n January, the Central & Eastern European Travel Retail Association (CEETRA) installed
Budapest Airport Head of Retail and Advertising Patrick Bohl as Chairman, succeeding Gebr. Heinemann’s Fritz Janach. At its seventh AGM held in
Amsterdam, members also welcomed Jennifer Cords, Director of Corporate Affairs and Compliance, Gebr. Heinemann, to the Board of Directors. Addressing the AGM, Bohl said
that despite travel retail’s significant contribution to the regional
deliver significant growth to our membership base and they are targets for us.”
More CEETRA forums CEETRA represents companies in Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania supplying and retailing duty free to travelling consumers throughout the Central and Eastern European region. It is a member of the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) and both have very similar challenges in the region. Bohl is a member of the
“I think the benefits of CEETRA for local operators and retailers is not yet fully understood in the region.”
Patrick Bohl, Chairman, CEETRA
24 TRBUSINESS
Supervisory Board of ETRC and the cooperation allows for enhanced information sharing and exchange between both organisations at a more granular level. This ‘win-win’ situation, as Bohl
describes, includes lobbying support on key issues and escalating them where required, and facilitating access to policymakers. “Legislation being discussed
in one country may have a ripple effect on others, both in the region and Europe,” he said. “The more members we have, the more likely we are to pick up discussions about changing legislation. “It’s a very close partnership –
we’ve been discussing with (ETRC Secretary General) Julie Lassaigne how we are going to work together.” Like all duty free associations,
responsible retailing of alcohol, food labelling regulations, aviation security (LAGs), air passenger rights and tobacco regulation remain critical challenges. The industry continues to work
tirelessly to tackle issues such as baggage restrictions (one-bag rule) where it may have a direct impact on passengers’ rights to carry duty free onboard, and DF&TR has achieved notable concessions on this issue of late. Bohl agrees that work in this area
can be intensified, revealing that a new challenge in the Ukraine is emerging and must be addressed. Elsewhere, CEETRA is planning to
increase the frequency of its travel retail forums, the next of which will take place on 28 May in Warsaw. A further event is also being planned for October. “We think this is a concept that
really works to involve potential new members to showcase what benefits CEETRA can bring to the industry,” according to Bohl. “It also establishes a link between
ETRC and their expertise with the regions as they are typically attending and presenting updates. “In addition to that we’re
planning to intensify our activities to communicate the importance and economic impact of the sector to stakeholders and policymakers.” «
MAY 2019
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