4. 4
W
illiam Grant & Sons
has been a stalwart
of the premium spirits
landscape for five generations
and, with the dual rise of e-retail
and worldwide travel, the company
has gained a truly world-renowned
reputation for quality and originality.
In recent years this independent,
family-owned company has also
achieved significant growth in its
global travel retail (GTR) business
channel and is looking to capitalise
on this achievement, as Business
Review Europe explores.
The business of distilling
In 1887, the Glenfiddich distillery was
established by William Grant, his
wife and nine children in Dufftown,
Scotland, and since then William
Grant & Sons has expanded its
capacity and the number of its
distilleries to support the growth of its
award winning brands. The company
now has a reach covering practically
every territory in the world with the
marketing and distribution of its
various brands executed via a range
of wholly-owned, joint venture, and
third party vendors, spanning Cape
Already a long-established
household name for premium
spirits, William Grant & Sons
has extended this presence
to travel destinations across
Europe and beyond
7. www.williamgrant.com 7
Town, Mexico City, and New York,
as well as offices in India, Australia,
Russia, China, and South America.
“William Grant’s as a company is
defined by our history and inspired
by the future and it is
our history of innovation
that is key to the
company’s success,”
says André de Almeida,
William Grant’s Europe
Travel Retail Director;
“Our entrepreneurial
spirit is one of the key
differentiators for the
company - it is actually
one of the reasons
why I work here.
“My role is to bring
our portfolio of core brands
to life in the global travel retail
channel, with a specific focus on
Europe and that can take shape in
different ways. Global travel retail
covers everything from airports,
airlines, ferry and cruise ships,
diplomatic and military shops.”
Managing a whisky business
presents its own unique operational
challenges, as de Almeida explains:
“We have to lay down
stocks and have
planning cycles which
run 20, 30 years ahead
in terms of forecasts
for future demand.
We foster innovation
because whilst we
clearly know what’s
relevant today we
always ask ourselves if
there is something we
can do now that has
the potential to give us
options and flexibility in the future.”
Branding strategy
The image of holidaymakers
stocking up on duty-free alcohol
is certainly a common one, but
TheyearWilliam
Grant&Sons
wasfounded
1887
8. 8
the realities of travel retail are far more nuanced
– and challenging – to say the least. Not only are
operations subject to fluctuations in traveller numbers
(particularly pertinent in the wake of recent terrorist
attacks) but each outlet also has to cater to the
interests of a truly international customer-base.
De Almeida says: “Penetration levels at airport
retail stores are one such challenge, as the number
of people that are actually going into a store is fairly
low. We try to recognise this crucial factor by offering
reasons for the consumer to enter the store such
as engaging activations and unique propositions
such as differentiated ranges of our products.”
“My objective is to think of ways to build long-
term growth in a sustainable way because what
we don’t want to do is to drive sales only by
activating our brands via heavily discounted price
off promotions, for example, which diminishes the
value perception consumers have of our brands.
“We are always striving to improve the experience
at point of purchase for the consumer. Looking at
how to bring our brands alive in some way, shape
or form in travel retail environment in order to
showcase those premium products we have.”
William Grant and Sons prides itself on its creativity
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“ William Grant & Sons has the ability to move quickly,
working in collaboration with partners, to be creative and
innovative in our approach which ultimately, of course,
helps to drive our business ” – André de Almeida, Europe Travel Retail Director
and for being able to cater to a
smorgasbord of international
customers, each with different
personal tastes, budgets, and brand
expectations. Being able to achieve
this is not merely a triumph of sales
and marketing prowess – it is an art,
bringing together a symphony of
ideas, underscored by the growing
significance of technology.
De Almeida explains: “Technology
has become more and more
important. Airports for example
are talking about being able
to communicate directly with
consumers from the moment they
decide to travel on their journey all
the way through to their destination.
I think personally e-commerce
will have more of an impact -
we’ve already seen examples of
it in travel retail and just have to
look at the success of Amazon
in the US and UK markets.
“I think what technology will also
play a role in is the engagement
aspect, with increased use of
virtual or augmented reality and
insights generated from anonymous
wi-fi analytics for example. So
from our perspective, we want
to use technology - whether
online or in store - to really
convey what the brand stands
for and create engagement.”
The company has also utilised
experiential marketing in order
to increase the coverage of its
12. 1 2
portfolio in particularly novel
ways. One such example was the
Hendrick’s Gin Gin Oscillating
Sensory Helmet (G.O.S.H.) activity.
Other more recent examples
include the launch of the House of
Hazelwood whisky and the Grant’s
Elementary range launch exclusive
to the travel retail channel. Shopper
and retail marketing agency, HRG, is
responsible for the majority of William
Grant & Sons’s build and installation
of activations in Europe travel retail.
HRG is an example of a partnership
approach with a dedicated account
director, Lucy Tugwell, supporting
the business as well as helping
to develop creative content.
He adds: “William Grant & Sons has
the ability to move quickly, working
in collaboration with partners, to
be creative and innovative in our
approach which ultimately, of course,
helps to drive our business ”
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Supporting partners
Understandably, William Grant &
Sons’ brands need to be carefully
managed; not only to maximise
in-store impact, but also to
ensure that they reach the correct
demographic – an important factor
given the increasing prominence
of high-spend travellers. Agency
staff in store play a prominent role
in representing the company and
its brands to consumers. William
Grant & Sons is working to enhance
its presence and impact at point of
purchase in partnership with Sally
Allington at Blackjack Promotions–
a company specialised in serving
the travel retail sector with quality,
brand-conscious personnel
and an experiential specialist.
Almeida adds: “As an example
of partnership approach, we work
with One Red Kite retail and digital
consultancy on an ongoing basis
PLAY VIDEO
14. William Grant and Sons prides
itself on its creativity and for being
able to cater to a smorgasbord of
international customers, each with
different personal tastes, budgets,
and brand expectations
”
”
17. www.williamgrant.com 1 7
André de Almeida, Europe Travel Retail Director
and Kevin Brocklebank and the team
have helped us in developing an
app to improve our communication
and performance management
with the agency staff in store
“We are also working with Brett
Goldhawk and team at Ziggurat
Creative Agency because we are
trying to look past just the travel
retail store. We want to be looking
at the moment the consumer
decides to travel, all the way to when
they arrive at their destination
“If our objective is to bring our
brand essence to life, then we
should be looking beyond the
travel retail store and Ziggurat is
helping us to look at following the
consumer through this journey
and identifying alternative ways
to bring the brand to life”
Having gained global prominence for
the quality and innovative approach
to its brands, William Grant & Sons
has combined over a century of
experience with the latest trends,
while managing to keep its sights
fixed firmly on the future. Having
been able to leverage travel retail
as a healthy source of revenue, the
company is poised for even more
growth in this area.
