​Nestlé and Dufry partner to bring health and wellness brand Solgar to GTR

Solgar is being trialed at Dufry's stores in Zurich and Athens

Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) and Dufry have partnered with Nestlé Health Science to launch Solgar Health and Wellness in Dufry’s new shop-in-shop retail concept, Mind. Body. Soul.

According to Nestlé ITR, this is a significant step forward in the company's ambition to provide air travelers with high quality food and introduce health and wellness options such as vitamins, minerals, herbals and supplements (VMHS). The six-month trial kicked off in April at Zurich and Athens airports, two of Dufry’s 20 global innovation stores used to test-run new projects.

The trial – featuring Solgar, a leading VMHS brand – is the result of m1nd-set research in 2022 that identified health and wellness products as a growth opportunity, appealing to almost 50% of travelers across all key demographics. With consumers keen to address the impact of travel on health, VMHS products are seen as offering vital emotional, physical, and mental support when leaving the ‘comfort zone’ of familiar surroundings.

“There is compelling evidence that VMHS products can offer huge support and benefits for travelers,” says Nestlé Global Marketing Manager Aura Sanchez. “These range from supporting immunity and the digestive system when visiting different countries to helping with sleep issues, balancing and boosting energy levels, and maintaining nutritional balance during dietary changes.”

The Solgar brand is the result of over 75 years of commitment to quality, health and well-being. The ‘gold standard’ of VMHS products, the brand offers more than 300 products in over 60 countries globally.

“Trusted by millions of consumers worldwide, Solgar was the obvious choice for this trial,” continues Sanchez. The initial range has been selected to meet the needs of the traveling consumer as defined by the m1nd-set research and includes products for immunity, energy, sleep, and daily well-being. It includes best selling formulas such as the award-winning multivitamin Formula VM-2000 and trademarked advanced formula Ester C Plus Immune Complex.

Working in close collaboration with Dufry, merchandising has been created to highlight differing need-states, making selection easy for the consumer. A digital product selector tool has been built into the merchandising unit which informs and guides the consumer to making the right choice for their specific needs such as supporting sleep and energy levels.

Displayed within the Mind.Body.Soul. section of Dufry stores, the trial started at Level 1, Zurich Airport on April 11 and the Extra-Shengen terminal, Athens airport on April 30.

“Dufry works closely with its brand partners, constantly seeking to implement innovation that meets the changing needs and wants of the global travel retail shopper," says Phrederika Miltiadou, Dufry's Global Category Manager - Food. "Our alignment with the Nestlé V.E.R.S.E. model to drive growth in the wider food category, recruiting new consumers, and delighting our existing loyal customers has allowed us to partner on a number of initiatives beginning with coffee in travel retail last year.

"This year, as part of our aim to deliver a Health and Well-being range, including vitamins, minerals, herbals and supplements, we have benefitted from Nestlé Health Science division’s in-depth category knowledge, which has helped us to deliver a comprehensive range of products that address key traveler need states. We are currently trialing this in both our core duty free store in Athens, and our pioneering Mind. Body. Soul. concept at Zurich airport, and the retail executions by our store teams in both these locations have been exceptional.”

While Solgar is the first brand to be trialed, the Nestlé portfolio includes a range of leading global brands such as Vital Proteins, Garden of Life, and Natures Bounty, all of which are seen as offering significant potential for the travel retail channel.

“Since its foundation in 2011, Nestlé Health Science has always been committed to help people live their healthiest lives,” says Andrea Traficante, Head of Business Intelligence, VMHS International. “When the opportunity to enter in a new channel partnering with NITR and Dufry arose, we immediately saw that as the perfect addition to our presence. Solgar will be the first of Nestlé Health Science’s VMHS brands to be available to airport passengers in Zurich and Athens, however we are confident that in the future, more of our globally-trusted brands will play a pivotal role in the wellness journey of airport passengers from around the world.

“At Nestlé ITR we are committed to identifying these market opportunities and working with our retail partners to meet travelers’ needs and in so doing, further drive industry growth. With leading travel experience player, Dufry, we have a shared ambition to build the wider food category within travel retail and we have enjoyed developing our partnership further with this VMHS project. We’re incredibly grateful for their support and are confident that this is just the start of a new growth sector for our channel.”

As previously announced, the VMHS strategy will be delivered through the VERSE model, which harnesses Value, Engagement, Regeneration, Sense of Place and Execution.