Accolade Wines toasts Hardys pop-up store with Dubai Duty Free
The Hardys pop-up store promotes the company’s wines, including the travel retail exclusive Hardys Premium Selection
A high-profile Hardys activation from Accolade Wines with partner Dubai Duty Free has begun at Dubai International Airport.
Running until the end of December 2021, the activation is located in a pop-up store area outside one of the main Dubai Duty Free shops in Terminal 3, Concourse C.
Accolade has worked alongside its exclusive distribution partner for the Middle East region, Gulf Beverage, as well as Dubai Duty Free on the initiative, which promotes the company’s wines, including the travel retail exclusive Hardys Premium Selection.
Other wines available are Hardys Heritage Reserve Bin and releases from Accolade Wines’ Global Vintage Release program, Hardys Eileen Shiraz and Chardonnay.
All wines are priced between US$30 and US$100.
The pop-up store is staffed by fully-trained Dubai Duty Free Brand Ambassadors with detailed product knowledge.
Although the traditional open sampling of the wines is restricted by regulations in Dubai, the ambassadors can offer potential customers private tastings in a covered area, out of the view of other passengers.
Pop-up store investment
The store is attracting “healthy” levels of footfall thanks to its premium position in the Emirates Terminal, which also serves Qantas and FlyDubai. “This makes it the ideal location for an Australian wine company to showcase to international travelers, as well as Antipodeans traveling to the region,” said Jeff Bond, Senior Regional Manager EMEA, Accolade Wines.
He added: “We’ve had very positive feedback from both the staff and consumers about the activation so far. With this dedicated space, our Brand Ambassadors can spend quality time engaging with consumers and giving them detailed information about our fantastic Hardys range.”
Discussing Accolade Wines’ Middle East travel retail strategy, Bond said: “A key to our growth strategy in global travel retail is to showcase our wines in the top Middle East airports, and Dubai, of course, is one of the most important. Dubai Duty Free is the largest single retailer in the channel, so we see it as a key partner to showcase our premium portfolio.
“The Middle East region is multicultural, so we have access to Hardys lovers from the UK and Australia, as well as an opportunity to bring new customers into our wines. We are seeing very positive signs of recovery across the region and will continue to invest in this area in the long term.
“That investment will include more activations and pop-up stores of this nature – they are a great way to not only directly sell wines, but to promote our brands to a diverse, and very important, audience for Accolade Wines.”
