Habanos wows gala guests during TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes
On October 4, Habanos, S.A. held its traditional gala dinner with music and gastronomy during the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes
Habanos, S.A. continues its commitment to travel retail by presenting a product exclusively designed for the channel.
On October 4, the Cuban cigar company presented the new Travel Humidor by the Habanos brand Quai D'Orsay with its vitola Imperiales during its traditional gala dinner at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.
The elegant and exclusive travel humidor contains 20 Habanos each and is produced in limited quantities, and is available only to duty free and travel retail operators.
José María López Inchaurbe, Vice President of Development, Habanos, S.A.
"With this launch, we are bringing back one of the historical icons of this brand, which was relaunched by Habanos, S.A., in 2017 with a renewed portfolio and a more premium positioning and image," said José María López Inchaurbe, Vice President of Development at Habanos, S.A., in front of more than 150 aficionados, distributors and international journalists who attended the exclusive dinner.
"At Habanos, S.A. we are sure that the recovery and success of important channels such as duty free and travel retail are guaranteed with launches like the one we have the pleasure of presenting today," he added.
The Quai D'Orsay Imperiales Travel Humidor is targeted at travelers who like Habanos with longer length (47 ring gauge x 178 mm length) and who also enjoy the flavors and aromas of its medium strength. It is expected to be on the market in the first quarter of 2023.
Tuesday’s gala dinner and the presentation of this exclusive product were marked by the magic that always surrounds Habanos' big events, with music and gastronomy.
The Quai D'Orsay Imperiales Travel Humidor contains 20 Habanos and is available only to duty free and travel retail operators
In addition to the Vice President of Development José María López Inchaurbe, Ernesto González and Alejandro Fernández-Blanco, Operational Marketing Director and Deputy Director, respectively, also represented Habanos at the Cannes event. Both of them report to the company's Commercial Vice Presidency.
During the TFWA World Exhibition, the Habanos booth displayed the latest releases designed exclusively for this channel: Trinidad Robustos, Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchills and Quai D'Orsay Imperiales.
Also, visitors could see recent releases, brands and vitolas from the company's portfolio for the enjoyment of aficionados, experts and journalists who visited the booth.
Travel retail slowly recovering
In an interview with Global Travel Retail Magazine, López says travel retail contributes 25% of the company’s total sales. Turnover actually increased in the pandemic-hit years of 2020 and 2021, he notes, because cigar smoking offered relaxation and “me-time” during a stressful period.
Habanos kept in touch with duty free operators and customers online during the pandemic.
“Travel retail is slowly recovering in the Middle East, Europe and America, but Asia is still behind because of the continuing travel restrictions,” he tells GTRM.
Meanwhile, López is “very satisfied” with this year’s TFWA show in Cannes. “It’s always a pleasure to meet our distributors, operators and customers face to face,” he enthuses.
He says he is optimistic about the recovery of the travel retail channel, both as a product showcase and as a business in its own right.
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