Innovation, sustainability, retailtainment drive Rémy Cointreau GTR into 2024
Alice Hoffman, Marketing Director GTR Rémy Cointreau says the group has ambitious sustainability goals for 2024
2024 will see Rémy Cointreau reaffirm its long-term commitment to global travel retail with an impressive array of brand activations and innovative new product developments, all underscored by a central theme of sustainability. The French wine & spirits group has a dynamic new leadership team at the helm, including Alice Hoffmann Marketing Director Rémy Cointreau GTR; who, during TFWA in Cannes, walked Global Travel Retail Magazine through the company’s key activations for 2024.
“Travel retail is where we really focus on activations to share experiences with our customers,” says Hoffmann. “We want to educate around our strong sustainability messages and innovative new products. And of course, we know that our clients are looking for more premium products; this is especially true in travel retail with the gifting opportunity.”
Innovation: NPDs
Returning to TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last year, Rémy Cointreau GTR showcased brand campaigns for Maison Rémy Martin and Louis XIII Cognacs with premiumization and innovation as key themes to attract discerning travelers looking for personalized and gifting options.
2024 represents a very important milestone says Alice Hoffmann, “Next year we will celebrate 300 years of our iconic cognac brand, Maison Rémy Martin. It’s a key milestone we want to celebrate with our retail partners and clients, so watch out for some very special activations launching for the new year. As the brand was born under the Year of the Dragon, which is repeated in 2024, it will be a double celebration,” she says.
Something else new and due to roll out in travel retail in 2024 is the Louis XIII The Drop, a 1-cl format of the ultra-premium cognac, that Hoffmann describes as a breakthrough in the industry. “The Drop is a new ritual to enjoy for Louis XIII Cognac. It’s also a way of targeting a new generation of clients and to encourage them try it their way. The product is already available in domestic markets and we will start to implement in travel retail key locations, such as Singapore and Dubai."
Louis XIII Cognac ‘The Drop’ will see expansion in GTR in 2024
Hoffmann explains it’s important to make sure there is enough space to display the concept and for travelers to explore the personalization options. There are five bottles in the collection, each sold with a thin leather strap and miniature case, that can be worn as a fashion accessory; the five colors can evoke a different mindset such as Loud, Glow, Bold, Smooth and Bright. “The Drop is all about sipping to discover the product,” she adds.
Further to its August launch in GTR, Maison Rémy Martin is putting its pinnacle Louis XIII coffret center stage for its retail partners. The newly updated, smaller and lighter coffret was designed with sustainability credentials as a key driver; it’s crafted from 100% cellulosic materials and has reduced the product’s C02 emissions for packaging by 57%. “This is really a primary engagement for the group. The new permanent Louis XIII coffret was designed to reduce impact yet make it highly collectible.” A new personalized leather luggage tag will be introduced to select travel retail locations to focus on gifting.
Maison Rémy Martin’s new coffret design is smaller and lighter for 2024
Sustainability, traceability
This year will see the debut in travel retail for Champagne Telmont’s organic champagne, Réserve de la Terre. As Telmont is transitioning to 100% organic production, Hoffmann says the focus is really about transparency and telling the story of the Champagne’s production via each bottle’s labeling. “You will have everything on the label: the type of wine, the dosage, the year and age of the wines. Traceability is key for Telmont, as the organic category of Champagne is still small,” she says.
The brand has developed the lightest bottle used within the Champagne industry. “We also plan to offer a personalized gifting option via the label, but without a gift box; it will be a special treatment but with a light touch.”
The focus for Champagne Telmont Reserve de la Terre is a label of provenance
Another key launch for 2024 is the travel retail exclusive single malt whisky, Bruichladdich. Due to launch in April, details about the unpeated Islay malt whisky range are still under wraps but will feature innovative eco-friendly packaging that Hoffmann says is much lighter and has resulted in the carbon footprint being reduced by 65%.
Bruichladdich, a new single malt whisky with innovative packaging design will launch in April
Rémy Cointreau has pledged to increase its engagement on sustainability measures across its brand portfolio; the company aims to half its C02 footprint by 2030 with a focus on eco-conception in packaging in particular, according to Hoffman. Highlights for 2024 are how the new Rémy Martin Louis XIII coffret and Bruichladdich products are already adjusting the company’s footprint.
Premiumization
Education and retailtainment are key drivers for investment says Hoffmann who highlights how travel retail activations for key brands will continue with upscaled promotional campaigns next year; including Metaxa, St-Rémy brandy, Mount Gay rum, Cointreau liqueur and The Botanist gin Hebridean Strength collection.
“We know our clients are looking for education opportunities and we can see how investment in activations creates this halo effect around our brands,” explains Hoffmann. “Take the Rémy Martin Club Exception. We have been able to elevate how we speak about cognac and to offer pairing advice, for example to try it with nougat or nuts. The eight-sided bottle relates to the different facets and aromatic profiles of the product. It’s great to have a specific version for travel retail, because travelers are looking for something exclusive to bring back that you cannot find in the domestic market.”
St-Rémy Signature is a new premium brandy to target more brown spirit drinkers
For St-Rémy, a premiumization strategy also applies, according to Hoffmann, who says the French brandy is targeting “more brown spirit drinkers” with a new Signature expression that will expand distribution in select locations such as Dubai or Singapore. “Sitting alongside VSOP and XO, St-Rémy Signature represents the innovative creation of St-Rémy's Master Blender Cécile Roudaut. In crafting this blend, Roudaut sought to explore new production processes and aromas while paying homage to St- Rémy's traditions and its historical smooth profile.
