Alison Farrington

TRP Travel Retail Style Index: December 2020



Clé de Peau Beauté Luminizing Face Enhancer

Welcome to the latest travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP)

As global travel slowly picks up, we look at the business and shopping trends of the travel retail world. Recent highlights include the launch of beauty retail ‘café’ destinations in Hamad Airport, Doha and a focus on exclusive duty-free products in Hainan, where Chinese consumers continue to ‘revenge spend’ their way out of the pandemic, while domestic travel is their only option.


1/ BEAUTY RETAIL-TECH ‘CAFÉ’ CONCEPTS. L’Oréal
has launched two ‘phygital’ retail concepts at Hamad Airport, Doha. The new retail-tech destinations – from Lancôme and YSL Beauté – sit next door to each other as one beauty department within the Qatar Duty Free retail space.

The Lancôme concept features a French apartment-inspired décor and the addition of bar stool seating gives a luxury café atmosphere. The counters offer interactive touchpoints where customers can personalise their purchases. It’s the first store in the brand’s EMEAI (Europe, Middle East, Africa, India) division to launch Lancôme’s new Shade Finder tool – the skin tone measurement technology that can identify up to 22,500 shades for foundation matching. (more…)



TRP Travel Retail Style Index: November 2020



Alison Farrington travel retail news

Welcome to our travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP)

As global travel slowly picks up, we look at the business and shopping trends of the travel retail world. In recent weeks we’ve seen a spike in beauty sales in Hainan, China; K-beauty going global and a luxury brand experience with phygital appeal. (more…)



Shop the post: A new Raf-ccia uniform at Prada SS21



Prada ss21

“A uniform is something that makes you feel able to think. You have to feel well, so that you are able to think.” Miuccia Prada

I wrote my fashion college dissertation on uniforms so the ‘New Prada’ SS21 collection from Miuccia and Raf was right up my strada. Specifically it took its cue from Miuccia Prada’s own uniform of skirt-sweater-kitten-heels, spliced with Raf Simons’ street sensibility. So, circle skirts with slouchy sweaters, hoodies and hole-gouged tops, 90s two-pieces of shell tops and long-legged pants, and couture coats fashioned from Re-nylon (aka fabric du jour, upcycled nylon). (more…)



TRP Travel Retail Style Index: October 2020



Cartier Maillon de Cartier watch 2020

Welcome to a new travel retail column for DRG by Alison Farrington aka The Retail Planner (TRP)

As global travel picks up again, we look at the business and shopping trends of the travel retail world. In particular, the beauty, fashion, accessories, and watches & jewellery categories, dipping into the product exclusives and digital strategies that often launch in Asia and give the rest of the world an idea of innovations coming soon.

WHAT’S THE FUTURE FOR DUTY FREE SHOPPING? A major story this month, the entire travel retail industry is reeling from the latest government news that duty free is set to be abolished in the UK for everything bar alcohol and cigarettes from 1 Jan 2020. (more…)