Heineken Global Duty Free has appointed Koos Vrijlandt as Global Account Manager with overall responsibility for Cruise Lines.

 

The cruise sector is one the beer company’s priority channels within duty free and Heineken says it is pleased to have recruited such a well-known figure in the business – Vrijlandt takes on this role from his previous position managing the European ferry sector.

 

Based in Amsterdam, he will focus on Heineken’s portfolio ambitions for the growing cruise market. Reporting to him is Nick van Buuren, Sales Representative responsible for Cruise Lines in Europe, who is also new to the team. Alex Godinez will also report to Vrijlandt and he is already well known in the industry, being responsible for the wider Americas Cruise Line business.

In addition, Onno Huyghe has joined the duty free team as Global Account Manager North West Europe and Ferries. Previously he was the Area Export Manager for the Baltic States and Finland. With Heineken since 2008, his expertise is in key account management, seeding and growing brands both directly and through agents.  Reporting to Onno are Andre Annick who is the Sales Representative responsible for the Nordic Region and new to the team is Merel Tempelaars who is the Sales Representative responsible for Western Europe.

NEW AUDIENCES ON CRUISE & FERRY LINES

Commenting on the new appointements, Sean McNaughten, Manager Heineken Global Duty Free said: “I’m delighted that we have two such strong leaders in these critical sectors of our duty free business,  where we have a unique opportunity to introduce new audiences to the Heineken brand and our wider portfolio of beer, ciders and craft beers.   

“Having dedicated teams that are focused fully on the cruise lines and ferries allows us to work with customers and distributors to implement category driving solutions, such as Brewlock One Way Keg, Monteith’s Craft Beer range and Amstel 0.0% alcohol beer. This enables us to create valuable connections with guests across multiple touch points – great drinking experiences in bars, restaurants and by the pool and compelling volume selling opportunities in the increasingly sophisticated on-board shopping environment.

 

“Wherever the interaction is, a great on-board experience will inspire guests to buy our brands at home and we see cruise and ferries as an exciting and fast-developing shop window for our brands.”

Heineken adds that its ‘extensive insight programme’ demonstrates that consumers are seeking a broader choice of brand options as they explore regional beers, radlers , ciders and low and no-alcohol beers. The company adds: “The extensive Heineken portfolio offers unrivalled quality, heritage and cosmopolitan appeal of international brands”.