DFS Macao, DFS Hong Kong, Nuance and CDFG all won major awards at last month’s Sunglasses Workshop & Fourth Sunglasses Awards at the TFWA show.

 

The event was hosted by Luxottica, Marcolin, De Rigo, Marchon, Maui Jim and Safilo and attracted its largest audience to date who heard Generation Research President Yngve Bia present data and trends for the sunglasses category, as he also pointed to the category’s growth and resilience through a number of crises.

 

Bia also predicted a bright future for the category, forecasting a compound annual growth rate 13.8% between 2013 and 2025, with total category sales expected to reach US$7.85bn, representing 5.8% of global travel retail sales.

 

Peter Mohn, CEO of m1nd-set then followed Bia with the results of recent consumer research carried out in association with APTRA. This looked at the major shopping drivers and barriers affecting Sunglasses shoppers. Mohn also noted how he expects future growth in the category will be driven by increased product choice and broader adoption of multi-formatting.

 

Attendees were then given real-life insight into the execution and benefits of a multi-formatting strategy through a video presentation from Heathrow Airport. This segment showed the active category management approach that the airport has taken to sunglasses retail across its five-terminal estate and online shopping platform.

 

The winners of the Sunglasses Awards were finally announced in what the organisers say were ‘six hotly contested categories’ with all entries judged against he following: Innovation, originality and creativity; Perfect execution and excellent concept; Good business practice and sales results; Clear communication demonstrating ambitious objectives.

 

Peter Mohn, CEO of m1nd-set.

 

AND THE WINNERS WERE….

 

Best New In-store Environment for Sunglasses

DFS – T Galleria Macao – WINNER

The Nuance Group – Toronto Pearson Airport & Sochi International Airport- COMMENDED

WDFG – Stansted South – COMMENDED

 

Best Dedicated Sunglasses Sales Team

DFS – T Galleria Canton Road – Hong Kong – WINNER

Gebr. Heinemann – COMMENDED

Larnaca Airport – COMMENDED

 

Best Standalone Sunglasses Concept

The Nuance Group – Zurich Airport, Mumbai Airport, St. Petersburg Airport & Antalya Airport – WINNER

Duty Free Americas – Atlanta Airport, E Terminal – COMMENDED

Kappé – Amsterdam Schiphol Airport – COMMENDED

 

Innovation Award

The Nuance Group – Hamburg Airport, St. Petersburg Airport, Stockholm Arlanda Airport & Lisbon Airport – WINNER

CDFG – CDF Mall, Haitang Bay – COMMENDED

DFS – Hong Kong International Airport – COMMENDED

 

Best Off-Airport Sunglasses Retailer

CDFG – CDF Mall, Haitang Bay – WINNER

Harding Brothers – Royal Caribbean – Independence of the Seas – COMMENDED

The Nuance Group – Center Parcs, Woburn – COMMENDED

 

Sunglasses Retailer of the Year

DFS – WINNER

Gebr. Heinemann – COMMENDED

The Nuance Group – COMMENDED

 

Francis Gros, Head of Global Channels, Luxottica.

 

In addition to these awards, a special, first-ever ‘Jury’s Award for Sunglasses Category Champion’ was also presented to Gebr. Heinemann, with special mention made of the support for the category shown by the company’s Managing Director Kay Spanger over several decades.

 

The Awards judges were as follows: Francis Gros, Head of Global Channels, Luxottica; Giles Marks, Director Duty Free Sales, Maui Jim; Chiara Polverini, Duty Free & Travel Retail Manager, Marcolin; Enrico Molin, Duty Free Manager, De Rigo Vision; Erwan Le Guennec, International Travel Retail Director, Marchon; and Omar Hagi, Head of Global Travel Retail, Safilo.

 

Francis Gros, commented: “We saw from the insights shared by our guest presenters as well as the quality on display across all the shortlisted awards entries that the Sunglasses category continues to innovate and challenge convention in order to drive continued growth. In particular, it has been great to witness a number of examples of the Trinity approach yielding excellent results in this category.

 

“We thank everyone who attended the workshop and made it such a fantastic celebration of this dynamic category, and congratulate all the award-winners for once again raising the bar and setting new standards in travel retail.”