Are low spending Chinese shoppers a new normal?

August shopping data from tax refund specialist, Global Blue, indicates a downward trend in tax-free in-store sales of -13% (year-on-year) in Asia – the worst decline since the start of the year. While transactions rose significantly in August by +25%, the decline of average spend at -30% clearly shows that individual travellers are spending less. More…

Former duty free executive Saul Hyatt admits IRS offences

The US Department of Justice has reported that former duty free executive, Saul Hyatt, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to conceal assets and income from the sale of duty free products worth more than $1.5m from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Hyatt has been ordered to pay a civil penalty of more than $850,000. More…

ACI: emerging markets will drive high air traffic growth

Global airports body, ACI World, has released new forecasts from 2016–2040 which highlight projected pax growth of +5.2% per annum to 2029, doubling the more than 7bn passengers seen last year. Angela Gittens, DG of ACI World, says: “Irrespective of short-term fluctuations, future growth in air transport demand will originate to a large extent from emerging markets.” More…

ARI brings in High Street veteran to lead beauty team

Aer Rianta International has hired Deirdre Devaney – a veteran of department stores with more than 25 years’ experience – as its new Global Head of Beauty. She joins ARI’s newly-restructured senior global buying team of three [the others are Paul Hunnisett and Hilary O’Brien covering liquor, tobacco, confectionery, and fashion, souvenirs etc respectively]. More…

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