Global cruise retail specialist Harding has agreed a new five-year contract with P&O Cruises and luxury cruise brand Cunard. Under the terms of the agreement, Harding will manage the retail for all ships across the two fleets until 2027.

The ships include P&O Cruises Ventura, Britannia, Arcadia, Aurora, Azura and new ship Iona which will sail her maiden voyage this summer, as well as all three Cunard vessels (Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria).

As part of the contract, the Harding internal design team will continue working with P&O Cruises’ and Cunard’s design teams and architects to design, manage and build entire retail environments. The objective is to create immersive brand solutions, building on their joint success in designing the Iona retail spaces.

For P&O Cruises, the contract also includes the Arvia vessel, which is due to join the fleet in December 2022, as well as Cunard’s new-build ship. The five-year contract represents the continuation of a 20-year working relationship between the three companies.

Design and brand choice on board the new ships were also influenced by a Harding survey of 20,500 people. According to the company, the survey illustrated its cruise market customer insight.

MIX OF TAX AND DUTY FREE PRODUCTS

Harding will offer a mix of tax and duty free products including fine jewellery, watches and fashion, along with lifestyle and experiential activations curated by ship and destination.

The Logo concepts for P&O Cruises and Cunard have been exclusively designed by the Harding Logo teams.

On board Iona, first-at-seas include four exclusive standalone boutiques. Mulberry is also set to launch a first-at-sea standalone store.

Harding Managing Director James Prescott said: “This is a real milestone in Harding history. I am delighted to confirm our partnership with Carnival UK across both P&O Cruises and Cunard.

“We have worked closely with the senior teams based in Carnival House, Southampton in a total trinity approach to deliver the best products with the right experiences for the guests on board. We are delighted that these two companies have put their trust in Harding here in the UK.”

Carnival UK vice-president on board revenue Robert Palmer added: “We are delighted to have signed this future-focused contract with Harding.

“Working with one of the leading players in cruise retail to build a strong commercial and branded retail partnership, as we resume sailing and enter an exciting period of new ship launches for both our P&O Cruises and Cunard brands is an important milestone.

“Harding has shown its ability to retail at a branded and experiential level at sea which will undoubtedly continue to give our guests the best and most inspiring holiday retail experience.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Harding team in the coming months and years.’’