Inter African Marketing targets travel retail growth at TFWA Cannes

By Naomi Chadderton | Friday, 14 August 2026 9:45

Inter African Marketing will head to the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes with plans to expand its travel retail partnerships, strengthen relationships with existing brands and introduce more niche fragrance houses to African markets.

The African beauty and fragrance specialist distributes international brands across markets including Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal, and said it has recorded strong momentum across both travel retail and domestic channels over the past year.

Its recent airport developments include the launch of a dedicated L’Oréal travel retail boutique at Abuja International Airport and Scentopia’s flagship travel retail store at Kotoka International Airport in Accra. According to the company, both locations have exceeded expectations, strengthening its confidence in the potential of Africa’s airport retail market.

Following the performance of the Abuja boutique, Inter African Marketing and L’Oréal are now preparing to expand its retail area. Scentopia is also growing its airport footprint, with a new store scheduled to open at Kumasi Airport later this year.

“Travel retail has become an increasingly important part of our business,” said Johnny Lakhwani, Commercial Director of Inter African Marketing. “The success of the L’Oréal boutique in Abuja and our Scentopia store in Accra has demonstrated that African travellers are looking for the same premium beauty experiences available in major international airports. We’re now focused on building on that success.”

At TFWA Cannes, the company’s first priority will be to explore further opportunities with brands it already represents, including expansion into additional African markets and new channels such as travel retail.

“We already represent many outstanding global brands across selected African markets,” Lakhwani said. “Our first priority is always to grow with those partners by extending into additional countries or developing new channels such as travel retail.”

Inter African Marketing will also use the exhibition to seek partnerships with emerging niche fragrance houses. The company believes Africa’s premium beauty market presents growing opportunities for independent brands that have not traditionally viewed the continent as a priority.

“Many niche brands simply don’t realise how developed the premium beauty market has become across parts of Africa,” Lakhwani explained. “They are often surprised to learn that consumers are already shopping brands like Chanel, Dior and other leading prestige houses across the continent. Part of our role is helping change those perceptions and demonstrating the opportunity.”

The company said greater participation in international industry events and increased communications are also helping raise its profile among prospective partners.

“Our objective in Cannes is not only to meet existing partners but also to introduce ourselves to brands that may not yet be considering Africa,” Lakhwani added. “We want them to see the progress being made in African beauty retail and understand that there are experienced partners capable of building their business successfully.”

Looking ahead, Inter African Marketing plans to grow its distribution and retail operations, expand Scentopia’s airport presence and secure additional premium fragrance partnerships.

“Our ambition is straightforward,” Lakhwani concluded. “We want Africa to become a market that global fragrance brands actively prioritise rather than overlook. The opportunity is there, and we’re committed to helping more brands realise its potential for both domestic markets and airport retail.”

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