In a statement released to The Business this week, the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) has confirmed that all necessary formalities have now been completed and APTRA has been registered as a legal entity

in Singapore with effect from June 24 2005.
Rakhita Jayawardena, the first President of APTRA said: ‘I would like to thank Tax Free World Association's Andrew Ford, together with Susan Tan, TFWA's Business Development Manager in Singapore, and the other initial working group members, namely Sunil Tuli, Christian Strang and Joel Lafon for all their coordination and assistance to get APTRA registered and now up and running.’
The Association had its first Board meeting on August 18 in Singapore. Primarily it was decided by the board that its priorities will include firmly establishing the association with all the proper legalities and formalities; creating awareness to all prospective members; encouraging closer links between retailers, brand suppliers, travel retail landlords, and national duty free associations in the Asia Pacific region;
organising programmes for information exchange and research, seminars and conferences; representing the region's duty free industry to government agencies, the travel industry, and other duty free /travel retail association bodies including the industry's Duty Free World Council; safeguarding the interests of members to improve the regulatory environment within which they operate; to expand the current membership of 30 applicants to 50 by the year end.
Currently the membership includes the following companies: Camus; Centaur Travel Retail; Cosmopolitan Cosmetics; Diageo; Derewala Industries from India; Hugo Boss; Imperial Tobacco; Korjo (Australia); Maxxium; Pernod Ricard; Philippe Morris Asia; Revlon; Alpha Asia; DR Group; Ever Rich; King Power Singapore; Landmark (Philippines); Malaysia Airports; Motibhai and Company; Nuance Watson Singapore; Orient King Power (China); Polynesian Duty Free (Australia); PT Aura (Indonesia); Sky Connection (Hong Kong); and the Nuance Group Asia Pacific. In the associations and landlord category the Australia Duty Free Association, Tax Free Asia Pacific and Brisbane Airport Corporation are also members.
Other priorities include the mapping out of a position paper for tobacco issues in the region with the assistance with Keith Spinks, the Global Campaign Coordinator for Tobacco and support for the introduction of arrival shops in Japan and Korea.
The full Board of APTRA comprises the following individuals (brands and suppliers): Rakhita Jayawardena, Centaur Travel Retail and President of APTRA; Joel Lafon, Maxxium Global Travel Retail and Treasurer; John Kammerman, Imperial Tobacco Asia and Secretary; (retailers and operators): Christian Strang, Nuance Group, Asia Pacific; Sunil Tuli, King Power Group (Hong Kong); Paul Topping, Alpha Asia; (landlords and airport authorities): Barry Kairl, Brisbane Airport Corporation; (duty free, tax free and travel retail related associations): Andrew Ford, Tax Free World Association; and Tom Thomas, Australia Duty Free Association.
The President has appointed champions for three key functions. They are Christian Strang for Policy and Strategy; Paul Topping for Membership Development; and Sunil Tuli for Marketing and Communications. (For more information about membership of the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) please contact the administration c/o Susan Tan, TFWA Business Development Manager in Singapore on [email protected] or call +65 67 33 6358.)