Sky Connection/Anway Limited is featuring Bacardi Global Travel Retail’s John Dewar & Sons Fine Whisky Emporium at the Hong Kong MTR (Mass Transit Railway) Lo Wu station in its largest permanent merchandising fixture to date.

 

The station is one of Hong Kong’s most heavily used immigration control points for passengers travelling to and from Mainland China, with duty free sales at Lo Wu last year reaching around HK$2bn ($257m) according to the MTR Corporation.

 

In addition, passengers boarding MTR’s Hong Kong cross boundary service to Lo Wu totalled 114.2m (+1.1%) last year.

 

THE BACARDI SCOTCH STRATEGY…

In a statement, Bacardi said: “Capitalising on direct and regular access to the upwardly mobile Chinese working population commuting between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the Emporium is a three-metre wide installation, which brings to life the Bacardi Scotch strategy.

 

“Shoppers are guided by brand ambassadors to choose from the entire portfolio of Dewar’s aged blends, as well as having the opportunity to buy the rare single malts that go into Dewar’s, the world’s most awarded blended Scotch whisky and the holder of the longest Royal Warrant for blended whisky since the initial award from Queen Victoria in 1893.”

 

 

Simon Au, Anway Limited/Sky Connection Merchandising & Buying Director said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to bring something very special to the high proportion of our shoppers who are whisky lovers and collectors.

 

“Whatever their preference, the John Dewar & Sons Fine Whisky Emporium offers something for experienced older connoisseurs and for younger collectors who may be new to discovering their own favourite.

 

GOOD CUSTOMER FEEDBACK…

“We’re delighted with the customer feedback – people are genuinely amazed to be able to purchase some of the world’s most awarded whiskies on their commute home.”

 

In addition, Vinay Golikeri, Regional Director Asia-Pacific, Bacardi Global Travel Retail added that Bacardi’s detailed analysis of Chinese drinking habits indicate a ‘strong opportunity to drive incremental basket spend in Scotch’.

 

Interestingly, he added: “This opportunity will come from shoppers who were born during and since the economic reform. They are already actively engaging with the ‘discovery’ opportunity and the brand intrinsics of the five single malts in our aged whisky portfolio.”

 

‘$40M’ INCREMENTAL PRIZE

He says there is ‘a $40m incremental opportunity to unlock in GTR whisky’ and Bacardi believes the key is to leverage the appeal of discovery brands at the second stage of luxury [As referred to many times in interviews with Mike Birch, Managing Director, BGTR-Ed].

 

Golikeri adds that Bacardi is ‘delighted’ that Sky Connection is now featuring BGTR’s most recent launches of Royal Brackla highland single malt whisky 12yo, 16yo and 21yo and Dewar’s 12yo, 15yo, 18yo and Dewar’s Ne Plus Ultra 30yo.

 

 

The Emporium also features the entire age ranges of Aberfeldy Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Aultmore of the Foggie Moss Speyside Single Malt, Craigellachie Speyside Single Malt and Glen Deveron, Royal Burgh Collection.