Lagardère Travel Retail and Concourse Display Management (Concourse) have partnered on a journey towards sustainability development and education in travel retail.

Representatives from Lagardère and Concourse, which provides an implementation service that is 100% dedicated to GTR, recently gathered in Singapore to take part in a Circular Hotspot — a monthly ideas workshop designed to encourage the discussion and development of a circular approach.

Hosted by Lagardère, the event focused on how circularity can be implemented in the design of stores and activations. Grant Fleming, Head of Strategic Development, Asia, Lagardère Travel Retail and Chris Morriss, Managing Director, Concourse introduced the issues in the current travel retail concession business model. The pair asked participants what kind of solutions could encourage re-use, re-purposing and recycling.

The ‘Circular Challenge’ brain-storming sessions addressed airport retail sustainability challenges and possible circular solutions. Subjects included how to design out waste generated by travel retail stores during initial planning stages through the incorporation of design, materials, interior fit-out and logistic solutions. Concession after-life and how to close the loop of store closures was also discussed.

Morriss explained: “We have been working on innovation and education when it comes to sustainable brand activation, store implementation and what happens at the end of a display asset’s lifecycle. We are thrilled that Lagardère Travel Retail Asia have responded to this call to educate industry colleagues as to what this actually means and to commit to initiating circular business model solutions to make it achievable.”

‘EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS’

Reflecting on the workshop, which was deemed an ‘educational success’ for many participants, Fleming added: “The industry has to react to the need for stronger and more defined answers to sustainability. The Circular Hotspot allowed us to hear first-hand strong expertise on the topic that was outside our typical industry view and actions. This type of innovative approach to challenges is welcomed and helps us all speed up.”

Meanwhile, Concourse is already working with Lagardère using the former’s ReStore Corporate Social Responsibility-led initiative to reduce the amount of retail furniture, fixtures and merchandising ending up in landfill sites.

This initiative identifies projects and charities that can benefit from travel retail’s unwanted retail displays. It provides a dedicated service to collect, repurpose and recycle old materials into new and worthwhile pieces of furniture that can meet the needs of other charities.

The first ReStore project involves the repurposing of some of Lagardère’s old and no longer needed confectionery store displays from Singapore Changi Airport. The furniture has been redesigned and repurposed to make food donation boxes for Food Bank Singapore, a charity providing food to those in need and who require extra help to feed their families.

Last November, Concourse also revealed plans to introduce Niaga Ecor circular panels as a sustainable material in the design and implementation process of brand activations and store builds in GTR.