Mars Wrigley ITR brings M&M’S Experience concept to Asia at KLIA

By Naomi Chadderton | Wednesday, 13 May 2026 11:48

Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (ITR) has launched its first M&M’S Experience shop-in-shop in Asia, marking the regional debut of the immersive retail concept at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The new space, which opened on Friday in the Candy Party Store in Terminal 1, was announced during this year’s TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference. It is the fourth M&M’S Experience location worldwide and the first in Asia, as Mars Wrigley ITR continues to invest in more interactive, experience-led confectionery environments.

Speaking to TRBusiness on the company’s stand at the show, An De Volder, Mars Wrigley ITR’s Market Director, said the Kuala Lumpur opening introduces a number of new features for the concept, including stronger digital interaction, gifting and brand collaboration elements. “It has quite a number of new elements to it,” she said. “We have worked even further on interaction, so we have a digital play hub to play a game with M&M’S, and we also have a video that you can make of yourselves and send to your friends and loved ones with a message.

“It is also the first location where we have implemented the M&M’S gifting strategy, meaning travellers can write a little sticker and put it on products to give to family and friends. Last but not least, it is also the first location worldwide where we have the M&M’S Crocs range.” This limited-edition range includes two colourful pairs of Crocs clogs and a pack of seven Jibbitz charms featuring the M&M’S spokescandy characters.

Located within one of Asia’s key aviation hubs, the shop-in-shop has been designed as a fully open, 360-degree space to encourage visibility, accessibility and shopper flow. The concept features a bold entrance formed by five colourful M&M’S Pick & Mix tubes, as well as an overhead LED canopy designed to attract attention from across the store. Core Mars Wrigley brands including M&M’S, Snickers and Twix are displayed alongside exclusive gift boxes, impulse options and a dedicated area for rotating high-profile promotions.

Mars Wrigley ITR said the choice of Kuala Lumpur International Airport was strategic, citing its position as one of Asia’s busiest airports and one of the region’s strongest locations for confectionery sales.

The company invited a number of influencers to the opening event in Kuala Lumpur, which De Volder said has already generated social media activity across Asia. “The reach some of these people have is very big – some have a reach of more than one million followers – so we really believe it will help get the word out effectively,” she said.

The interaction and engagement pillar is supported by two digital experiences. The centrally positioned PlayHub offers a multiplayer game designed to create a fun group moment for travellers, while the ‘You & Who’ station allows visitors to create animated video messages using their own movements, personalise them with a note and share them with friends or family. “The opening of the first M&M’S Experience in Asia is a pivotal moment for us,” added De Volder. “For too long, the confectionery category has been transactional. Our data shows travellers are seeking more; they want interaction, personalisation and fun brand collaborations.

“This M&M’S Experience shop-in-shop in Kuala Lumpur shows what a confectionery space can be; it’s not just a place to buy chocolate, it’s an experience-led destination and a powerful engine for category growth.”

Personalisation is also a central part of the Kuala Lumpur concept, particularly through the gifting studio, which allows travellers to customise products with postcards, stickers and a Kuala Lumpur-themed gifting sleeve.

The company is also expanding its gifting strategy elsewhere in the region, including at Singapore Changi Airport.

“If you travel to Changi, you will see these little tins have arrived on the shop floor,” said De Volder. “There are seven different coloured tins which work for collectability, and they are supplied in a special gift bag too. There is nothing better than giving a gift from the location you are coming from, and we can give it a true sense of place.”

The gifting offer includes beach and city varieties, allowing shoppers to tailor purchases according to the destination they are travelling from, with the products positioned at a lower price point, starting from around €10, to encourage accessible gifting and impulse purchases.

During TFWA, Mars Wrigley ITR also announced the launch of a 3D interactive video at Changi Airport Terminal 1 West, which allows travellers to dance with one of the M&M’S characters. The activation is part of the company’s broader focus on using digital engagement to bring confectionery to life in high-footfall airport environments.

Alongside larger experience-led spaces, Mars Wrigley ITR is continuing to develop its transaction zone strategy, using checkout areas to capture incremental spend at the end of the shopping journey. De Volder said the approach is already being implemented in Asia, including at Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur. “As you navigate through the shopping journey, at the end when you are going to pay, using that space in the best possible way can deliver quite a lot of incremental revenue for a retailer,” she said. “Travellers have already been building up psychologically about how much they have spent in the store, and having products of a low price point at the end is then something that comes on top of the spending that has already done.”

With the Kuala Lumpur launch, Mars Wrigley ITR is aiming to demonstrate how confectionery can play a broader role within travel retail by combining impulse, gifting, entertainment and digital engagement. The company said the M&M’S Experience concept is designed to increase dwell time, encourage interaction and support category growth by offering travellers more reasons to engage with the brand before purchase.

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