Ambassador Cruise Line merged with Compagnie Française de Croisières in January 2025, giving rise to an affordable quality cruise line for the silver market.

Ambassador Cruise Line has awarded Harding+ the contract to deliver the full onboard retail experience for cruise ship Renaissance.

Renaissance is the newest addition to the Ambassador fleet, following its merger with Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC) earlier this year.

Specialising in ‘affordable quality’, the European group operates a fleet of three small-to-mid-sized vessels incorporating Ambassador’s Ambience and Ambition and CFC’s 1,200 guest-capacity Renaissance, which has recently been fully refurbished to the tune of a multi-million-euro investment.

Both the Ambassador and CFC vessels will continue to offer a traditionally British or French product offering to their respective markets, retaining their national identity.

With cruise retail specialist Harding+ taking on the Renaissance contract, passengers can expect to see the shopping experience brought in line with the retail offering on board the sister ships in the fleet.

This will be tailored to suit Ambassador’s expanding passenger profile, which is predominantly French guests sailing across Europe and the Caribbean.

“Relationships and shared goals are at the heart of all we aim for to make every cruise better,” said Harding+ CEO Chris Matthews.

“Extending a long partnership into new ship opportunities is always a great feeling and a testament to the work of all our teams in delivering consistently strong work.”

Renaissance has recently been fully refurbished thanks to a multi-million-euro investment.

Matthews continued: “Working with a strong sense of French culture when it comes to Renaissance and its guests is a positive challenge, and as everything we aim for in our modelling is bespoke for any ship in question, a comfort zone too in finding and curating exactly the right range and offer to engage.

“This partnership is a strong example of combining global capability with localised insight to land real impact and commercial results.”

This work on the new Renaissance ship builds on the established retail offering already in place on board Ambience and Ambition. 

Work on the new Renaissance ship builds on the established retail offering already in place on board Ambience and Ambition.

In its signature style, Harding+ (which first struck up a partnerships with Ambassador in 2021) is taking a guest-centric approach to planning, with a focus on the wants and needs of guests, fuelled by an in-depth understanding of the travellers onboard and the destinations being served.

For Renaissance, this will mean a larger team dedicated to providing a personalised shopping experience and a focus on luxury-end beauty brands, fine jewellery collections and destination-inspired collections that bring a sense of place to the fore.

Renaissance will be the first ship to launch with the full suite of Harding+’s stock integrity project integrated from the outset.

The ship will feature four key retail spaces on board: a 13 sqm accessories boutique showcasing leading brands such as Pandora and Swarovski; a 15 sqm exclusive fine jewellery boutique; a 30 sqm spirits and tobacco store for premium take-home items; and a 20 sqm holiday essentials shop.

“We pride ourselves on creating ‘Ambassador Moments’ on every sailing, which are designed to make the guest experience extra special. Our retail offering plays as much a part in this as the amazing entertainment, outstanding cuisine and exceptional service our guests enjoy while in our care,” said Bob McGowan, Chief Experience Officer, Ambassador Cruise Line.

“Following a period in dry Dock earlier this year, we took the opportunity to enhance the retail space on board Renaissance to offer our guests a broader choice of merchandise options during their sailing.

“From fashion and beauty to duty-free, holiday essentials and high-end retailers such as Pandora, whose products have proved popular with guests on board Renaissance’s sister ships, Ambience and Ambition, Harding+’s expertise, and our strong long-term working relationship, means our retail proposition will land perfectly for the needs and expectations of our French guests as part of an elevated shopping environment.”

Renaissance will feature four key retail spaces on board, including a a 132 sqm accessories boutique featuring brands such as Pandora and Swarovski.

Renaissance will be the first ship to launch with the full suite of Harding+’s stock integrity project integrated from the outset.

This means that from the moment stock is received on board, every item will be digitally processed and labelled using the company’s latest handheld technology for greater accuracy and enhanced operational efficiency.

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