This is the last chance for readers to participate in our exclusive survey of travel retail executives on the industry challenges that lie ahead in 2007. Responses so far have been very good, but if

you want your say then please participate.
Your input IS IMPORTANT and I would be most grateful if you could spend a few minutes responding to the following questions and email your answers back to this address ( [email protected] ) in the next few days.
The response to this survey has proved very successful in the past, with a high degree of input from suppliers, retailers, airports and industry service providers generating a very good guide to industry thinking on some of the bigger issues.
I hope I can therefore count on your support and input once again this year. Please note that all replies and an overview will be published in TREND and the January/February edition of The Travel Retail Business. I very much look forward to your reply.

Very best regards and a very happy and successful New Year to all.
Doug Newhouse
Editorial Director
The Travel Retail Business/TREND

(If you have received this survey and already replied, then please ignore this communique).

QUESTIONS BEGIN:

1. What are the three most important economic or socio-political factors that you believe will influence your area of business over the next year, either regionally, internationally, or both?
ANSWER:

2. Do you believe that this year?s general trading environment will be better than 2006, or worse? Please give a few brief reasons for either view.
ANSWER:

3. Do you consider that the world is a safer place today, more dangerous, or that people have simply become more ‘battle hardened’ to terrorist threats?
ANSWER:

4. Do you expect ‘the security factor’ to continue to place pressure on the retail environment, or do you think the situation will get better?
ANSWER:

5. Within your own company?s specific area (or areas) of activity, what three changes would you like to see occur in the industry?
ANSWER:

6. How seriously do you view the issue of overbidding for duty free and travel retail contracts and what needs to happen (if anything) in your view?
ANSWER:

7. How many travel retail-related trade shows do you expect to attend in 2007; what is the value of these events in your view; and what can be done to improve any (or all) of these events?
ANSWER:

8. Are you satisfied that the duty free and travel retail industry in your sphere of activity is well represented at national government and/or the international political level, or is this not important?
ANSWER:

9. What are the biggest barriers that you see working against the duty free/travel retail business in your opinion?
ANSWER:

10. What changes in your own business, or business area(s) excite you most with regard to your company?s prospects for 2007?
ANSWER:

QUESTIONS END AND THANK YOU.