Left: The Cabinet of Curiosities onboard Cunard’s Queen Anne. Right: Linzi Walker, CCCO, Harding+.

Harding+ has plenty in the pipeline for the year ahead, including transitioning the legacy P&O Australia fleet to Carnival Cruise Line and refitting the retail spaces on a roster of ships to help drive guest engagement and additional sales – and mastering the art of delivering seamless, itinerary-driven retail experiences is powering the way forward.

The company has already shared a glimpse into the roadmap for success in 2025 with the announcement of three data-backed strategies to maximise opportunities in the fast-growing cruise retail sector.

Fundamentally, it encompasses meeting customer expectations with fully rounded brand experiences; investing in exclusives and hyper personalisation approaches; and working with the rise of the cruise ‘family dynamic’ as a powerful shift for planning.

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The new vision follows a “huge” year for Harding+ in 2024, with major ship launches such as Sun Princess, Cunard’s Queen Anne and Viking Vela, with more new additions to come in 2025. 

“Right now though we’re focused on the migration of the legacy P&O Australia fleet to Carnival Cruise Line, ensuring that CCL Adventure and CCL Encounter feel like a true part of the Carnival brand,” Linzi Walker, Chief Commercial Officer, Harding+ told TRBusiness. “That takes dedicated effort across design and development, visual merchandising, operations, and commercial to get every detail just right.

“But growth isn’t just about fleet expansion – it’s also about continuous improvement,” she continued. “From a stretching schedule of store refits (such as the refreshed Majestic Princess and Cunard Queen Elizabeth launching in March) to the fine-tuning of our pioneering AI-driven operational technology that optimises the availability and depth of our product offering, we’re always looking for ways to enhance the guest experience.”

A glimpse of the retail offering onboard Sun Princess.

Strengthening the business is more than just a numbers game. 

“For us, expansion isn’t just about adding more ships – it’s about getting smarter with our existing partnerships and ensuring our retail strategy aligns with where our cruise partners sail,” said Walker. “With regional hubs in the UK, US and Australia, we’re perfectly placed to support our current fleets and adapt to new destinations when needed. But right now, our focus isn’t on expansion for expansion’s sake – it’s on being the best at delivering a seamless, itinerary-driven retail experience.”

Key to this is drawing upon data-driven guest insights to curate assortments designed to impress, including a mixture of global brands and destination-specific merchandise and ensuring the teams understand what guests want at each point in their journey.

“Take Alaska – for spring and summer this year, we’ll have 10-15 ships in the region, requiring a completely different retail approach compared to the Caribbean or the Australian summer, where most of those ships will have been stationed previously,” said Walker. “Mastering the changes required for each regional repositioning is as important to us as testing the water somewhere entirely new.”

Lifestyle offering onboard Sun Princess.

The company has more than 650 brands in its portfolio, yet it takes a mixture of factors to make the cut. 

“Every year, we’re approached by a growing number of brands eager to tap into the unique opportunities of cruise retail, especially as traditional landside retail faces challenges. And that’s fantastic – we always want to bring the latest and greatest to our guests,” said Walker. “But selecting the right brand partners isn’t just about adding new names to our lineup. It’s about choosing brands with a compelling story, a strong point of difference, and the ability to truly engage our guests.”

The company has recently redesigned its range review process across all categories to ensure decisions are driven by guest insights. This is balanced with a view on macro-category trends to curate a blend of global brands and destination-specific names for added ‘personality’.

The Cabinet of Curiosities onboard Cunard’s Queen Anne, is a close collaboration between the retailer and the cruise line that delivers an immersive and multi-sensory display through an eclectic collection of brands.

The company is currently observing a strong guest demand for health and wellness products across fashion and beauty, as well a growing appetite for ethical and sustainable brands. Plus, with the family dynamic coming more into play, efforts are being made to ensure the offering includes more products aimed at younger guests. 

Walker has the following advice for brands looking for a way in: “Beyond making sure the commercials make sense for both sides, the best advice for any brand looking to break into cruise retail is to start with the numbers. The cruise industry is growing at 12% annually, ships are sailing at pretty much full capacity, and a staggering 75% of guests come on board with a clear intent to shop – the opportunity is undeniable.

“But success isn’t just about getting on board; it’s about standing out. The key is to craft a compelling brand story that truly connects with cruise guests. Leverage our extensive guest insights, identify what makes your brand uniquely valuable, and adapt your approach to the cruise environment – where the opportunity to build deep, lasting customer relationships goes far beyond what traditional retail can offer.

“We’ve identified a wide range of activation opportunities across our key fleets, designed to help brands cut through the noise and engage with guests in a meaningful way. Brands that take advantage of these have seen significant sales uplifts – a great way to test the waters, gain real-time guest insights, and build a strong foundation for long-term success at sea.”

Rituals store onboard P&O Cruises’ Britannia.

According to Walker, one of the biggest opportunities in cruise retail lies in big data, not only behind the scenes but on the guest side too, where data is a “gamechanger”.

“We know who is on board now and in the coming months, and by aligning this with sales trends and external insights, we can tailor our retail offering to match guest profiles,” explained Walker. “This enables us to curate the right product mix, design engaging events, deploy the right staff teams, and deliver targeted communications that resonate.”

There’s plenty built in for children, from fun displays to huggable mascot bears.

Staying ahead of guest expectations is an ongoing challenge aided by piloting initiatives, such as the dedicated shopping host on Cunard’s Queen Anne.

 “We also recognise that guests are digitally connected and can compare prices anytime, anywhere. This means competing on more than just price, which is why our brand activations, personalisation services, and immersive shopping experiences are so important,” she added. “Ultimately, thriving in an increasingly competitive retail space comes down to one thing: constant innovation. The key is simple – listen to the data, adapt fast, and always find new ways to elevate the guest experience.”

This feature first appeared in the March 2025 issue of TRBusiness.

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