Generation Group and TREND's various product category indexes, based on actual audits of retail sales among a range of locations worldwide so far this year, show that growth rates across most categories this year are

generally far more modest than those experienced in 2005, but the business is on target to hit $28bn in global sales terms this year.
A TREND World Index, weighting each sector index in proportion to its importance in global duty free and travel retail trade and excluding ?Luxury Goods?, would come to +4.0% for the first half of 2006. If this growth rate is maintained for the rest of the year, then in 2006 global duty free and travel retail sales should reach the earlier forecast total of US$28bn.
The various TREND Indices unveil the following for the first half of 2006 (i.e. sales growth 1H 2006 vs 1H 2005):

1. Beauty +8.2% (1H 2005 vs 1H 2004 = +16.2%)
2. Confectionery +5.9% (1H 2005 vs 1H 2004 = +22.0%)
3. Beverage +0.9% (1H 2005 vs 1H 2004 = +8.3%)
4. Tobacco +0.4% (1H 2005 vs 1H 2004 = -7.2%)

A small taste of the coverage on each sector is listed immediately below, with full reports on each category now posted on this TREND site (www.trend-news.com).

Europe drives strong 1H 2006 beauty sales
By Generation Research, 3 October 2006

The international panel of retailers reporting their sales numbers to the TREND Beauty Index confirms beauty?s continuing strength and growing importance in global duty free and travel retail trade. Driven by a buoyant European market in particular, global duty free and travel retail sales of beauty products advanced on average by +8.2% in the first half of 2006, as compared to the same period in 2005.
Europe is still the backbone of global beauty sales, representing nearly half of global sales. In 2005, global duty free and travel retail beauty sales grew by +12.3% reaching close to US$7.6bn at consumer prices.

Don?t count liquor out just yet
By Generation Research, 3 October 2006

In the first half of 2006 the TREND Beverage Index ? measuring actual sales through the cash registers in the shops in a range of locations worldwide ? suggests that global duty free and travel retail sales of liquor advanced +0.9% on average as compared to the same period in 2005.

Tobacco sales stable, but importance declining
By Generation Research, 3 October 2006

The TREND Tobacco Index shows ? based on actual audits of retail sales among a range of locations worldwide ? that in the first half of 2006 global duty free and travel retail sales of tobacco nudged up by +0.4% compared to the same period in 2005.

Confectionery growth is back
By Generation Research, 3 October 2006

According to the TREND Confectionery Index measuring actual sales through the shop tills in the first half of 2006, global duty free and travel retail sales of confectionery added +5.9% to sales compared with the same period in 2005. The half-year growth is partly hampered by a relatively weak first quarter 2006 (+1.1% against 1Q 2005).

[All of these figures are copyright and may not be used by any media without express written permission).