The Est?e Lauder Companies has paid tribute to the contribution made to its recent Q3 and three quarter results from the international travel retail sector in a conference call for analysts.

The conference call attended by Est?e Lauder Companies President and Ceo William Lauder and other senior executives heard that the beauty house enjoyed great success in travel retail in the third quarter, which it referred to as one of its highest margin channels.
The company also confirmed that it enjoyed a double-digit sales growth, with favourable results in all regions.
Factors which assisted growth included continuing healthy air traffic, including strong growth by travelling mainland Chinese; a boom in airport terminal construction; the expansion of retail space in airport terminals; and a general improvement in the appearance and management of airport stores.
The company added that it had launched nine brands in the channel since 2005 and has introduced many exclusive products and collections that have been well-received. It also pointed to more untapped travel retail potential, telling analysts that just 30% of global travellers currently go into airport stores and only 10% of all travellers make a purchase.
Referring to its first three quarter period results, Lauder added that its overall performance was driven by international travel retail and the UK domestic market, both of which reported healthy, double-digit increases.
At the same time, the company said that the increased restrictions related to the carriage of liquids/gels onto aircraft had not affected its sales to any material degree and it was optimistic about further growth, provided the environment remains generally stable.