Having struck partnerships at brand and board level in recent months, Kreol Group’s expansion has caught the eye of TRBusiness, earning CEO Lal Arakulath a spot on the illustrious cover.

The TRBusiness August/September e-zine is now live and ready to view – click here or scroll to the cover below.

Big briefings and insights on confectionery & food feature heavily in this e-zine, the penultimate e-zine before the flagship October and Top 10 Operators editions, which will also be available in print to coincide with the forthcoming TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes.

Identifying and delineating between important purchase drivers and purchase influencers to maximise sales conversion is unpicked in detail courtesy of Pi Insight’s continued ‘Global Shopper’ series of reports concentrating on DF&TR’s category segments.

With record-high cocoa prices suffocating chocolate margins, TRBusiness asks brand and retail stakeholders to measure the impacts on trading and who shoulders the cost burden.

Firms’ responses to oscillating consumer demand, including the sway towards ‘sour’ confections, NPD, exclusives, sustainability and arresting promotions and activations are the subject of a special sugar confectionery report,

Meanwhile, this publication obtains a timely update from Gebr. Heinemann and Casualfood joint venture Smartseller as it launches two new integrated retail, F&B and convenience concepts in 2024.

The focus on food & confectionery in the August/September e-zine is a timely moment to shine the torch on one of the Middle East & Indian subcontinent’s most important distribution success stories of recent years.

As the subject of this publication’s cover interview, UAE-based distributor Kreol Group boasts numerous alliances across the retail and supplier spectrum, including a long and trusted partnership with Avolta (Dufry) to run the Cochin Duty Free business and brand contracts with Pringles, Kagi, Vobro, Carrera, Revell, Şölen, Skross, Torras, Kägi, Two Stacks Irish Whiskey, Ben Lomond Gin and many others.

Chief Executive Officer Lal Arakulath knows a thing or two about what it takes to get known in travel retail – and stay relevant. As a familiar face on the DF&TR circuit and an avid PR exponent of the powerful brand and retailer relationships that his company continues to cultivate, he tells TRBusiness in an exclusive interview why people and relationship-building is the ultimate key to success.

Inside the 130-page edition – and in time-honoured tradition – viewers will discover a dedicated annual beauty report over 21 pages. Buyers and brands will do well to take stock of what this publication views as the five emerging beauty category trends to watch, while exploring the importance of younger generation beauty consumers and why DF&TR beauty executives can ill-afford to ignore the sub-segment.

Turn to p101 for a look at the power of several leading sensorial beauty initiatives  – from spa experiences to fragrance discovery bars – to capture the interest of beauty aficionados.

Elsewhere, Elizabeth Arden occupies the spotlight pages as TRBusiness takes a closer look at the Revlon-owned firm’s ambitions for travel retail in a Q&A with Elizabeth Arden Vice President EMEA Prestige, Digital and Travel Retail Frédéric Laffort.

As is customary, TRBusiness viewers can digest an eclectic mix of content – from essential business, people and product news and opinion and established regulars such as sustainability and food-focused reads, to the most up-to-date results from the TR Confidence Tracker and a special preview of the acclaimed TR Sustainability Week, which returns to your screens via TRBusiness.com on 2-6 December.

That’s not all… TRBusiness has captured the best of the action from the highly successful TR Consumer Forum in Dubai (3-5 June) under the auspices of Host Sponsor Dubai Duty Free.

Make sure you flick to p37 and read onwards to watch bite-sized videos from the powerful educational sessions and reaction from panellists and attendees, plus a visual montage of vibrant connection moments from the Opening Cocktail and Networking Dinner.

And last but by no means least, TRBusiness is delighted to reveal the finalists of the 2024 consumer-voted Global Travel Retail Awards.

For those that missed the announcement on TRBusiness.com, you can view the full shortlist across 23 categories* from p58.

Ensure you waste no time in securing your seats/tables for the the industry’s only awards that puts the voice of the consumer at the heart of proceedings (click below). The 2024 Global Travel Retail Awards will take place on the evening of Tuesday 1 October at the resplendent Hôtel Martinez in Cannes.

Finally, look out for the ‘plus’ and ‘play’ buttons as you move through the August/September e-zine to discover exclusive multimedia content and creatives with our compliments and be sure to follow TRBusiness on LinkedIn to stay up to date with all the latest travel retail and duty free news.

*Excluding Best Overall Product, which will be revealed at the Travel Retail Awards ceremony.

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