Dear Reader,

It is that time of the year again where TREND and The Travel Retail Business asks you to take a little time to respond to our annual survey, which has been the leading barometer of industry sentiment on important issues and developments in the travel retail industry for the last decade.

Now I do appreciate that everyone in this business is very busy, but I really would be grateful if you could spend just a few moments of your time to respond to the 12 questions below, so that we can gather a really representative series of views on key areas of the business as we move into 2010.

As in past surveys, all answers will be published as written in the January issue of The Travel Retail Business, along with the name of the respondent and I would kindly ask you to send these back to me at [email protected] by Friday, January 8.

We try very hard to provide a good service with The Travel Retail Business magazine and our daily www.trend-news.com website and this is the only request that we make of all our readers throughout the year, so I very much hope you will feel able to participate.

Please accept our very best wishes for the upcoming holiday season and I look forward to receiving your response.

Very many thanks and best regards,

Doug Newhouse,
Editor

QUESTIONS: (reply to: [email protected])

1. What is your feeling about a recovery time for the global economic downturn and how has this impacted on your business in 2009?

2. Do you believe that the coming year?s general trading environment will be better than 2009, or worse? Please give a few brief reasons for either view.

3. Do you believe that consumer confidence is improving – or getting worse – in the major markets where you operate?

4. Do you get any sense that there is a greater willingness to create 'win-win' partnerships between suppliers, retailers and landlords in the current environment, or is there more talk than action?

5. There are currently serious threats to the industry in the areas of tobacco and liquor – are you concerned about these and the increasing amount of proposed regulation on labelling?

6. There is a tremendous amount of new travel retail space coming on line over the next year – what developments do you think are particularly significant?

7. Currency volatility has impacted on many businesses in 2009 – and actually for several years – do you believe this will continue to be the case and how has this impacted on your business – if at all?

8. Do you expect 'the security factor' to continue to place pressure on the travel retail environment, or do you believe this situation is improving with better dwell time?

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

10. How many travel retail-related trade shows do you expect to attend in 2010; are there too many; what is the value of these events in your view; and what can be done to improve any (or all) of these events?

11. 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?

12. What are the biggest barriers that you see working against the duty free/travel retail business in your opinion and what changes in your own business, or business area(s) excite you most with regard to your own company?s prospects for 2010?

(ENDS).