In the first of our new ‘TR Talent Pool Profile’ series, current Travel Retail Consortium (TRC) Chairman Jonathan Corbett tells TRBusiness how and why he first entered travel retail and why he remains passionate about an industry he has spent over 20 years working in.

 

In July, TRBusiness and Bluedog Productions announced the creation of the ‘TR Talent Pool’ Initiative, helping the travel retail industry grow during unprecedented levels of upheaval for its workforce. We continue to support those who have lost their jobs as a result of the global pandemic with this new series, shining a spotlight on individuals that this industry simply cannot afford to lose.

 

Can you tell us how you first entered travel retail?

To be honest it was purely by chance. I had seen a job advertised by Ocean Trading who were the sales and distribution arm of The Nuance Group based in Eastleigh near Southampton. They were looking for someone to sell a new travel fitness product into the travel retail market and I was lucky enough to get the job. Once I was in the role, I was able to take on other categories and eventually I was looking after all categories (aside from beauty). The role gave me the platform to learn about and understand the industry; particularly all the sales channels out of the UK. I was lucky to go to Cannes with Ocean Trading and this gave me my introduction to the global travel retail market.

 

How did your career progress in the channel since that first role?

Following Ocean Trading I joined The Discovery Store who were a national novelty toy and gadget retailer. They were looking to move into wholesale and distribution, and I joined them to initiate and manage their travel retail business. I was successful in launching novelty toys into the travel retail market with several airport retailers and maritime customers. This helped open the door for when I started The Wandering Monkey Co in 2004.

Following the closure of the Discovery Store on the High Street, customers were coming to me to ask where they could continue to source the products for their stores. The Wandering Monkey was born. I wanted to create a story and a brand that focused on providing fun and entertainment for children and their parents when travelling and not just be a wholesaler. I worked specifically on behalf of a few manufacturers and then a couple of years in I created and produced my own range of branded products to entertain children on the move. The idea was to provide items that were creative and interactive; my most successful product being the Wandering Monkey Activity Pack.

Unfortunately, following the introduction of Smart phones and tablets, I saw sales decline on these types of products as parents moved to screen distraction instead of creative hands-on play. In 2015 I had to make the difficult decision to shelve The Wandering Monkey and look at new opportunities. During the 12 years of running Wandering Monkey I had managed to exhibit in Cannes and at several airline conferences. I secured listings on airlines around the world, at multiple airports, and on ferries and cruise ships listings, gaining a reputation for breaking the mould and being a little different. From a personal point of view I gained valuable experience running all areas of a business from the ground up; gaining a 360-degree view including working with businesses internationally.

In 2016 I joined CG Hibbert, a Pernod Ricard company, based in Dover as their Sales and Operations Manager. The job was a great opportunity to put all the skills I had gained from Wandering Monkey into practice with a more corporate organisation and take on new categories.

Following the closure of CG Hibbert I secured a role as Sales Director at Compass Supply Solutions. The business focused on the cruise and inflight catering and airline lounge sector and was looking to expand its customer base. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 situation this year we were all put on furlough and then subsequently I was made redundant at the end of August.

In my career spanning over 20 years so far in the DF&TR industry I’m pleased to say that I have worked with and supplied major retailers and brand owners around the world and have been able to build strong relationships with many. I have worked with all channels of the industry and believe all have great potential in the future. I look forward to continuing my career with them all.

 

Tell us more about your role with the Travel Retail Consortium (TRC)?

The Travel Retail Consortium is a group of non-competing suppliers who meet to support and share within the DF&TR industry and aid in developing each other’s businesses. Every year we will organise a networking event for all our customers to attend so that we can promote our brands and get to know our customers better. The organisation has seen some great events put on over the years and at the same time raised money for the chosen charity of the Chairman. As the current Chairman, my chosen charity Is Chestnut Tree House who are a children’s hospice in Sussex providing end of life care for children with shortened life expectancy. Unfortunately, this year with the pandemic and not being able to hold any events we haven’t been able to raise as much money as we would have liked to. Hopefully, next year we will be able to organise an event so that we can see our industry friends and colleagues again and do a little fundraising at the same time.

 

In your opinion, how must the travel retail industry ‘adapt to survive’ during a year of unprecedented loss?

Over the years in the industry I’ve been to countless conferences and webinars discussing the way the industry must ‘adapt to survive’. Unfortunately, it seems that in many cases suppliers and retailers still tend to work individually rather than as a joined up global industry. Even if they want to change, the global push isn’t there and few are willing to take the bold step forward and be different and adapt.

This year has seen the biggest hardship hit the industry in its existence. Many of us – both individuals who have lost their jobs and companies who are struggling with the loss of revenue – need to take this opportunity to reassess and change.

We all need to look out there and challenge the status quo so that when passengers begin travelling again they see why the industry is so important. I have seen over the last few years some retailers starting to embrace this with digital displays for fashion and accessories, and theatrical attractions drawing in consumers when travelling. We need more of this in the Industry. I hate to say it (based on how it impacted Wandering Monkey), but technology will be the driving force of the future. Suppliers support this industry with new product launches and Industry exclusives all the time; retailers should invest with them.

Another topic which needs to be placed at the top of the industry’s agenda is sustainability. As people become more aware of their carbon footprint, companies need to show what they are doing to reduce theirs. The younger generations are seeing this as a key element in their decision making.

What sector of the industry interests you most and what role would you be most suited for?

Thankfully due to my experience I’ve covered several categories and am adaptable to all, however I’ve gained far more experience and knowledge over recent years in the alcohol category and do enjoy the opportunities in duty free with the brands. As for a role, I feel I would be suited to a strategic sales role looking after global accounts and account managers developing the channel for a brand.

 

We know you have a passion for children’s products – having started your own company – what does the future look like for this category in travel retail, post-Covid?

The children’s category will always be something I have a passion for. The difficulty for these products is they are about theatre and interaction with children when selling. Children and parents want to look and touch the products and see what they can do. In a post covid world this is obviously going to be harder to achieve.

The category will always be strong in its own way and a necessity for the travelling family, however I do feel that it will move more towards digital display and interaction with visual demonstrations being key to promote the products and their USPs.

About the new TR Talent Pool series:

As the world continues to adjust to a ‘new normal’ courtesy of the Covid-19 pandemic, the duty free and travel retail industry has already lost many talented and experienced employees through mass redundancies across every sector. 

While others take advantage of various furlough schemes, some will be looking outside of the travel and tourism industry for new job opportunities. 

TRBusiness believes it will be a travesty to lose such a large volume of skilled professionals – some of whom can boast more than 20 years’ experience in DF&TR – to other industries.

We therefore pledged our support to those who have lost their jobs in duty free & travel retail – as a result of Covid-19 – by offering free of charge entry to our inaugural TRMarketplace event in September and unlimited access to the platform for a month before to allow them to book meetings with all participants and discuss potential career opportunities.

We continue to support those who have lost their jobs as a result of the global pandemic with this new series, shining a spotlight on individuals that this industry simply cannot afford to lose.