Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MWITR) arrives at this year’s Summit of the Americas to focus on a moment-led strategy to excite and engage travellers at each touchpoint in the travel journey.

It will share plans to develop its strategy with retailers by bringing those moments to execution on the shop floor by prioritising the right offer at every relevant touchpoint in the store.

This includes expanding the offer at the following key moment in the trip: Enjoy travel time together, Give a Gift, Refresh, Energise and Indulge on the Go.

During the Summit, MWITR will also will share details of the transaction zone presented at last year’s TFWA World Exhibition & Conference.

US and Latin America strategies

The transaction zone is viewed as a key strategic pillar for the company globally and is being successfully rolled out in Europe.

The new branded queue-system and manned zones offer an optimised cross-category portfolio that aims to better fulfil traveller needs.

Marcus Hudson, Sales Director, MWITR says around 500 million travellers buy products in travel retail every year, presenting “500 million opportunities to drive incremental purchases at the checkout areas”.

“By sharing our knowledge on optimising the transaction zone with our partners in the Americas, we can help them bring these solutions to life in airports and other travel retail-related locations,” he went on.

Hudson flags significant double-digit growth for the confectionery company in the region.

“Our growth strategy for the Americas involves a focused effort to accelerate our presence by enhancing our portfolio, tailoring our offer to fit the travellers’ needs and preferences,” added Hudson.

“For the US market, our focus is to leverage sense of place in line with retailer’s strategies on gifting, while in in Latin America in particular, we are targeting gifting and the expansion of our total offering.”

New products from M&M’S and Maltesers will be on show for Americas DF&TR buyers.

Pillar brand M&M’S benefits from a refreshed offer for the US market with the launch of MyM&M’S, a gifting concept featuring M&M’s lentils exclusively printed for the North American market.

The sku has been successfully tested in airports in Chicago, Las Vegas, Newark and Boston on a rotating week-on-week basis and is due to be rolled out to further locations supported by tailored in-store promotional materials.

“We believe this product is ideal for the US market,” explained Hudson. “It’s not only fun and an extra gift great for the customer, it also adds value to the retailer and the total confectionery category in general with its sense of place fit.”

Meanwhile, M&M’S Crispy & Peanut lines and M&M Minis will feature, with the latter 310g pack containing milk chocolate lentils and an extra crunchy crust in different colours.

“At MWITR we are committed to responding effectively to the evolving needs of travellers, ensuring that our products align seamlessly with their expectations and demands.

“Through these strategic initiatives, we are poised to strengthen our position and capture new opportunities in the dynamic Americas market.”

The IAADFS Summit of the Americas is taking place on 14-17 April at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

MWITR is being represented at the Summit of the Americas by US distributor Otis McAllister at Booth 201.