Maui Jim has launched a ‘special pop-up’ in the Dufry retail area at Chicago O’Hare International Airport Terminal 5.

Throughout June, shoppers trying on Maui Jim’s range of sunglasses in the Terminal 5 international departures area can test the quality of the polarised lenses by looking at a huge polage art wall.

Trained brand ambassadors, including several Mandarin-speakers are on hand to assist customers, many of whom are from Asia. Their role is to help them choose the most attractive frame and best lenses to suit their needs.

Each potential customer is given an ‘Aloha’ gift to remind them of their Maui Jim experience.

Silvana Garcia, Travel Retail Manager Americas, who organised a successful promotion at the same location in 2016 said: “We are delighted with the location of the Maui Jim promotion, just after the TSA checkpoint in international departures. It gives us excellent visibility.”

HIGH PROFILE PROMOTION

Meanwhile in Asia, Maui Jim ran a high profile promotion with Valiram at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore during April and May which boosted sales significantly.

This will be followed in July and August by a promotion with King Power in Phuket and an interactive activation with DFS in Waikiki later this year.

Grace Lee, Travel Retail Manager Asia, reports that Korean business in particular is booming. New doors will open this year at the likes of City Duty Free in Incheon, Shilla Downtown and Shinsegae Gangnam.

For Sonja Truchon-Bartes, Travel Retail Manager, Europe and Middle East, Norway is high on the priority list. A Maui Jim pop-up display mounted with Heinemann at Oslo Airport last year was so successful at boosting sales that it is being repeated this month in Oslo. It is also being extended to Stavanger and Trondheim.

The promotion featured a 64-piece standalone display and 32-piece spotlight display with full-size surfboard.

Giles Marks, Travel Retail Director summarised: “In every market, it is the unique quality of the polarised lenses combined with their aesthetic appeal that sets Maui Jim apart from regular high street and luxury brands.

“Indeed last month, two high-tech, trend-setting Maui Jim styles were finalists in the consumer-voted Travel Retail Awards. They were praised particularly for the high quality of the product and their suitability to travel retail. Consumers all over the world are coming to appreciate how Maui Jim sunglasses boost colour, clarity and detail in the world around them.”

See the July issue of TRBusiness for a comprehensive sunglasses report and the May edition of the magazine for an in-depth interview with Maui Jim Travel Retail Director Giles Marks.