Nestlé International Travel Retail (NITR) will reaffirm its mission to build food into travel retail’s number one category at the 2023 Summit of the Americas (16-19 April).

The 2023 Summit of the Americas returns to the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

NITR’s strategy is being executed through its VERSE (Value, Engagement, Regeneration, Sense of Place and Execution) strategy.

Jorge Hadweh, Global Head of Sales, NITR said: “We have enjoyed very good sales recovery in the region since the Covid pandemic thanks to the expanded distribution of our iconic brands in both airport and non-airport channels of distribution.

“We’ve also seen very good performance from our core brands and NPDs, helping us to grow our sales ahead of passenger growth in the region’s strategic locations. We’re very much looking forward to meeting up with our partners and colleagues in West Palm Beach, continuing our ambition to make Food travel retail’s #1 category.”

Visitors to NITR’s stand (Booth 101) will encounter pillar brands KitKat, Smarties, Nestle Swiss and After Eight.

LEP for After Eight

Alongside the new KitKat Vegan bar and KitKat Senses Tablets, the following will feature: Pistachio and Lotus Biscuit flavours for KitKat Senses Mini Moments; a four-flavour KitKat Mix Sharing Bag (replacing Honeycomb with new White flavour, along with Dark, Milk and Orange); and updated flavours (Peanut Butter, Milk and White) for the KitKat Chunky Mix Gift Pack.

Supporting NITR’s presence is the global KitKat ‘Live Your Break’ campaign, using the tagline ‘Break in a World of Flavour’.

The campaign, which uses 360-degree digital communication tools to target consumers across the travel journey, is now live across key airports including within Latin America.

Through Smarties, which has switched to 100% recyclable paper packaging, NITR is launching the new Smarties Cool Creatures sku this spring.

A kit for for children features four sea-creature construction sheets, one playmat, eight pencils and sticker sheets.

Designed to inspire learning and exploration, Smarties Cool Creatures also includes four mini tubes of the recognisable crispy shell-coated milk chocolates.

The travel retail exclusive Cool Creatures, NITR’s first foray into augmented reality, allows shoppers to access a virtual world via QR code where they can access three digital experiences: marine explorer, fun facts and an expert quiz.

By clicking on each, they can use a phone camera to explore a virtual marine world for educational fun and play.

Elsewhere, a Gin, Tonic & Mint flavour After Eight limited edition in 400g travel-exclusive pack joins the range, while a milk chocolate and hazelnut addition bolsters the Nestlé Swiss 170g tablet range.

NITR states that while confectionery will continue to be the driving force of the food category, retailers are grasping a wider opportunity, particularly in coffee and wellbeing.

Visitors can sample travel retail options for the Nescafé Roastery Collection – a premium instant coffee available in light and dark-roasted options.

Meanwhile, Nescafé Azera Americano is a barista-style Americano coffee collection designed to appeal to younger consumers with its blend of instant and finely roasted coffee beans.

Americano, Americano Decaff and Americano Intense variations are designed to meet travellers’ need states.

The Nescafé Roastery and Azera Collections are supported instore by dedicated merchandising units and offline/online digital media.

Every jar or can purchased meets Nestlé’s ‘Cup of Respect’, whereby coffee is grown, manufactured, packaged and enjoyed respectfully.