Welcome to the TRBusiness 90 Second News update for 20 May 2026 – your weekly roundup of duty free and travel retail news, kindly sponsored by Coty.

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TFWA APEC 2026 welcomes 2,814 visitors; dates revealed for 2027

The 2026 edition of the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference, which took place at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore from 10-14 May, welcomed a total of 2,814 visitors from across the region and beyond. Read more…

Photos: Anne Emmanuelle Thion

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Forum: ‘The Customer Whisperer’ Kate Hardcastle to make keynote address

TRBusiness is delighted to announce that Kate Hardcastle MBE, internationally known as ‘The Customer Whisperer’ and author of The Science of Shopping, is joining this year’s TR Consumer Forum in Geneva for a keynote address and fireside conversation. Read more…

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Despite March airspace closures, Qatar Duty Free delivered +9% annual growth
Qatar Duty Free (QDF) has shown its strength at a turbulent time in the Middle East by generating a sales uplift of +9% year-on-year for the 12 months to March 2026, a month when the country’s airspace was closed due to impacts from the conflict between US-Israel and Iran that started on 28 February. Read more…

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WHSmith brings AI-powered shopping assistant to Melbourne Airport

WHSmith has launched IMo, a new AI-powered retail assistant that the travel retail says is designed to help travellers make faster, more confident purchasing decisions in busy airport environments. Read more…

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