Nestlé International Travel Retail’s Remarkable 2023 Stewart Dryburgh, General Manager, Interviewed
Intoduction by: Peter Marshall
Filmed on location at Nestlé International Travel Retail’s reimagined stand during TFWA Cannes recently, this interview with Stewart Dryburgh is one of the most important I have conducted this year. Why? Because it demonstrates how NITR is delivering on its vision and mission for GTR. Winning Frontier’s Supplier of the Year Award two years running is an achievement in itself. But it is what lies beneath that award that is important.
As everyone knows, it is NITR’s declared ambition to build food into the number one category in travel retail. I challenged Stewart on whether catching Beauty is genuinely doable and whether food can reach 50% of the basket size by 2030. Food in TR has jumped from 30% to 35% in the first 6 months of 2023, so the signs look promising.
What is interesting is that we now appear to be witnessing a morphing, a transformation of Nestlé from a traditional confectionery company to a wider food company – with coffee, health and wellness spearheading the charge.
But confectionery still remains the beating heart of the company and Stewart proudly used this platform to discuss in detail the new Sustainably Sourced Cocoa product launch as well as cover the major sustainability initiatives the company has taken for Kit Kat, Smarties and Quality Street. Essentially, giving today’s consumers exactly what they want and expect.
Launched two years ago, the VERSE business model has also gained great traction and here again Stewart cites examples of actions and achievements. Plus something to look forward to in the food category – the ‘Emporium of Goodness’. This is a project NITR has commissioned Portland Design to develop and which is defined as the ‘antidote to apathy’! This will be fascinating to follow.
It is a thoroughly engrossing and engaging interview from one of global travel retail’s leading companies. Definitely worth watching.
