As the travel retail market adapts to meet the requirements of the ‘new’ normal, the way we do business is changing. Could the increased use of partnerships create a more adaptable and flexible industry and finally bring an end to silos?
Travel retail is changing, as seismic shifts such as emerging shoppers, changing buying habits, digital revolutions and the birth of zero value have changed the industry’s landscape.
But truth be told, the current working model is simply not keeping up with the requirements for more flexible and experiential shopping spaces. Good ideas are coming, but they simply cannot be implemented fast enough.
Portland Design’s Director of Environments, Lewis Allen, recently opined that airport plans being produced today are still ridden with ”the DNA of the past” rather than the future, concluding: ”We need to get this new way of thinking into the master plan.”
But the implementation of new ideas is hindered by the challenges of any one member of the so-called Trinity bringing about a change which meets the approval of the others.
To create change and evolution, collaboration and partnership is needed. In this new world, involved parties must be able to work as one, to both plan for the future and meet the market’s changing dynamics and requirements. Sticking with a tried-and-tested, but outdated way of working has wrought havoc to domestic retailers – which GTR must avoid. Simply put, the current Trinity models needs reworking and the age of silos is over.