Travelling Well: Loacker’s Recipe For Travel Retail Growth
6 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
Fresh from celebrating its centenary, Loacker is looking firmly to the future. The Italian wafer and confectionery specialist is accelerating its investment in travel retail with exclusive products, premium gifting concepts and shopper-led innovation designed specifically for the channel.
At the heart of that strategy is a simple but increasingly important idea: travellers are looking for more than a familiar confectionery brand. They want products that feel exclusive, are easy to carry, tell a story and capture something of the journey itself. That thinking underpins Loacker’s latest Around the World Travel Bag, unveiled at TFWA Asia Pacific in May, alongside a broader pipeline of travel retail-focused innovation.
For Juan Miguel Cabrera, Head of Travel Retail and Duty Free, success in today’s airport environment is about combining premium quality with convenience, standout packaging and authentic brand storytelling. From travel-exclusive assortments and gifting formats to new flavour development and sustainable growth, Loacker is investing in every aspect of the shopper experience.
In this exclusive interview with TRunblocked.com’s Colleen Morgan, he explains why channel-specific innovation has become central to Loacker’s strategy, how the brand is responding to changing traveller expectations, and where the biggest opportunities lie for confectionery in global travel retail.
Colleen Morgan: Loacker unveiled its new Around the World Travel Bag at TFWA Asia Pacific. What inspired the concept and what traveller insight sits behind the launch?
Juan Miguel Cabrera (JMC): The Around the World Travel Bag was developed in response to strong demand for premium, relevant gifting solutions and souvenirs. We know that confectionery remains one of the most popular categories for gifting in travel retail – but shoppers today want more than just a simple box of chocolates. They are looking for products that are visually distinctive, easy to carry, and capable of creating a memorable connection with their travel experience.
The Around the World Travel Bag incorporates all these elements. Its vibrant design, featuring iconic global landmarks, immediately communicates a travel story, while the integrated carry handle negates the need for additional packaging or bags, making it practical for airport shoppers.
The 245.8g pack contains a generous assortment of Loacker’s popular miniature specialities, catering to a wide range of different taste preferences. The concept reflects our commitment to developing channel-specific innovations that respond directly to evolving traveller needs.
CM: Gifting remains a major growth driver in travel retail confectionery. How is Loacker evolving its product strategy to meet changing traveller expectations?
JMC: Gifting continues to be one of the strongest drivers within travel retail confectionery, but expectations are changing. Today’s travellers are looking for products that feel more personal, premium and relevant to different gifting occasions.
At Loacker, we are responding by placing greater emphasis on shareable assortments, premium presentations and travel-friendly formats. Products such as the Around the World Travel Bag and the Misto Bontà variety pack have been developed specifically to meet a wide range of traveller needs, from on-the-go snacking and self-consumption to multi-occasion gifting.
We are also broadening our flavour and format innovation. As part of our ongoing development pipeline, we are exploring new concepts within our Minis range, including fresher and more contemporary flavour profiles that appeal to changing consumer tastes.
CM: The Around the World Travel Bag combines portability with strong visual appeal. How critical is packaging today in driving visibility and conversion in travel retail?
JMC: Packaging is extremely important in travel retail. In a busy airport environment, products often have just a few seconds to capture attention, so strong visual impact is essential. We see packaging as an important part of the overall shopper experience – and a key tool in driving both conversion and category differentiation.
However, packaging today must do more than simply stand out. It also needs to communicate value, quality and functionality. Travellers are navigating airports with luggage and limited time, so convenience plays a significant role in purchase decisions.
At the same time, packaging plays a critical role in protecting product quality throughout complex travel retail supply chains. Effective packaging helps preserve freshness, maintains product integrity and prevents contamination, ensuring consumers enjoy the same high-quality experience wherever they purchase and consume the product.
CM: The confectionery category continues to evolve rapidly. How do you assess the state of the sector today and where do you see the strongest opportunities for growth?
JMC: The confectionery category remains highly resilient and continues to perform strongly within travel retail despite ongoing market volatility. Consumers continue to view confectionery as an affordable indulgence.
We see the strongest growth opportunities in premium gifting, sharing formats and products that offer clear differentiation. Travellers are increasingly seeking products that provide a sense of discovery, authenticity and elevated quality, particularly when purchasing gifts.
Another important opportunity lies in creating formats that cater to multiple consumption occasions. Products that can serve as a gift, a sharing purchase or a personal treat offer retailers greater flexibility and appeal to a broader consumer base.
CM: Loacker continues to invest in GTR-exclusive concepts. Why is channel-specific innovation becoming increasingly important, and are travellers looking for more experiential, discovery-led confectionery products?
JMC: Channel-specific innovation is becoming increasingly important because it helps reinforce one of travel retail’s key strengths: exclusivity. Travellers expect to find products they cannot easily purchase elsewhere, and this creates opportunities for brands to offer genuinely differentiated propositions.
We are seeing growing demand for products that tell a story and create a stronger emotional connection with the travel experience. Consumers are increasingly interested in discovery, whether through unique packaging, exclusive assortments or concepts that reflect the excitement of travel.
Travel exclusives are an important part of our portfolio strategy. They help to create excitement in-store, encourage impulse purchases, and strengthen the perception of travel retail as a destination for unique and memorable offerings.
CM: Malaysia has become a standout market for Loacker through its long-standing partnership with Chocolate Sales & Supplies. What key lessons from that collaboration have helped shape your wider Asia Pacific strategy?
JMC: Our partnership with Chocolate Sales & Supplies has been instrumental in establishing Loacker as a leading player within Malaysia’s travel retail confectionery sector, and there have been many valuable learnings from that success.
One of the most important lessons has been the value of close collaboration with trusted local partners who understand the nuances of their market and consumer base. Through this partnership, we have gained important insights into shopper behaviour, the importance of clear product differentiation, and the role of strong in-store execution in driving category performance.
These learnings have influenced our broader Asia Pacific strategy, particularly with regard to how we approach innovation and market development.
CM: Following Loacker’s centenary celebrations in 2025, what are the brand’s key priorities for travel retail moving forward?
JMC: Following the momentum of our landmark centenary year in 2025, our priorities now are centred on strengthening our core travel retail business while continuing to invest in innovation, partnerships and long-term sustainable growth.
Overall, the operating environment remains dynamic, in spite of the geopolitical uncertainty, evolving travel patterns and ongoing cost pressures which are affecting the industry. Against this backdrop, maintaining operational resilience and supporting our retail and distribution partners remain key priorities.
At the same time, we will continue to build on our strengths within the premium gifting and travel retail-exclusive segments. We see significant opportunities to expand our presence in key growth markets, particularly across Asia Pacific, while further enhancing the shopper experience through targeted product innovation.
CM: Looking ahead, what can retailers and travelling consumers expect next from Loacker in terms of innovation, formats and category development? And what does a brand need to do today to genuinely stand out in an increasingly crowded travel retail confectionery category?
JMC: Travellers and retailers can expect us to continue investing in formats that combine premium quality, convenience and strong gifting appeal. We will also continue evolving our assortment strategy, including the development of new flavour experiences and fresh concepts within key ranges.
More broadly, we believe successful innovation today must start with a deep understanding of shopper behaviour. Standing out is no longer simply about launching a new product; it is about creating a proposition that is relevant, distinctive and capable of delivering a memorable experience.
Brands must offer a clear point of difference, whether through product quality, storytelling, packaging or channel exclusivity. At Loacker, we believe our combination of tradition and heritage, natural ingredient credentials, premium quality and travel retail-focused innovation provides a strong platform to continue growing and evolving within an increasingly competitive category.
