Malaysia Airports rebrands Eraman in ‘bigger, better, bolder’ retail strategy
Eraman’s new, stylized purple logo represents a gift box, with the “e” formed by a ribbon that holds the gift
Malaysia Airports Niaga (Eraman), the retail arm of airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, has rebranded its duty free, duty paid and F&B outlets to be “bigger and better”.
This is in line with the parent company’s Commercial Reset Strategy initiative that will see Eraman playing an integral role through an expansion of its retail space.
During the Commercial Reset, Eraman will realign its product categories and revamp the store designs on top of enhancing the guest experience through experiential marketing and digitalization.
The rebranding exercise, which takes place after 25 years in the business, aims to enhance Eraman’s brand presence and awareness among local and international travelers.
The initiative seeks to make the retailer “superior and different” from the competition, the company said. More importantly, it will help position Eraman as the most preferred airport travel retail and duty free player in Asia Pacific by offering the most complete shopping experience through excellent customer service, it added.
Officials gather at the launch event for Malaysia Airports Niaga (Eraman)’s Commercial Reset Strategy initiative
At the launch event, Datuk Seri Michael Yam, Chairman of Eraman, said the organization had seen significant growth over the years, not only in terms of sales growth but also in terms of creating unique experiences in the world of airport duty free in Malaysia.
He noted that the perfumes and cosmetics category was one of the growth drivers, having seen “commendable growth” in 2018.
“This was no doubt contributed by our many new initiatives last year,” he said. “We opened four dedicated monogram concept boutiques under the perfumes and cosmetics category: MAC, La Mer, Tom Ford and Jo Malone in Kota Kinabalu International Airport. We also opened three new standalone perfume and cosmetics boutique stores for leading beauty houses MAC, Jo Malone and Gucci at the Departures and Arrivals Hall of Kuala Lumpur International. The Gucci boutique is the first boutique in South East Asia that has been introduced in the airport,” he added.
Other initiatives that contributed to Eraman’s growth included a campaign with Maybank Cards that resulted in 45% year-on-year growth in February and March 2018. In addition, the Eraman Shopping Extravaganza #25AmazingYears Contest launched in July 2018, offering prizes totaling RM1.2 million (US$300,000), also attracted more than 200,000 entries from Malaysia, China, India, Singapore, Europe and India.
Also present at the event was the Deputy Minister of Transport, Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar, who said: “The government is also supportive of such initiatives as airports are major gateways into our country – contributing to a lasting first impression for foreign visitors. We already possess world-class infrastructure at our airports. On top of which, the variety in international and local retail brands offered at our airports is the envy of our regional counterparts. Further enhancements to the duty free stores, redesigning of the brand awareness elements and engagement with travelers are strategic steps that will provide a quantum leap in making Malaysia a first-world country.”
As part of the brand refresh, visitors to Eraman outlets will notice the new and stylized logo. The letter “e” is encapsulated in a hexagon, representing a gift box, with the “e” formed by a ribbon that holds the gift. Colored vibrant purple, the design seeks to deliver excitement, giving travelers “a warm welcome and to make sure that no traveler leaves without a heartfelt gift, be it for oneself or as a souvenir for loved ones”, the operator said.
Other changes include enhancements to the façade of all Eraman outlets, as well as new, modern designs for the staff uniforms.
In conjunction with the rebranding launch event, Eraman presented awards to business partners who have contributed to the company’s growth. Three awards were presented:
- The Eraman Excellence Award which recognizes the highest revenue contribution by product category from business partners for the period between 2016 and 2018;
- The Best Growth Award for business partners who have demonstrated significant sales growth by product category for the period between 2016 and 2018;
- The Most Supportive Business Partner 2019 Award, which recognizes the effort of a business partner in three areas, namely engagement by the leadership team; capex support; and marketing support and innovation.
In addition, Eraman acknowledged the top performers among its retail operations staff. The selection was based on Mystery Shopper survey results conducted by an external party.
A total of 10 staff were recognized, based on criteria such as communications skills, greeting, product and service knowledge, ability to cross-sell, staff professionalism, overall presentation and personality, as well as store presentation and product display.
Apart from the top 10 performing staff, Eraman also celebrated the achievement of another group of employees who have dedicated their lifelong careers to the company. In particular, 64 employees who have served the company for between 20 and 25 years were recognized for their stellar and long service record.
Ambitious Malaysia Airports
Malaysia Airports is one of the world’s largest airport operator groups in terms of the number of passengers handled. It manages and operates 39 airports in Malaysia and one international airport in Istanbul, Turkey.
The 39 airports in Malaysia comprise five international airports, 16 domestic airports and 18 Short Take-Off and Landing Ports (STOLports). Its main airport, Kuala Lumpur International, houses klia2, the fourth biggest terminal serving low-cost carriers (as rated by Skytrax for year 2018).
Among its many awards, Malaysia Airports received accolades in the “Overall” and “Over 20 Million Passengers” categories at the prestigious Routes Asia 2018 awards.
Malaysia Airports (Niaga) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, is the largest airport duty free and travel retail brand, operating more than 50 retail and F&B outlets throughout Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Penang and Langkawi International Airport, and Labuan Airport.
Eraman Duty Free outlets offer a wide range of products such as chocolates, perfumes and cosmetics, liquor, fashion and accessories, as well as tobacco products that are sourced globally.
The company aims to be Asia’s top value-for-money travel retailer by offering an exciting retail experience for its customers.
