Edrington Global Travel Retail, Unifree and Gebr. Heinemann partner at Istanbul Airport
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony (from left to right): Gebr. Heinemann Director Purchasing LTC Ruediger Stelkens; Edrington Global Travel Retail Regional Managing Director Jeremy Speirs; Unifree Duty Free Chief Commercial Officer Ceren Tonguç; and Gebr. Heinemann Area Sales Manager for Near East & Turkey Aydin Çelebi
Edrington Global Travel Retail (GTR) has collaborated with Unifree Duty Free and Gebr. Heinemann to unveil a world-first concept at Istanbul Airport, bringing to life the stories of its single malt brands, The Macallan and Highland Park.
The almost 43 square meter space at the duty free store in Departures officially opened on April 24, providing strong visibility for two of Edrington’s ultra-premium spirits brands at one of Europe’s busiest airports, which recorded 76 million passengers in 2023.
The retail space marks The Macallan’s first shop-in-shop in Europe travel retail and showcases the brand’s new visual identity, inspired by the rolling hills of The Macallan Estate. The space offers an integrated sensory and digital experience, including a nosing tray and digital profiling tool called ‘Discover Your Expression’, enabling travelers to easily find their preferred Colour Collection expression. Shoppers can also sample selected expressions and customize their purchases through the bespoke gifting ritual.
The Macallan welcomes its first shop-in-shop in Europe travel retail
A curated selection of The Macallan single malts is showcased in the space, allowing customers to explore a broad offering of travel exclusives and limited releases that are only available in shop-in-shops. Travel exclusives including Colour Collection and Harmony Collection Green Meadow are joined by limited releases A Night on Earth The Journey and Classic Cut, as well as prestige bottlings including The Macallan M Decanter, M Black and M Copper and archived releases, Masters of Photography 7th Edition and Golden Age of Travel The Car. The seventh release in The Macallan archival series, Folio 7, is also available at the shop-in-shop.
Highland Park’s first-ever travel retail shop-in-shop globally offers travelers the opportunity to connect with its brand home in Orkney through a sensory experience that transports them through scent. Aroma jars contain notes of Orcadian heather, Hobbister moor peat and rich smoke – when combined, these three notes give Highland Park its distinct flavor profile. The sensorial experience also features elements of purple heather, an integral part of Highland Park’s brand story and liquid profile. Additionally, shoppers can explore the flavor profiles of the brand’s GTR collection through a bespoke digital application.
On the product side, travelers can discover the popular global travel retail range – Spirit of the Bear, Loyalty of the Wolf and Wings of the Eagle – as well as high aged releases such as the 40YO and 54YO, and Highland Park Single Cask 20YO Istanbul Edition, exclusively available at Istanbul Airport.
Jeremy Speirs, Edrington Regional Managing Director – Global Travel Retail, said, “Since opening in 2018, Istanbul Airport has established itself as a prominent European aviation hub that boasts a diverse passenger mix and ever-expanding list of destinations. Istanbul is the meeting point of East and West and a strategic location in which to expand the presence of our key brands as we continue to invest in strengthening our retail footprint in Europe. We’re confident that The Macallan and Highland Park will be a welcome addition to the luxury brand offer at Unifree Duty Free’s impressive retail operation at Istanbul Airport.”
Ceren Tonguç, Unifree Duty Free Chief Commercial Officer, added, “At Unifree Duty Free our foremost goal is to provide the best possible shopping experience for our guests and improve this practice every day through hosting firsts in the travel retail business to become the best customer centric airport retailer. In line with this commitment, we are pleased to unveil a world-first concept in the Unifree Duty Free Store at İstanbul Airport in a strong collaboration with Edrington, contributing to a superior shopping experience for our customers. We look forward to welcoming passengers to the new shop-in-shop at Unifree Duty Free Store, which offers a sensory and digitally focused experience, inviting travelers to dive deeper into the worlds of The Macallan and Highland Park and to experience travel retail exclusives.’’
Ruediger Stelkens, Gebr. Heinemann Director Purchasing LTC, commented, “The opening of this shop is truly great news for whisky enthusiasts and collectors alike. The Macallan and Highland Park are exceptional whiskies, and they are perfectly showcased in this shop-in-shop. With this, our spectacular assortment gains further allure, underscoring our longstanding and trustworthy partnership with Edrington.”
