ACI and MEADFA to host biggest travel retail event in Africa
The 61st ACI Africa conference will discuss the future of travel retail in Africa.
The co-branded event by ACI Africa and MEADFA, the Middle East and Africa trade body, will be held from March 5-7 in Luxor, Egypt.
Significant regulatory challenges exist in Africa, comparable to what the industry faces in Europe or the Middle East, in products such as alcohol, tobacco and confectionery, MEADFA said.
In a press release announcing the event, MEADFA explained: “For example, we know that a lot of African countries have tried to adopt legislation that does not fit with the travel retail industry. Some countries have even confused free trade zones with duty free shops. We have concluded that travel retail in Africa deserves more, and that ACI Africa and MEADFA should progress on further recent progresses that have been made with the three previous ACI Africa commercial forums.”
From an airport economic perspective, the ACI Africa and MEADFA co-branding is key, the companies said, as African airports need new business models. Travel retail is one of the most promising avenues to achieve this transformation. African airports underuse commercial revenue, which means that travel retail in Africa is key to unleashing the major African potential.
ACI Africa and MEADFA will bring together speakers from airports, retailers and major brands.
Among the speakers are Dag Rasmussen, Chairman & CEO, Lagardère Travel Retail; Isabel Zarza, Managing Director Africa, Dufry; Stephan van Groningen Director Sales of the Distribution Department for Netherlands & Africa at Gebr Heinemann; Sherif Toulan, CEO, International Duty Free Trading & Agencies; and Rita Chidiac, Corporate Affairs & Communications Manager Worldwide Duty Free, JTI.
The event webpage is: http://www.aci-africa.net/
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