Travel Retail Faces Paradox of More Shoppers, Lower Sales
Source: WWD
Travel retail's post-pandemic recovery is exposing a structural problem: increased passenger volumes aren't translating to proportional spending. Either travelers are more value-conscious, or duty-free categories are saturated. Retailers and brands must improve conversion efficiency or recalibrate real estate and inventory strategies. The old model of high-margin, high-traffic operations no longer works, forcing a reset for a channel built on volume and impulse.