Former Polish leader Lech Walesa addresses Central & Eastern Europe Travel Retail Forum

EUROPE. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former President of Poland Lech Walesa was keynote speaker at the CEETRA (Central & Eastern Europe Travel Retail Association) Forum held on 6 November in Gdansk. The event took place in the European Solidarity Centre, located in the historic shipyard where the Solidarność movement laid the foundation for the end of the Communist era in Poland.

The agenda had a strong regional focus, covering topics such as managing international teams – Poland’s workforce now includes over one million Ukrainians – the challenges faced by a local brand that recently entered the duty-free market and the latest trends in consumer behaviour in Central and Eastern Europe.

In his speech, Walesa addressed the recent US Presidential election, saying that engaging in politics is “all your responsibility”.

CEETRA Chairman (and Lagardère Travel Retail Poland Managing Director) Andrzej Milaszewicz welcomed guests before m1nd-set Owner Peter Mohn provided an update on passenger traffic, noting that many airports are already more than +12% ahead of pre-COVID numbers in 2024.

He added that customer spend in regional travel retail is heavily influenced by interaction with staff, at US$99 compared to US$64 for shoppers who did not interact with shop floor teams.

A m1nd-set study on Generation Z shoppers found that novelties must be designed to appeal to this group and especially their desire to belong, express opinions and support organisations that are ethical, green and inclusive.

While many customers make impulse purchase decisions in-store, 50% also do research beforehand on social media, said m1nd-set Head of Business Development Anna Marchesini.

Franck Tourtois, Partner at ACM Poland, presented the results of a bespoke study conducted for CEETRA on how companies in Poland managed the increasing share of Ukrainian employees.

High staff turnover and difficulties in communicating and establishing common values have raised concerns among many travel retail companies in the region, he said.

Tourtois recommended fostering open communication, having an active integration strategy, training managers and being proactive in supporting a diverse workforce, considering that not all workers understand the same language.

Michał Paszota, Owner of Podole Wielkie Distillery, summarised his experience of entering the duty-free channel in three locations only weeks before the event. He stressed that the lack of people and experience for regional suppliers should be recognised, and the channel would benefit if there was clearer guidance on best practice, criteria for growth and general expectations of brands.

Kinetic Consultancy’s Martijn Steur addressed the question of how revenue can be increased in existing space, citing the challenge of inflexible infrastructure and the opportunity to scale up modular solutions. He offered best practice examples of the role that digital can play, and advocated for centralised receiving and distribution centres. This, he said, reduces bottlenecks in restocking, keeps staff on the shop floor and allows activities such as prep-kitchens to be moved outside secure areas, eliminating the need for airport badges and freeing up premium space.

ETRC Secretary General Julie Lassaigne updated attendees on the impact of the EU elections. Listing each Commissioner-delegate from the region with their priorities and open questions, she set the stage for an alignment between CEETRA engagement activities in each of the countries and ETRC activities in Brussels.

Circling back to the US election result, she reminded delegates that Polish President Andrzej Duda has made the strengthening of US-EU cooperation a priority for the Polish presidency of the EU, starting on 1 January. ✈