By Andrew Starke
Travel retail liquor sales are increasingly having an impact on independent retailers with the former sector recording its highest sales levels since 1999.
The recently released IWSR Duty Free/Travel Retail Summary Report 2011 revealed that global travel retail wines and spirits sales reached 25.4m nine-litre cases in 2010, the highest level since 1999, when intra-EU duty free sales were abolished.
The report, which highlights the top-performing brands, categories and markets and pinpoints long-term growth opportunities in the travel retail liquor sector, shows that global volumes rose by 10.4 percent in 2010.
The latest figures represent a significant turnaround from 2009 when global travel retail wines and spirits sales fall by 9.3 percent to 22.7m nine-litre cases.
Spirits volumes grew by 13.5 percent over 2010, while wine sales increased by 3.7 percent.
The Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific all recorded double-digit rises in travel retail wines and spirits sales over the year, while growth in the more mature European market was slower at 5.9 percent.
The fastest-growing categories of the travel retail wines and spirits market included US whiskey, Cognac and tequila, all of which saw volumes increase by more than 20 percent.
The top 20 suppliers continued to increase their share of global volumes and they now hold 71.5 percent of the market, compared with 69.7 percent in 2009.
Diageo accounted for 17.7 percent of wines and spirits sales, compared with 16.9 percent for second-placed Pernod Ricard.