On Wednesday, the 4th of October 2023, from 08:00 to 09:00, an essential workshop took place at Salon Croisette, Hotel Majestic. This workshop addressed issues related to illicit trade, counterfeiting, and the theft of intellectual property, all of which inflicted substantial societal harm and resulted in significant financial losses for the global duty-free and tax-free industry each year.
These criminal activities not only had a detrimental impact on legitimate businesses but also affected the duty-free and travel retail industry, which operated one of the world's most tightly controlled and transparent supply chains. Furthermore, these illegal practices tarnished the industry's reputation when counterfeit goods were deceptively labeled as "duty-free," contributing to a global problem affecting many of the products sold.
The workshop shed light on the objectives of the Duty For Trusted, Transparent, Secure campaign, a cause that had garnered the support of numerous leading retailers and brands. Delegates in Cannes were encouraged to join and lend their support to this critical initiative.
Distinguished speakers for this workshop included Sarah Branquinho, President of the Duty Free World Council; Nuno Amaral, Chief Operations and Business Development Officer at Aer Rianto International; Thabet Musleh, Senior Vice President at Qatar Duty Free; Lucio Rossetto, Chief Business Officer at Lagardère Travel Retail; and Michael Schmidt, Senior Vice President - Retail at Dubai Duty Free.