Cloetta Fazer widens partnership in travel trade segment with Valora

As of May 2006, Cloetta Fazer will widen its partnership with Danish Valora Trade Travel Retail A/S as a means for strengthening its position in the Scandinavian travel trade market (ferries and airports).

Confectionery sales on ferries and at airports are an important source of revenue for the Nordic confectionery industry. However, this market has been largely transformed in recent years following the abolition of duty-free sales in the EU during 1999 and EU accession of the Baltic countries in 2004. “However, this has not had an inhibiting effect on travel. On the contrary, both leisure and business travel are on the rise. For many travellers, confectionery is the ideal gift to bring home from a trip,” says Jesper Åberg, Managing Director of Cloetta Fazer’s sales and marketing company in Finland and responsible for the Group’s travel trade sales. Travel trade is an important market segment for Cloetta Fazer and the company intends to remain active and strengthen its position in the fiercely competitive Nordic travel trade. “Today we have a solid position in ferry and airport sales in Sweden, Finland and the Baltics, and in the future we will also take direct responsibility for collaboration with customers in these regions. On the other hand, we see considerable development potential in the Norwegian, Danish and northern German travel markets and are convinced that the partnership with Valora Trade Travel Retail will strengthen our presence there,” says Jesper Åberg. The collaboration means that Valora – which is specialised in confectionery sales to the travel market – will handle Cloetta Fazer’s sales to customers such as the Color Line, Stena Line and Scandlines ferry operators as of 1 May 2006. “We are proud of the confidence Cloetta Fazer’s has placed in us and look forward to advancing our position as a reliable and committed partner to the Nordic travel trade,” says Dan Kongsted, Managing Director of Valora Trade Travel Retail. – As a part of Valora’s strong brand portfolio, Cloetta Fazer can achieve better distribution, shelf placement and campaign impact in the southern Nordic market,” adds Jesper Åberg.