Page 17 - Travel Markets Insider October 2021 Issue

INSIDER

International Shoppes’ strong
relationships with luxury and
international brands was evident in
these pictures of its stores at JFK in
the 1980s and 1990s.

International Shoppes duty free store. was that we made a business out of duty challenge for us to succeed because at that
Scott Halpern, Joanne and Michael’s free not having liquor and cigarettes. time everybody was buying a bottle and a
son and an IS vice president, describes the We always had an emphasis on the other carton, that was it.”
early years: “The first store was beauty products. We were the first ones to have
and jewelry. At that point duty free was skincare products in the airport duty free And then there was liquor
segregated between liquor and tobacco in for example. We were the first ones to open Michael Halpern continues: “Someone
one house and beauty and fashion was a Lancôme, which was a big breakthrough at Northwest Orient Airlines, which
different store. It was a great opportunity and how great is it that we are still working operated out of the TWA Terminal 5,
for the two partners. It was the dream of with them today? Then we delved into created a duty free shop out of a barbershop
being in the airport. It was new and cutting cosmetics and we always sold a lot of and shoeshine store. We operated the duty
edge. It was the idea of moving up from the fragrance. We did very well with these free part—we had liquor displays on the
Bus Terminal to an airport.” categories. armrests of the seats. The airline wanted
IS President Michael Halpern “We built our company around the a duty free but didn’t have room to have
comments further: “One of the things that accessory items not around the staples a separate shop. That was our first foray
was really instrumental in our development of liquor and cigarettes. It was a real into a major airline, and we started to carry

17 October 2021