Page 24 - 2024 Summit of the Americas

INSIDER

Core Plus Duty Free’s year one journey of growth and innovation

Operating from a modest kiosk at
Melbourne Orlando Airport (MLB) in
Florida since 2019, Core Plus Duty Free
opened a 500-square-foot store in MLB
in January 2023 as part of the official
inauguration of the airport’s Terminal
Renovation and Expansion. The small
airport, which serves Central Florida (home
of Disney World in Orlando), handled
747,000 passengers last year, the second
highest traffic volume in its history. Almost
107,000 were international passengers,
nearly all of them coming through British
holiday company TUI, whose season runs
from April through the end of November.
Core Plus Duty Free is operated by Brittany Williams Leverett (right) and the Core Plus Duty Free team.
Legacy Consulting Group, an ACDBE
and HUB certified small business founded over the past year have come about while fragrance purchases, as well as higher
by Brittany Williams Leverett, who is the helping her staff learn and flourish. sales of other novelty travel items. But we
company’s president and CEO. TMI spoke “The most fun part of the past year, cannot sell duty free liquor and tobacco
with Williams Leverett about her first an area that I feel often gets overlooked, is to domestic travelers,” says Williams
full year in operation in the store and the that I really spent time to help develop my Leverett. The international flights begin
lessons she has learned. team. again in April.
“We had a fantastic year. We grew “I started paying attention to all of
our gross sales by 66% between 2022 and their different strengths and matching their Customer Service Accolades
2023, and raised our transaction-per-basket strengths to the needs of the business. I The Core Plus Duty Free website
to $54 and change,” she says. promoted almost 100% of the team that I is filled with positive comments from
In 2023, MLB completed a had at the time to unique roles that helped travelers, that praise the customer service,
$72,000,000, 86,000-square-foot expansion us cover departments. products and helpful staff.
that brought a new terminal, restrooms, “Most duty free businesses have “It’s been really fun teaching my team
food, beverage and retail space, plus new departments for inventory management, for how to upsell, teaching them how to move
passenger bridges able to support wide- merchandising, for sales floor, but as a little products, placing them in the right places.
body aircraft. This expansion allowed Core unicorn of a company I had to build this. “I’m really grateful for my Aunt
Plus Duty Free to move into its new space, “So in the off-season, after we finished Claudia, who taught me what she did
says Williams Leverett. our UK flights with TUI in November, I sat during the time she was alive. She said
“The past year has been such an down with the team so we could work on always be flexible and open to change, and
adventure. I was still working a second tech developing standard operating procedures. not be afraid when things change. Because
job when we opened the store. But I finally I told them that I wanted their buy-in with often times, it’s for the good. (Brittany
stepped into my full time entrepreneurship this, I wanted us to build this together. launched Core Plus Duty Free with her
in June of last year and haven’t looked “And it is incredible what they’ve Aunt, Claudia Williams-Hope, in 2018.
back since then,” explains Williams created. We have training guides, Claudia died suddenly in 2020.)
Leverett. merchandising in planograms, and full “We lost team members, we gained
“I really focused on the store, focused receiving and processing staff. Whereas team members, and it was always for the
on getting us more products. For example, before I was in the mix of it, now I had better. I learned I could trust people and
we went from having one tobacco provider, a chance to move from working in my let them do their thing. I stood back in
Weitnauer, and now we have JTI onboard, business to working on my business. the store one day, and I was in the way.
and, fingers crossed, we’re hoping to add “I am very proud to highlight this, Everything was being handled for me.”
another one pretty soon. especially as we’re moving into year three, To sum up the past year, Williams
“We also have some wonderful new and this typically doesn’t happen. Before, Leverett says she would like the industry to
brands, some of which are travel exclusives with my multiple jobs, I was concentrating see her company as a “partner in success.”
– we added Noshinku, an award-winning on just staying afloat.” “We have embarked on a journey
natural ingredient nourishing hand Core Plus Duty Free has now been of growth and innovation. We have
sanitizer, and La Bella Donna, all- natural operating for more than a full year in strategically partnered with exclusive
mineral cosmetics and Pooka infused body the new terminal at Melbourne Orlando brands, and transformed the retail
butters, both of which are women-founded Airport, including a full season of experience at this airport with a focus
brands.” international TUI flights. on discovery, luxury and one-of-a-kind
Williams Leverett believes that some “In the ‘off-season’ we are open for customer service. The results so far speak
of the most valuable lessons she learned domestic travelers, and are seeing higher for themselves.”

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