Page 40 - TFWA World Exhibit 2024 Special Edition

INSIDER

Quebec’s IGL Duty Free looks to the future as it implements changes
post-pandemic

Importations Guay Ltée is not only
one of the best land border duty free stores
in Canada, but is recognized as one of the
best in the world.
For the second time in three years,
IGL Duty Free has been nominated by the
Frontier Awards for Border, Downtown, or
Port Retailer of the Year. The family-owned
company won the honor in 2022.
IGL operates three stores in Quebec.
Its main store is located in St. Bernard-
de-Lacolle, Quebec, between Montreal
and New York. It also runs Boutique Hors
Taxes l’Est in Stanstead, Quebec, which
is located between Montreal and Boston,
and Boutique Hors Taxes de Stanhope in
Dixville, Quebec, between Sherbrooke and
Boston.
Travel Markets Insider spoke with
IGL Vice President Justin Guay, the third
generation to work at IGL, about what IGL Vice President Justin Guay (right) accepts the Border, Downtown, or Port Retailer of the
his store is getting right on the Canada/ Year Award from DFNI Publisher Felix Barlow and public relations expert Greg Cohen at the
United States border, and how the business 2022 Frontier Awards ceremony.
is coming back since the COVID-19
pandemic ended.
“We are not at 2019 levels for most demographics were different and the sales most of the displays,” he says. “We’re very
departments, and we’re following the were erratic,” says Guay. aggressive on our pricing, and we have to
trend of pretty much everywhere globally. “It’s stabilized now and back to be, because we’re competing directly with
It’s obvious that the Chinese consumer normal. But we had a question, during the New York State and New Hampshire
is spending within their own country. It’s the pandemic, of how do we manage this liquor store.”
obvious that skincare is down globally, and inventory? And then once we came out
it’s obvious that fragrance is up globally. of it, who wants to buy what? It was a IGL and AI
We are following very similar trends that learning process.” IGL is constantly looking at the latest
I think everyone else is seeing. If we’re The customer demographic has also technology that can help customer service
going to pick a superstar in our store, it’s changed for IGL. The operator is still in its stores, and has been experimenting
been fragrance,” Guay tells TMI. seeing Koreans but the Chinese business is with AI, Guay tells TMI.
almost zero. “We’re trying to integrate AI into
A different customer, different inventory “The Korean customers are here, our operations. It is still trial and error,
Guay says that IGL learned a number but they are not buying what they used to but we’ve started with a custom ChatGPT
of things from the pandemic, which buy. But the Indian consumer is coming. that we introduced for our inventory. The
resulted in the operator implementing It’s their first time traveling. They are objective, which we haven’t gotten to yet,
changes going forward. traveling on busses, and they’re spending would be to have a podium at the front
“We had to adjust the way that we money. They’re buying luxury to show door that greets everybody. It will be a
dealt with our inventory, because we had to their friends back home, and it’s a very very realistic avatar that sees people come
manage it in a very specific way while the different customer. They’re buying items in and read them English and French, and
pandemic was going on,” he says. that we don’t normally sell to the other then the customer can speak to it.
The customer was also different post- Asian groups. We’re starting to get them a “They can say ‘I’m going to Vermont
pandemic, which changed the assortment of lot more.” for two days with my friends, and we’re
products IGL is carrying. Being prepared for the right customer having a barbecue, and we’re cooking ribs
“We had a lot of customers who were is one thing that sets IGL apart, Guay tells and burgers and corn. Can you make a
traveling who had not traveled for a long TMI. recommendation on a moderately placed
time. We had a lot of people who were “I think we look like an airport shop. white wine that would go with these?’ And
stopping at duty free for the first time, who I attend the Singapore and Cannes shows. the GPT would go into our inventory and
were crossing the border for the first time. I go to the TR Forum in Dubai. I like to come out with three options.”
People wanted to get out of the house. keep up to date with what’s going on. I “Or a German customer comes in
They wanted to spend money. So the think that we have the latest in design for and asks for something they wouldn’t

October 2024 40