Page 21 - Travel Markets Insider October 2021 Final

INSIDER

The luxury specialist “We also opened the first duty free well. Stephen and I are taking a back
“Obviously liquor and tobacco, Estée Lauder Boutique, which was a stand- seat on a lot of the business now and
beauty, confectionery is a big part of alone location down the hall from the duty Scott and Matt are doing very well and
our duty free experience, but I think as free store. Later on we opened an Estée learning the business. Through this
an organization we have mastered the Lauder/Clinique store,” added Michael COVID crisis, I think they have done an
experience for high-end luxury. The high- Halpern. exemplary job.
end luxury experience: Hermes, Bvlgari, “Enthusiasm is what makes the
Ferragamo, Coach, to name a few. The IS prepares for the future business. The success of any business is
premiumization of the airport landscape as International Shoppes is a family in the mindset. The work ethic is there.
it looks today,” said Scott. business and has always been one. Having a business and having the tools is
“We were really on the cutting edge “Herman and Fred were in the stores one thing, but having the enthusiasm that
back in 2000 of what a store could look every day. When they got to the airport our families have, makes the difference,”
like and a roadmap for a lot of these their office was right across the hall Michael concluded.
companies,” added Matt. from the store. Every flight that went out “Our plan the last 18 months or so was
Joanne Halpern has been the architect they were there,” commented Stephen to weather the storm,” commented Matt. “I
of the IS push into luxury. Greenbaum. think we have done a great job of keeping
“We were the first in luxury. We had “Corporate identity has always been the business going at the same time getting
the first Cartier shop, the first Coach shop, that management and ownership worked ready for what air travel will look like in
we had the first Nicole Miller, we weren’t in the store, and been a part of the store the future.”
the first in Bvlgari, but we definitely team. The employees that came through “We believe in aviation,” said
opened the market for luxury in the United saw Herman or Fred day in and day out. Scott. “Looking back to January and
State. Other companies soon followed They were not working for them, they were February of 2020, we crushed what our
when they realized what an important part working with them,” he continued. expectations were on Houston. It showed
of the business that could be,” she said. “Stephen and I were groomed all the that we can go across the country. In the
“At Delta, we came up with the time to take over the business. And we past, our mentality was that we had to
concept of American Designers, and that had good mentors,” said Michael Halpern. be in driving distance. Are we looking
is where Nicole Miller and Coach and “Stephen’s Dad and Fred realized that to expand globally? No. But anywhere
others came in. We opened one store with in order to succeed you had to have a across the continental U.S. is game on
multi-American brand concepts, where we succession plan. We made our mistakes, for us.”
had Timberland, Calvin Klein, and others, but he and I learned from it, and we put “It is an honor to service the airports
that we called Design America. Then our that into effect for the third generation. that we’ve been at and the airports that we
competitors followed. They realized that in “It’s very hard for a business to will potentially service in the future. We
America, luxury was still a very important go from one generation to the next, but look forward to the next 70 years.”
part of the business. Europe knew that way it’s even harder to go from the second
before we did.” to the third. And we navigated it very

International Shoppes celebrated its 70th anniversary in June.
Right: Matt Greenbaum, Michael Halpern, Stephen Greenbaum, Randy
Honig, and Scott Halpern.

21 October 2021