ARI, Dubai Duty Free, Dufry, Gebr. Heinemann, Lagardère Travel Retail, Qatar Duty Free sign up as initial signatories, other retailers encouraged to join up.
The Duty Free World Council (DFWC) and Tax Free World Association (TFWA), the representative organisations for the global duty- and tax-free industry, have welcomed the first cohort of duty- and tax-free retailers signing a new zero-tolerance declaration on illicit trade, counterfeiting and intellectual property theft. The declaration has been created as the next step of the Duty Free: Trusted, Transparent, Secure campaign, which was previously jointly launched by DFWC and TFWA in June 2022.
Duty- and tax-free retailers, ARI, Dubai Duty Free, Dufry, Gebr. Heinemann, Lagardère Travel Retail, and Qatar Duty Free are the first to sign this initiative, with more retailers expected to join in the near future.
The initial signatories of this initiative collectively account for approximately $25bn of travel retail sales (2019) and rank amongst the largest and most successful duty- and tax-free retailers in the world.
A significant number of major brand owners have also made clear their willingness to make the same commitment, and a separate announcement on brand owner support will be made in the near future.
By signing this declaration, retailers commit to a zero-tolerance approach to illicit trade within their own organisation. They are also requesting their suppliers follow suit with a clear anti illicit trade policy. This builds on the commitments already made by a number of duty- and tax-free retailers through the UN Global Compact.
This commitment will be a key tool to demonstrate a united front and will further demonstrate that the duty- and tax-free industry is in no way associated with the growing problem of illicit goods fraudulently labelled as duty-free.
Marking the launch of the declaration DFWC President, Sarah Branquinho, thanked the initial signatories for their strong support and encouraged others to follow their example:
Further information at dutyfreefacts.com