Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MWITR) has announced the launch of its M&M’S® Experience concept, a new travel retail initiative designed to enhance the travel experience. This experience-led concept creates an engaging shopping environment, enabling retailers to attract more shoppers and increase average shopper spend.
The M&M’S Experience concept is versatile, supporting a variety of formats, including standalone stores and shop-in-shop setups. The inaugural implementation of this concept, the M&M’S Experience shop-in-shop, has now opened in the duty-free area of Antalya International Airport and is developed in collaboration with ATU Duty Free, a subsidiary of TAV Airports and Unifree Duty Free/Gebr. Heinemann.
The M&M’S Experience concept is based on three key pillars identified through extensive research to elevate the travel journey. The Personalisation and Sense of Place pillar focuses on offering customised gifting options and locally inspired ‘sense of place’ sleeves among others, adding a unique personal touch to the shopping experience. The Interaction & Engagement pillar introduces gamified experiences and digital content that embodies M&M’S value of More Fun Together encouraging travellers to engage, play and have fun. Finally, the Brand Partnerships pillar features rotating limited edition brand collaborations that resonate and deepens the connection with shoppers, particularly with Millennial and Gen Z travellers.
The opening of the M&M’S Experience shop-in-shop in Antalya is the result of a longstanding partnership between MWITR, Gebr. Heinemann and ATU Duty Free, combining their expertise and commitment to transforming travel retail locations into revenue-generating spaces. Antalya Airport, the largest holiday gateway in the Mediterranean, recently more than doubled its terminal and airside capacity with an EUR 850 million investment, introducing a brand-new passenger experience. Operated by TAV Airports and Fraport joint-venture, Antalya Airport welcomed 38 million passengers last year, the highest in its history. This shop-in-shop presents a unique opportunity to engage a variety of shoppers, capitalising on the airport’s bustling activity.
At the Antalya location, MWITR, Gebr. Heinemann and ATU Duty Free worked closely on the execution and layout, bringing the M&M’S Experience concept to life through its three key elements. The eye-catching design accounted for traveller traffic flow, with features like a Personalisation display and Playhub, strategically placed at high-visibility hotspots to attract travellers into the space. The Playhub includes a fun, interactive digital multiplayer game, adding an engaging and fun layer to the overall experience.
Positioned at the centre of the shop-in-shop, the brand collaboration display draws immediate attention to the limited-edition M&M’S x kate spade new york collection of candy-themed leather handbags, jewellery and accessories. The collaboration brings together two iconic brands and connects the world of candy and fashion. These rotating brand partnerships are part of Mars Wrigley’s strategy to collaborate with fun, playful brands to deliver unique brand experiences and a distinctive portfolio that deepens connections with consumers.
Meanwhile, the colourful and bold M&M’S tin wall serves as a strong visually feature that further captures shoppers‘ interest.
The M&M’S Experience shop-in-shop in Antalya is the first in a series of M&M’S Experience stores, launching in various formats and locations in the near future.
