From a spectacular assortment to shop design, marketing, and global logistics: Gebr. Heinemann is a competent one-stop partner and knowledge hub for its distribution customers.
Gebr. Heinemann's highly diversified business and multichannel approach is firmly based on two strategic pillars: distribution and retail. Originally founded 145 years ago as a ship chandler, Gebr. Heinemann possesses a unique track record and expertise as an international supplier in the travel retail industry.
Today, Gebr. Heinemann's B2B customers benefit from the company's access to renowned international brands, a spectacular assortment, and an extensive logistics network, as well as from its outstanding service portfolio and firsthand experience in different markets and sales channels.
In addition to reliable, just-in-time delivery of assortments tailored to each customer's market-specific requirements, the Hamburg-based company supports its B2B customers with a range of services, including shop design, marketing, category management, forecasting and planning, staff training, and developing growth strategies.
This makes Gebr. Heinemann a competent one-stop partner and an insightful knowledge hub for its more than 300 distribution clients at airports and airlines, aboard cruise ships and ferries, at border shops, and in special channels like diplomatic missions, free zones, or military bases.
Airports
Elevating the Shopping Experience by Delivering Customized Solutions
One of Gebr. Heinemann's largest customers is eurotrade, a wholly owned subsidiary of Munich Airport. It all started with a handshake agreement in the early 1970s – and 50 years later, the partnership is stronger than ever: At the Bavarian capital's hub, eurotrade operates around 40 shops, which Gebr. Heinemann supplies with products from the Liquor, Tobacco, and Confectionery (LTC), Beauty and Accessories, Watches and Jewelry categories for duty free and press and bookstores.
In December 2024, the two companies strengthened their long-standing cooperation with a supply contract that paves the way for their joint desire to continue shaping the shopping experience at Munich Airport. When the new pier of Terminal 1 is opened, eurotrade will also be responsible for the additional space. Gebr. Heinemann and eurotrade are working closely together on planning the assortment for the new 1,700-square-meter duty-free store.
Sven Zahn, Managing Director at eurotrade Flughafen München Handels-GmbH, says: “We have enjoyed an exceptionally long and stable partnership with Gebr. Heinemann. With this new contract, we are optimistic about further expanding our partnership and developing innovative solutions for our customers in the future.” He underlines that the commercial business makes a significant contribution to the economic success of the airport. Diverse retail concepts increase the attractiveness and create a great experience for passengers.
This is echoed by Tobias Bechinger, Sales Director Western Europe at Gebr. Heinemann. Together with his team, he is responsible for supplying Munich Airport as well as around 20 airports in Europe. “The shopping experience plays a vital role as a source of revenue for airports,” he says. “Gebr. Heinemann has a strong network to serve its customers. In addition to supplying them, we act as a knowledge hub, sharing our expertise in marketing, architecture, or category experience to deliver a unique, customized mix for each location.”
Border Shops
Providing the Right Expertise for Strategic Business Expansion
Gebr. Heinemann is also well equipped to support the strategic business expansions of its distribution customers. A striking example of this is the growing traffic at intra-African borders and the resulting strategic partnership with Brand House Duty Free.
Aside from the people crossing each day for work, education, or healthcare, and the trucks transporting goods, Scott Lewis, founding partner of Brand House Duty Free Zambia, has noticed an increase in visitors traveling between African countries for wildlife safaris and road trips. As a result, Brand House Duty Free intends to expand its border shop and general duty-free business throughout the African continent. The company is working with Gebr. Heinemann on this strategic business expansion. The travel retailer has been a supplier to the three existing Brand House Duty Free shops as well as diplomatic operations since 2023. Gebr. Heinemann has many years of experience on the continent through the retail operations of the Big Five Duty Free joint venture at the airports of Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, as well as its supply business spanning 35 African countries in total.
“We have already established a solid footprint for our distribution business to border shops in Africa, and we see huge potential for further growth in this channel,” says Bernard Schlafstein, CEO Heinemann Middle East Africa. He is convinced that the significant increase in purchasing power expected for the continent's middle class will be a key driver.
Scott Lewis comments: “Early on in our business relationship, Gebr. Heinemann demonstrated the ability to deliver a world-class duty-free offering to our African customers. They have proven to be innovative and support our desire to expand the duty-free border shop as well as our downtown diplomatic store concept in Lusaka, Kinshasa, and Luanda.”
Gebr. Heinemann is supporting Brand House with its expertise in shop design, category management, sales planning, and staff training. “With its highly professional design and offering, Brand House will set a whole new standard in the intra-African border shop business, which is still largely dominated by small kiosks,” says Mirjam Thater, Senior Sales Manager Middle East Africa.
Special Channels
Reliability in a Diverse Global Market
Gebr. Heinemann's distribution business is very extensive and includes a variety of different channels. “All these sales channels make an important contribution to Gebr. Heinemann's business and risk diversification, as many of them have proven to be stable in times of crisis,” says Oliver Hein, Area Sales Manager Western Europe. Together with his team, he is responsible for the B2B supply of customers in Western Europe. Most of these customers are a clientele with special requirements. They operate in autonomous regions with restricted access – either geographically, such as military bases and free zones, or through online shops where only members of certain professions, such as diplomats, are allowed to buy.
One of these customers is Peter Justesen. The Copenhagen-based company supplies diplomatic missions in more than 160 countries and is a leading supplier of more than 8,000 products to meet the unique needs of a global clientele. In April 2024, Gebr. Heinemann and Peter Justesen extended their long-standing partnership for another four years.
“Inspiring discussions and a firm commitment from both parties are a strong element to continue our growth journey together. The strategic elements of the partnership require all of us to assess new opportunities and work together to develop strong operational plans as a foundation for success. At Peter Justesen, we will do our utmost to make this happen,” says Carsten Ørnbo, CEO of Peter Justesen.
“Peter Justesen needs absolute reliability to be able to operate their business model. We provide services that are precisely tailored to fulfill market requirements,” explains Oliver Hein, citing a few examples. “Forecasting is extremely important because some locations are very remote or difficult to reach, so quantities and shipments must be planned very carefully. Customs documentation for such a diverse global market is complex – this is where our excellent master data and 24/7 HeiCloud access is a valuable asset we provide.”
Airlines
Being a Strong One-Stop Partner
Gebr. Heinemann's Inflight division recorded a strong turnover in 2024, driven by a variety of factors. The expansion of airline fleets and the stabilization following the challenging pandemic years contributed significantly. In addition, close collaboration with customers, building strategic partnerships, and the expansion of services played key roles in this growth.
One of Europe's largest airlines, easyJet, is a longstanding Gebr. Heinemann distribution customer. When asked about the importance of inflight retail for the airline and the passengers' travel experience, Garry Sainsbury, Head of Trading / Inflight Retail at easyJet, points out that, “Inflight retail makes up a significant amount of the total airline profit and is identified as a growth area over the coming years. We strongly believe that a highly desirable inflight offer plays an important role in the overall customer experience and can make a material contribution to achieving high customer satisfaction.”
Kira Cloers, Area Sales Manager Inflight, highlights that Gebr. Heinemann stands out as a competent one-stop partner with a very motivated team, not only delivering goods but also offering airlines comprehensive services for inflight shopping. Additionally, an extensive crew engagement program is an integral part of the holistic support. Kira Cloers explains: “With easyJet, we started our crew training by inviting around 30 of their top-selling crew influencers to the headquarters of our supplier PUIG in Barcelona. The PUIG trainer introduced the crew to the world of leading designers, while the Gebr. Heinemann crew trainer shared advanced sales techniques. The influencers will spread this to their bases, creating a train-the-trainer effect. This incentive impressed both the influencers and management, leading to the expansion of the crew engagement program.”
Garry Sainsbury adds: “For us at easyJet, we know the crew play a pivotal role in helping us achieve our goals for inflight retail. Therefore, we look for partners who share this view and are willing to invest in crew training and incentive programs. We have been working with Gebr. Heinemann for many years because they provide a comprehensive all-round service that meets our requirements and can adapt quickly in times of opportunity or challenges.”
Cruise Ships & Ferries
Breaking New Ground Through Collaboration
The power of collaboration and the willingness to try new things together are essential to the business – as Gebr. Heinemann and its distribution customer Color Line impressively demonstrate.
Every year, approximately four million passengers travel on Color Line ships across Northern Europe, namely Scandinavia. Color Line is Norway's largest shipping line for international passenger and goods traffic to and from Norway. It is one of Europe's leading short-sea shipping lines. Jo Henning Espevalen, Category and Purchase Director at Color Line, states: “Our core requirements for a distributor include competitive pricing, a wide-ranging assortment, and efficient, reliable delivery capabilities. However, the success of such a partnership ultimately hinges on strong collaboration with the people behind the company. This is the reason why Color Line has partnered with Gebr. Heinemann for so many years.” The first agreement between Gebr. Heinemann and Color Line was signed in 2012.
In addition to delivery, Gebr. Heinemann works closely with the Color Line team on category management and marketing. The two companies have also recently launched a new joint project with the working title “Sustainable Innovation.” “Sustainability and corporate responsibility are important topics in Scandinavia,” says Kerstin Geldmacher, Area Sales Manager Nordics & Ferries at Gebr. Heinemann. “Norway has strict regulations. In the Sustainable Innovation project, we will look at two main areas: an environmentally friendly store design that offers a great shopping experience, and the importance of the social component of travel for cultural exchange and meeting friends and family.”
For Color Line, the pursuit to achieve climate goals is already a high priority. In 2019, for example, the company launched the world's largest hybrid ferry with a plug-in system.
Commenting on the objective of the Sustainable Innovation project, Jo Henning Espevalen says: “This aspect is still in its early stages, but Color Line is deeply inspired by collaborating with Gebr. Heinemann on sustainability initiatives. Together, we can streamline Scope 3 reporting as part of our foundational efforts and, ideally, establish sustainable standards for the supplier industry. Achieving meaningful change requires a united effort.”
