Dufry is Duffle’s second strategic investor.
Switzerland-based global travel retailer, Dufry, has joined Germany’s Gebr. Heinemann as an investor in airport shopping app Duffle, opening the door to what could become a widely adopted digital platform in the duty-free sphere.
With two global travel retailers on board, Duffle—a Berlin-based software start-up—could realize its ambition of digitizing the airport retail and food and beverage (F&B) sectors faster than it had expected.
Dufry’s investment—the exact amount has not been undisclosed—came during Duffle’s latest financing round, but is subject to regulatory clearance. Gebr. Heinemann made its investment a year ago via its funding vehicle Gharage Ventures which recently expanded into the Singapore market to tap Asian travel and retail startups.
Lennard Niemann, the managing director of Gharage Ventures, who also sits on Duffle’s advisory board, guided the startup through its fundraising. He commented: “Seeing two players like Dufry and Heinemann invest into a startup like this is a great basis to continue the journey.”
The digital space in travel retail is fragmented and in an early stage of development with digitization still playing a very small role. This latest investment gives Duffle the momentum to access more airside duty-free shops, brand boutiques, and F&B outlets in airports around the world.
The concept is that whatever the traveler needs, from a color cosmetic to a croissant, it can be ordered on the app and delivered by Duffle ‘runners’ to the customer’s gate or airport lounge within minutes.
From Copenhagen to Berlin
Following trials at Copenhagen Airport in Denmark, the Duffle service is set to go live at Berlin Airport soon, with delivery and, later on, collection options from multiple merchants. Heinemann stores are located at both airports, while Dufry has strong positions in airports in the United Kingdom and Spain. The retailer is present in over 75 countries and operates over five million square feet (472,000 square meters) of shopping space.
Duffle is looking to expand its into additional airports if these two tests prove successful. As well as sales, the startup is looking at services and marketing in order to capture a bigger slice of the customer experience ecosystem at airports.
Max Heinemann, co-CEO of Gebr. Heinemann, stated: “Duffle aims to be a platform which provides an unbroken travel experience that includes all kinds of retail offers and travel services. This approach requires collaboration of all stakeholders at an airport, including travel retail, F&B, and other travel service providers.”
Heinemann has been providing strategic and financial support to Duffle since December 2021. Dufry, adds quite a bit of weight to the project as it moves to a proof-of-concept stage and expansion thereafter.
The CEO of Dufry, Xavier Rossinyol, said in a statement: “We believe that the travel retail and F&B industry is still a non-digitized business, and the next months and years (could see) leaps and bounds in digitization. We are actively exploring and participating in this change and view this investment opportunity as part of our initiatives.”
He said that he would work together with Heinemann on the project “to create more contact points with customers to offer them a seamless experience both in stores and digitally.” Rossinyol added: “I am curious to see how travelers will react to all the offers that Duffle has in its pipeline.”
