A swish new retail store where customers sip champagne while
discussing their holidays is driving Melbourne-based Luxury Escapes to
record sales.
The new superstore in the Melbourne retail and entertainment hub of
Chadstone offers barista-made coffee and French champagne, a six-star
bar and a VIP events space to complement stunning visual displays and
interactive customer activations,
Adam Schwab, CEO of Luxury Escapes, views the retail store as an extension of the company’s web and app presence.
“Customers can create a detailed TripPlan in store and then continue
to evolve their trip before they depart and then while they’re on
holiday. So, while the interaction we have with our customers is in
person, we’re able to utilise all the tech capabilities of Luxury
Escapes to enhance the entire experience.”
Adam Schwab: “Not afraid to make mistakes”.
Schwab says the reaction to Luxury Escapes’ first permanent retail experience has been “incredible”.
“Demand has been off the charts and we’re already trading well above
budget. We underestimated how much customers love the ability to spend
an hour with an expert consultant planning their trip while sipping a
glass of Veuve.”
Luxury Escapes has been operating out of key Asian markets, including
Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand, for almost five years, but
this year Schwab says the company is planning to “significantly
accelerate investment in what we believe are hugely exciting growth
markets for us”.
“Our product range is perfectly suited for Asian travellers, and we
can’t wait to invest heavily in brand and digital channels to grow our
market share.”
Post-Covid, Schwab says Bali and Thailand are “super strong”,
alongside Maldives. Vietnam is rebounding, as is Hong Kong, “while
Singapore seems to grow in popularity every year”.
Bali remains the number one market for Luxury Escapes. “It flew out
of the gates in early 2022 and hasn’t looked back,” Schwab says. “Bali
is incredibly popular and continues to strengthen in both the Australian
and Asian outbound markets.
Schwab attributes the company’s strong growth to “a laser-like focus on our customers”.
“We think more so than any other retail travel brand globally. We
have an NPS (Net Promoter Score) of 75, which is basically unheard in
travel retail. Usually, it’s only super high-end tour operations like
Abercromie & Kent who have those levels of customer satisfaction.
“We’re also very keen to innovate and not afraid to make mistakes.”