Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MWITR) is returning to the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition and Conference (May 11-15) this year with a focus on helping travel retailers attract more shoppers and drive revenue. At the heart of this approach is a travel-focused product portfolio, featuring innovations and activations, a strategic focus on delivering value in the transaction zone, and creating memorable moments for travelers through a M&M's Experience. MWITR will be exhibiting in Basement 2, G28.

“We are excited to be back in Singapore for the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition, one of the most important events in the travel retail calendar. Asia Pacific is a strategic region for MWITR, with immense potential for growth across the confectionery category. The exhibition offers an essential platform to connect with partners, showcase our latest innovations, and reinforce our commitment to shaping the future of travel retail in this dynamic region,” comments An De Volder, MWITR market director. 

Celebrating culture and place: seasonal and locally-inspired gifting in focus

Seasonal moments such as Chinese New Year, Diwali, Christmas, and Ramadan are deeply rooted in cultural traditions across the Asia Pacific region. These moments significantly shape consumer behavior, influencing gifting traditions and shopping habits, Mars Wrigley ITR says.

“With 445 million travelers projected to pass through the Asia Pacific region, and traffic expected to exceed pre-COVID levels by 2025, cultural moments are becoming increasingly important touchpoints,” continues De Volder. “That is why we have introduced evolving displays centered around our popular M&M’s brand and tailored to key seasonal moments. These engaging activations are designed to interrupt the traveler's journey and bring fun to shoppers.”

Beyond seasonality, gifting continues to emerge as a central theme in the travel experience. One in five travelers actively seeks attractive gift options and 14% specifically looks for unique and authentic confectionery items. MWITR has long recognized this trend, offering a wide range of options for every shopper and occasion such as multiple M&M’s Peanut gifting pouches, M&M’s best-selling gifting tins, and octagonal and heart-shaped M&M’s boxes with exclusive M&M'S color mixes.  

To further strengthen its gifting portfolio, MWITR is introducing two new gifting innovations to the Asia Pacific market. First, the company will unveil a new M&M’s Sense of Place gifting box. The first gift box is exclusively designed for Singapore and features two medium-sized M&M’s pouches. The Singapore M&M’s Sense of Place gift box will be available in the summer for a limited time.

Additionally, following its successful debut in the Middle East, MWITR will launch Galaxy Assorted Chocolate Dates in Asia before the summer. These are Saudi-produced dates with crunchy almonds covered in Galaxy smooth milk, dark, and white chocolate. 

Driving footfall and revenue with experiences and Transaction Zone

MWITR is also doubling down on its Experiences-strategy and industry leading Transaction Zone concept at TFWA AP, both designed to attract shoppers and drive incremental revenue for retailers. 

MWITR’s experiences strategy is designed to create memorable shopper and brand experiences with its M&M’s brand. This will help travel retailers foster meaningful shopper engagement, and deliver fun, which will help elevate the appeal and desirability of the category. This strategy is supported by MWITR’s most recent collaboration with Kate Spade New York. Inspired by the worlds of candy and fashion, the M&M’s x Kate Spade New York capsule collection features handbags, jewelry, and accessories that combine design elements from both brands. 

“With 45% of shoppers indicating that in-store experiences are a key driver of purchase, we see a huge opportunity with our iconic M&M’s brand to create fun and unique in-store experiences and boost footfall for our travel retail customers,” says An De Volder. “One of the ways we are doing this is by creating rotating brand collaborations. We first launched the M&M’s x Kate Spade New York collection in the domestic market in November 2024, and are excited to showcase it for the first time to the ITR channel at TFWA AP. The collection is now available in travel retail and open for partners to order.”

In parallel, MWITR continues to expand its innovative Transaction Zone strategy, an approach that transforms existing checkout areas into revenue-generating spaces. Following successful implementations in Dublin and Singapore among others the company is now working with partners to roll out the concept in additional key locations.

Mars is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.