Diageo Global Travel Extends Johnnie Walker House™ Footprint into India and Taiwan

MUMBAI, Sept. 2, 2014 /CNW/ - Diageo Global Travel is proud to announce the opening of two JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE™ retail showcase stores in travel retail - one in Mumbai, India and another in Taipei, Taiwan.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140902/703502-a)

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140902/703502-b)

Following the success of the JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE launches in Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul and continuing the brand's mantra of 'Keep Walking', the new JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSES in Mumbai and Taipei are multi-sensory embassies for luxury Blended Scotch Whisky, designed to educate and inspire travellers by providing them with a luxurious and engaging shopping experience that encapsulates the history, provenance and pioneering spirit of the JOHNNIE WALKER^® brand.

Travellers can fully immerse themselves in the history of JOHNNIE WALKER and its famous liquids through a number of striking wall installations; and in deluxe mentoring spaces specialist brand ambassadors will invite them on a sensorial journey to touch, taste and smell the rare elements that make up JOHNNIE WALKER.

To celebrate the inauguration of the Houses, a limited edition bottle of JOHNNIE WALKER^® BLUE LABEL™ has been created. The JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE™ ART COLLECTION - Mumbai Edition will be exclusively available at Mumbai International Airport.

Doug Bagley, Managing Director, Diageo Global Travel and Middle East, said: "We are delighted to bring not one, but two JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSES to life in partnership with our customers in key travel retail channels globally. This reinforces our long-term commitment to providing travelers with a luxurious, unparalleled shopping experience in one of the fastest-growing retail channels worldwide. Both airports are key travel hubs, handling a combined 63 million passengers a year which make them perfect locations for JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSES within our burgeoning industry. We are confident that they will surprise and delight consumers with an unmatched retail space and deliver a luxurious shopping experience."

Lawrence Law, Global General Manager Johnnie Walker Houses, said: "I'm delighted to see the extension of the JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSES into travel retail. It's a move that highlights the esteem with which we hold our commercial travel retail partners. We believe it's important to immerse consumers in our brand and these houses will provide them with the first luxury retail experience beyond our flagship JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSES."

JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE™ MUMBAI 

The JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE™ MUMBAI, in collaboration with DFS Group and Flemingo International, launching 2 September 2014, is located in the prestigious departures concourse of Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. To celebrate the opening, an exclusive JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE™ ART COLLECTION - Mumbai Edition - has been created. The special bottle shows a unique interpretation of the original JOHNNIE WALKER journey from Scotland to India in 1883* and reflects the brand's long heritage as one of the world's first international brands.

Abanti Sankaranarayanan, Managing Director, Diageo India, said: JOHNNIE WALKER is the iconic luxury Scotch in India. In line with the consumers' desire for unique experiences and evolving taste palates, we launch the JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE at the Mumbai International Airport. The JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSES globally are our global embassies for luxury Scotch whisky and we are proud to extend this world class experience to our Indian consumers. The new JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE will be home to some of the rarest and most luxurious blends from Diageo's portfolio that are unrivalled in taste, heritage and craftsmanship."

Manishi Sanwal, Managing Director, Mumbai Duty Free, said: "We are delighted to offer exciting retailer opportunities to customers departing Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. With the innovative JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE, we are certain world travelers will discover a stimulating and unique offer within our store."

JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE™ TAIWAN

The JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE™ TAIWAN, launching late September 2014, will be located in the departures concourse immediately after immigration at Terminal 2 of Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei. JOHNNIE WALKER first traded in Taiwan in 1925, highlighting the brand's long travel heritage. Within, travellers can purchase a range of unique, exclusive whisky collections that are exclusively available at JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE TAIWAN.

A spokesperson from Everrich Duty Free, said: "We are pleased and proud to partner with Diageo Global Travel to launch the JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE TAIWAN. Our customers are looking for luxury shopping spaces that combine innovation, exceptional service and unique experiences - the JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE encapsulates all that we want to offer our distinguished clientele."

Starting this month, all consumers will be able to access their own copy of JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE Edit, a commissioned quarterly title dedicated to the art of good living that brings together curated content from world-class contributors, stylists, photographers and creative talent, which will also be available to all patrons of the newly launched properties. Inspired by the JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE philosophy of Living Luxury, the periodical's first edition explores the subject of fame and its relationship with affluence across art, design, literature, music, drama and the epicurean world. The title is also available digitally via Magzter.

Notes to editors 

*JOHNNIE WALKER was first exported to India in 1883

ABOUT JOHNNIE WALKER^® HOUSES 

JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSES are an exclusive collection of Scotch Whisky embassies outside of Scotland. Established by the world's number one Scotch Whisky brand, JOHNNIE WALKER, the brand pioneered its first House in Shanghai, China in 2011, followed by Beijing, China in 2012 and Seoul, South Korea in 2013.

Each JOHNNIE WALKER HOUSE is an exploration of the brand's heritage, inviting guests to embark on a multi-sensory mentoring journey. The Houses are a celebration of a luxurious whisky experiences across a spread of fine-dining, art and music that inspire progressive individuals to come together and create new cultural expressions globally. Innovation is integral to the Houses with unique, exclusive whisky collections are available at each location. In addition, selected patrons can work with the Master Blender to create their own personalized blends.

SOURCE: Diageo Global Travel

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