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Virgin Voyages broke new floor when it got here to the retail areas onboard its Scarlet Lady<\/em> and Valiant Lady<\/em> cruise ships, providing greater than 50 first-at-sea, high-end-brand retailers operated by Harding, a cruise retail specialist.<\/p>\n But now the 2 firms are parting methods, and going ahead, Virgin with work with Starboard Cruise Services, an LVMH Mo\u00ebt Hennessy Louis Vuitton firm.<\/p>\n Harding, the worldwide cruise retail specialist that operates 300-plus retail retailers on greater than 100 cruise ships, mentioned its partnership with Virgin Voyages will come to an finish this 12 months, with the withdrawal of its retail companies beginning in April. <\/p>\n The firm has offered retail companies to Virgin Voyages since its first ship, Scarlet Lady<\/em>, debuted in 2021. It additionally operates the retail areas on Virgin\u2019s second ship, Valiant Lady<\/em>, which entered service in March 2022.<\/p>\n The retail areas aboard Virgin ships are sprawled throughout some 6,000 sq. ft and have modern merchandise like limited-edition vinyl information and luxurious gadgets from high manufacturers corresponding to Bulgari, Chanel and Vivienne Westwood. All informed, Harding mentioned it sells about 100 model gadgets on the 2 Virgin ships. <\/p>\n Harding CEO James Prescott mentioned,<\/strong> \u201cWe have had great fun leading the cruise retail proposition and working as two innovative companies with shared values for\u00a0six\u00a0years.\u00a0But sometimes we need to part as friends and make some tough choices together around what\u2019s right for business and commercial models.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n He added,<\/strong> \u201cWe wish everyone at Virgin Voyages the very best, and will be working hard to redeploy the Harding+ team members who have been part of the Virgin ship teams elsewhere into our community.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Virgin Voyages mentioned the cruise line and Starboard will collectively curate the portfolio of manufacturers, and custom-designed collections company will uncover on Virgin\u2019s ships.<\/p>\n Virgin Voyages Associated Vice President of Hotel Partnerships Sally Barford mentioned,<\/strong> \u201dFor greater than six years, we\u2019ve loved an unimaginable partnership with Harding and their crew, however we\u2019ve mutually determined that it\u2019s time for each manufacturers to discover what\u2019s subsequent.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n In latest years Harding has expanded its cruise line contacts and located new enterprise. In 2020 it signed contract extensions to 2027 with P&O Cruises and Cunard<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2021 Princess Cruises determined to out-source its retail operations and partnered with Harding to deal with retail throughout its fleet as cruises ramped up following the pandemic suspension.<\/p>\n Prescott famous,<\/strong> \u201cWe have 13 new ships launching with Harding as their retail partner and have many more opportunities for onboard teams, so we feel extremely positive those new roles will be found as our business continues to grow at pace and we continue to innovate in all aspects of cruise retail operations. We of course remain focused on achieving our business plan.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nHarding\u2019s Withdrawal to Begin in April <\/h2>\n
New Opportunities for Harding <\/h2>\n