Images of the Day: Going bananas over what might be travel retail’s fastest-selling product

Our regular feature, brought to you in association with Duty Free Global from Ireland, celebrates memorable scenes, moments, launches and campaigns related to the global aviation and travel retail sphere.

JAPAN. Today’s images show what may first appear to be chaotic shopping scenes at Fa-So-La Duty Free’s Tokyo Souvenir store at Haneda Airport, surely one of the highest-grossing shops per square metre in global travel retail, writes Martin Moodie.

The narrow, crowded aisles and phenomenal popularity of some of the products might make for a pressure cooker shopping experience. But, in fact, everything is well managed, thanks to a helpful shop worker holding up a bright ‘Cashier Line’ directional sign to keep frustrated travellers literally in their place and a multitude of cashiers in the small check-out space.

No product is a bigger smash hit than Tokyo Banana, a hugely popular banana-shaped sponge cake packed with cream filling. The packaging – bright yellow for the standard reference, pretty pink for the Sakura scent version – is nigh irresistible and the taste (I speak from frequent experience) delightful.

I have a suspicion that Tokyo Banana might be travel retail’s fastest-selling product. Tell me one that moves off the shelf quicker. I know it is a Japanese destination merchandise speciality but I reckon it would succeed in any airport shop worldwide.

Heck, it’s a common sight at Haneda to see store assistants repacking the shelves at roughly the same rate consumers are going absolutely bananas depleting them. Hopefully neither slip on all all that banana appeal.