Heinemann’s contract on Mein Schiff 1, 3, and 6 (pictured) will now run until June 2028.
Hamburg-based travel retailer Gebr. Heinemann is seeing its focus on the cruise retail channel paying off. Its latest win has been with TUI Cruises which has decided to extend contracts on board six of the tour operator’s current seven cruise ships under the Mein Schiff (My Ship) branding. Two more ships are on their way.
Heinemann said that it will continue to operate stores on Mein Schiff 1, 3, and 6 until June 2028, while the contracts for Mein Schiff 3, 4, and 5 will run until June 2027. Four vessels have passenger capacities of about 2,500 while the newer Mein Schiff 1 and 2 can carry almost 2,900 passengers.
Two more ships from TUI Cruises—Mein Schiff Relax and Mein Schiff Flow—are also set to debut. This year, Relax will be christened in Málaga, Spain in April by British pop idol Robbie Williams (formerly with the band Take That), while Flow will see its itineraries launch in August 2026. They are the first in the InTUItion ship class carrying close to 4,000 passengers and represent another on-board retail opportunity.
Heinemann has a long-standing relationship with TUI Cruises, also based in Hamburg, going back about 15 years and the contract renewals continue their partnership. The extensions mean that Heinemann will introduce a series of new retail concepts within Neuer Wall shopping arcades focused on premium concepts.
They include high-end watches and jewelry stores or corners featuring brands such as Breitling, TAG Heuer, Rado, and Maurice Lacroix under the Mein Glanz fascia; Meine Freude for more affordable accessories like sunglasses, bags, and scarves from Swarovski, Bering, Coeur de Lion, Guess, and Joop; Mein Schiff-logoed products in Meine Lebenslust stores as well as premium chocolate, confectionery, tobacco, and spirits; and similar dedicated stores for luxury fragrances and skincare, and for fashion and footwear including labels like Tommy Hilfiger, Puma, Rains, and Steve Madden.
Neuer Wall shopping arcades will have a strong focus on branded fashion across the Mein Schiff … [+]
In a statement, Kerstin Schepers, managing director of Heinemann Cruise Liner Global, commented: “We take pride in the fact that two Hamburg-based companies continue to innovate and create exceptional retail experiences at sea.”
Cruises: an expanding retail channel
While the cruise industry is seeing a lot of push-back due to overtourism, global industry body Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reaffirmed, in November at its annual conference in Miami, that 2023 passenger numbers surpassed 2019 (the benchmark year for cruise industry performance) reaching nearly 32 million passengers and generating $168.6 billion in global economic output according to an assessment from Oxford Economics.
As well as shops on board—including its first foray into the Middle East cruise market—Heinemann is very active on the product supply side of the business and currently supplies around 170 cruise ships including a significant number whose retail is run by Harding+.
A major success was the acquisition in 2023 of Costa, described as “a significant new customer” as it is such a key player in the cruise market. This achievement was realized in record time: just five weeks from the initial contract discussions, creation of master data and selection of product ranges, to the first delivery.
Georg Fleischer, senior sales manager for cruises wholesaling at Heinemann, commented: “By quickly establishing this business relationship, we have solidified our reputation as a dependable partner, laying a strong foundation for the future with Costa.”
