The Tourvest Group and Lagardère Travel Retail strike strategic partnership

The partners will collaborate on retail, hospitality and tourism development initiatives – beginning in South Africa with a view to pursuing travel retail opportunities across the African continent.

May 22, 2025 - 10:50

The Tourvest Group and Lagardère Travel Retail strike strategic partnership

AFRICA. Leading African tourism company The Tourvest Group has struck a Strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Lagardère Travel Retail.

The partners will collaborate on retail, hospitality and tourism development initiatives – beginning in South Africa with a view to pursuing travel retail opportunities across the African continent.

African ambition: The Tourvest Group Chairman Robert Gumede (left) and Lagardère Travel Retail Chairman & CEO Dag Rasmussen formalise the agreement. Behind them are (from left) Lagardère Travel Retail Executive Vice President of Business Development, Corporate Communications & External Affairs Baptiste Duguit; The Tourvest Group Chief Executive Luvhengo Neswiswi; and Tourvest Retail Services CEO Clive Jones.

A statement said: “This partnership brings together two powerhouse organisations, each with deep domain expertise, complementary capabilities and a shared commitment to creating world-class experiences for travellers.

“By combining Tourvest’s strong African operational presence, local market intelligence and hospitality leadership with Lagardère Travel Retail’s global best practices, innovative retail concepts and international reach, the partnership aims to set new standards for travel retail in South Africa and beyond.”

The partners added: “As both Tourvest and Lagardère Travel Retail continue to scale operations on the continent, this partnership sets the foundation for a transformational, Pan-African platform that leverages innovation, cultural authenticity and strategic investment to enhance Africa’s role in the global travel economy.”

Tourvest and Lagardère Travel Retail will focus initially on emerging opportunities within the South African travel retail market – which they value at over US$100 million – while also exploring the broader Africa and Middle East travel retail market, worth in excess of US$3.5 billion, they said.

The collaboration will focus on:

Expanding travel retail, duty free and dining offerings in major airports and tourism hubs.
Elevating traveller experiences through locally inspired, globally benchmarked services and products.
Promoting inclusive economic growth through job creation, skills transfer and enterprise development.

**Republic of South Africa Deputy President Paul Mashatile also attended the signing; he is pictured left with Dag Rasmussen and Robert Gumede**

They added that their combined global and local strengths would benefit passengers, airport authorities, governments and communities, with Tourvest’s operations across the tourism value chain and Lagardère Travel Retail’s network of 5,000 stores in more than 50 countries.

The companies said they are committed to sustainable development and investing in African talent and infrastructure. The partnership said it aimed to:

Create significant employment opportunities across multiple African countries.
Support local supply chains, artisans and SMEs.
Align with each country’s economic transformation and tourism development goals.

Lagardère Travel Retail Chairman & CEO Dag Rasmussen said: “We are delighted to join forces with The Tourvest Group, Africa’s leading integrated tourism enterprise, whose recognised expertise across the entire tourism value chain in the region lays a strong foundation for shared growth.

“This collaboration is fully aligned with our ambition to grow in the South African market and more broadly across the region – a strategic priority for us and an area full of promise. It also reflects our DNA: forging strong partnerships with locally rooted players who understand and anticipate local expectations. Together, we look forward to combining our strengths to make this collaboration a lasting success.”

The Tourvest Group Chairman Robert Gumede said: “We are optimistic as we embark on this strategic journey with Lagardère Travel Retail – a partner who shares our vision for innovation, globalisation and sustainable growth.

“While this partnership begins in South Africa, it reflects our mutual ambition to pursue opportunities across the African continent. Together, we aim to set new benchmarks in travel retail through bold innovation, operational excellence and meaningful local impact.”