Hans Rijfkogel reports successful start to 2014 for Agio Cigars in Asia

TAIPEI, Taiwan - April 24, 2014 - PRLog -- Hans Rijfkogel reports successful start to 2014 for Agio Cigars in Asia

Dutch cigar producer Royal Agio Cigars has reported a successful start to 2014 with strong sales in the first 4 months. Sales in Asia/Pacific are up 23% compared with the previous year.

Speaking just before the Tax Free World Association Asia/Pacific exhibition in Singapore, Hans Rijfkogel, Asia Marketing Services Director said:

“We are very pleased with the first four months of 2014 as more and more people in Asia are traveling and interested in cigars, which is a very positive development for us. We were able to increase our distribution in travel-retail and are always trying to obtain the optimal presentation for our products in duty-free.”

“Asia/Pacific is an important area for us and Asian passengers are not only looking for exclusive and high-quality products but also well known brands. We are able to meet consumer demand with brands like Balmoral and Agio Tip.”

The supplier is represented in all major Asian airports through its core range of Balmoral, Panter, Agio Tip and Meharis products and has built up strong relationships with Travel Retail operators. “This is one of the pillars of our success,” Hans Rijfkogel said.

“We always say that we have to think like a Travel Retail Operator and like the operators to think with us. When we list our products in duty free, we have a number of ways to support the products and drive sales. A good example is the training materials we have developed to educate staff and consumers. Cigars sometimes need additional explanation about products, brand, flavor and size to drive the sale.”

In 2013 Agio Cigars appointed Asia Marketing Services as its agent for the Asia/Pacific region, responsible for coordinating the sales and marketing efforts of Royal Agio Cigars’ brands in the Asia/Pacific domestic and travel-retail markets.

Asia Marketing Services Director Hans Rijfkogel has seen a growing interest in cigars in Asia and believes that it makes sense for operators to add well-known cigar brands to the product range. “By listing products like Agio Filter Tip, Balmoral Collection or Panter Dominican and supporting this with powerful sales tools, duty free operators not only increase their cigar sales. They also create more traffic in their shops and increase the average spending per passenger.”

For more information about Agio Cigars or Asia Marketing Services, please go to asiamarketingservices.com.