Stena Line increases revenue from onboard shops

Duty-free sales on UK to EU routes have exceeded the company’s expectations

Stena Line increases revenue from onboard shops

Stena Line

Stena Line’s passengers have spent over 80 per cent more per person in the first quarter of the year

By Alex Smith |


Stena Line’s revenue from its onboard shops has significantly increased on routes between the UK and countries in the European Union (EU) routes during the first quarter of 2021.Duty-free sales have been permitted onboard the routes following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

According to the company, this has led to a 34 per cent increase in overall sales on UK-EU routes over the same period in the previous year. This increase was higher on Irish Sea routes where sales were up by 53 per cent, while North Sea routes saw a 14.6 per cent rise.

With the operator’s ships currently operating at half their capacity, the sales figures represent an over 80 per cent increase in spending per person. Sales of alcoholic drinks showed the biggest increases, with sales Jameson Whiskey for the first quarter outstripping those for the whole of 2020.

“We have invested heavily in revamping and, in some cases, extending our onboard shops so the response is very positive and has outstripped our expectations,” said Stephen Bryden, head of onboard sales and services at Stena Line. “Following the large demand that we are experiencing from people eager to enjoy the savings they can make onboard, the company will now be extending our sales offering even further. The ferry sector has suffered worse than many other sectors as we have remained fully operational during pandemic, so the boost from duty-free is a welcome side-effect of Brexit not only for us but for all our passengers too.”

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