June 2007

New Partners for Harding Spa Division

We have recently completed the legal formalities of a tie up with Multitrax, who are going to help us develop the Spa Division. Multitrax is a spa oriented business whose principals have strong maritime credentials. They are going to assist us in evolving the on board offer as well as attracting and training staff. One of the principals, Darryl Preston, has become the Managing Director of the Spa Division. The Spa Division will be go through a rebranding exercise and become The Onboard Spa Company as a result of this development. We continue to own the business, which we are confident will grow strongly as a result of this tie up.

February 2007

Ocean Village

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the Retail and Beauty Spa Contract for Ocean Village’s new flagship “Ocean Village Two”. The 1700 passenger ship will enter service in May 2007 and will operate from Palma, Majorca during the summer.

Neil Harding, CEO said:

I am delighted that Ocean Village has decided to further extend our partnership on-board Ocean Village Two and we look forward to further developing the Retail and Spa offeringon-board this unique and highly successful cruise line. Both the Retail and Spa areas on-board Ocean Village two are spectacular. The Spa is located on two decks and all treatment room overlook the sea with a forward view. The Spa will offer an Arabian Hamman Aromasoul Massage Ritual and will premier new treatments, classes and products such as the celebrity endorsed OXYJet Star Facial System, the latest Latino Aerobic programme-Zumba and the Biolage hair and colour range from Matrix.

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March 2006

Hardings Wins Cruise / Ferry Travel Retailer of the Year

Harding Retail Division are proud to be voted the "Cruise / Ferry Travel Retailer of the Year" at the Raven Fox Global Travel Retail Awards for Travel Retail Excellence. This follows our "Marine Retailer of the Year" win at the Frontier Awards in Cannes in the first week of November 2005.

Commenting on the award, Neil Harding, Managing Director said,

"After winning our first award in Cannes, it is very pleasing to have a second prestigious award following on so close behind. What is especially pleasing about this is that the votes are cast by the industry and the recognition of our peers and supplier base is a vote of support for all of the Hardings staff both on land and at sea who work so hard in the cause of developing Hardings."

January 2006

Hardings Announces Another Key Management Appointment

We are delighted to confirm the appointment of a new Head of Buying, following Alyson Reilly’s retirement earlier this year. The post has been taken by Brian Smith who most recently has been Head of Sales and Merchandising at OKA Direct, a domestic retailer of homewares and furnishings. Prior to that, he has had extensive buying, retail and general management experience, including stints at both Harrods and ASDA, and running the duty-free shops in Dubai ports, selling a wide product range very closely-allied to our own, including perfume, liquor and luxury gifts and jewellery.

Neil Harding commented:

"Alyson, with Dave, did a fantastic job of re-organising the buying function and we are very confident that Brian will build on this success. His appointment marks a further step forward in our development as a professional and forward-looking business, and we all wish him every success"

Brian Smith commented:

"I am hugely excited about this opportunity. I was impressed by Neil’s management team and about the growth opportunities that clearly lie ahead for the company. It dominates its domestic niche and has a growing reputation worldwide. I felt it was an excellent match for both my skill set and aspirations."

November 2005

Marine Retailer of the Year

The Company is delighted to announce that it has been awarded Marine Retailer of the Year in the prestigious Frontier Awards in Cannes in the first week of November 2005.

The Frontier Awards have, for two decades, saluted the best that travel retail has to offer. They are the only truly global competition recognising best practice and are judged by an independent panel of leading industry executives.

Commenting on the award, Neil Harding, Managing Director said,

"I am absolutely thrilled to be recognised by the trade in this way, which was awarded largely for the success that we have enjoyed on board QM2. I don’t like to identify individuals, given the team ethos that governs everything that we do at Hardings, but I am particularly thrilled that the four people who lead our efforts aboard QM2, Michelle Burns, Darren Powell, Dave Whitmey and Paul Paul Woodehouse, are probably my four longest serving employees who have been with the business since the times when we operated on just a few ships.

Coupled with the recent announcement on the award of Crystal cruise lines, this is a great time for the Company as we continue to strengthen the infrastructure of the business and forge ahead with additional growth opportunities provided by the growth in the fleet of our core customers."

September 2005

Crystal Cruise Line

We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded the on board duty free retail concession aboard Crystal Cruise Line, one of the most prestigious brands serving the luxury end of the US cruise market. The operation has been run in-house until now and the success that we have enjoyed in developing relationships with luxury brands and our expanding US vendor programme were key factors in our being awarded the contract.

Neil Harding, Managing Director, said:

"This is a vital business win for us and continues the huge momentum we have built up over the past few years. It also consolidates our pre eminent position in the US luxury marketplace and enables us to further develop our exciting US vendor programme. I am certain that we have the right expertise in place to deliver very strong results aboard the Crystal fleet."

September, 2005

New Branch

The Harding Bros Group are proud to announce the opening of their newest branch in their overseas Ship Supply Division ..... Harding Marine Services (Rotterdam) Ltd

From our new premises in Rotterdam we are now able to supply to all Dutch, European and world-wide ports. The team at Harding Marine Services (Rotterdam) Ltd all have varied experiences and proven track records within the ship supply, spare parts and logistics sectors, which spans many years.

Read more...

February, 2005

New Finance Director Appointed

We are delighted to announce the appointment of a new Finance Director, Penny Kinnear. Having qualified with KPMG Penny has much high level experience as a Finance Director most recently in a subsidiary of Trelleborg, the Swedish industrial business.

Neil Harding commented on the appointment: "Penny's appointment represents another major step forward in building a strong management team capable of delivering well controlled growth. Her international experience will also I am sure prove invaluable as we continue to grow the business and take advantage of the many opportunities we have in overseas markets."

Penny Kinnear said, "Joining Hardings is a great opportunity to join a highly entrepreneurial and privately owned business that has been through significant change and growth of late and I am looking forward to playing a key role in developing the business further over the coming years"

January, 2005

Harding Brothers Wins Tender for Silverseas Cruises

Harding Brothers is delighted to announce that it has won the retail contract in a competitive tender for Silverseas Cruises. This is one of the most prestigious cruise lines in the world and attracts a mix of very high end US and European passengers. Announcing the win, Neil Harding, Managing Director, said:

"Our success aboard the QM2 is beginning to bear fruit elsewhere. The expertise we have forged in working together with brands to ensure that all parties understand the operational issues and marketing benefits of on board exposure has enabled us to grow our high end US niche with the successful tender for Silverseas cruises. I am certain that we will be able to do an excellent job for Silverseas over the next few years and I am very much looking forward to seeing the business grow still further in 2005."

December, 2004

Latest Salon/Spa News

New Recruits
Denise Williams has just joined as Operations Supervisor.

Recruitment Partnership
Harding’s Spa & Salon division are going into ‘recruitmanship’ with Havering College in Romford. They are providing us with outstanding, qualified staff for our Cruise liners, whom we then train in all our products, equipment and way of working.

August, 2004

Harding Brothers is delighted to announce the opening of its new spa and retail training academy in Canute Road, Southampton. The academy, which has the facility to train staff on all of the services provided by the Spa and Retail Division, is fully operational and training began in earnest during the third week of August.

As a part of this development, the Company has appointed two training managers, Jonathan Adonis for the Spa division and Nathalie Belunza for the Retail Division.

Neil Harding, Managing Director commented:

"The Spa Division has grown to the point where it can no longer rely on the training facilities of its supplier base, as it has until now. This represents a major investment for the Company, but I am confident that we will see immediate benefits in the consistency with which our staff are trained before they embark a ship. In addition, the facility will enable us to further develop the training that we are able to give our retail division staff."

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July, 2004

Harding Brothers is delighted to announce that it has concluded negotiations for Alyson Reilly to join the Company as Director of Buying in mid-July.

Alyson is a hugely-experienced buying professional with a wide network at the highest levels in duty-free retail. Her former positions have included Global Perfumes Buyer at Allders International (now Nuance), and Director of Buying at World Duty Free. Most recently, she was Director of Product Development & Strategy at WDF. Whilst at WDF she worked closely with Barry Gibson, our Chairman.

Speaking of her appointment, Alyson, who will have overall responsibility for the management and strategy of the Buying function, said:

“I have watched with great interest as Hardings has carved out a leading niche position in the duty-free arena. My key task is to enable the Buying function to become a proactive leader of the business with the introduction of innovative product and trading strategies, whilst maintaining the flexibility and dynamism that has worked well, and been a key strength, to date. I have been greatly impressed by the professionalism of everyone I have met at the Company and am very much looking forward to working with such a committed team.”

Neil Harding, Managing Director, said:

“Alyson’s deep knowledge and understanding of the sector, combined with her proven trading skills, will undoubtedly enable us to build upon the success we have enjoyed to date. I, and the rest of the Board, welcome her appointment and are all excited at the prospect of working alongside her.”

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May, 2004

Harding Brothers is delighted to announce the appointment of Barry Gibson as Chairman of its board of directors.

Gibson, 52, has an unrivalled reputation in the duty free retail world, having served as Retail Director of BAA plc from the time of its floatation. During his 9 years at BAA he oversaw the dramatic growth of the group's retail profits and the massive expansion of retail space, international retail development and the introduction of BAA's own retail operator World Duty Free. After leaving BAA in 1997 Gibson became Group Chief Executive of Littlewoods, the family-owned, retail, catalogue and pools business. Having successfully executed the shareholder's value crystallisation strategy Gibson became a non-executive Director of National Express Group plc William Hill plc and chairman of Genesis Distribution Limited all of which he continues to serve.

Speaking of the appointment Neil Harding, Managing Director, said:

"It is of huge significance to me that we have been able to attract someone of Barry Gibson's calibre and experience in the duty-free environment as our new Chairman. I think it speaks volumes for how far the Company has come in the last couple of years, and for how much further growth remains open to us if we plan and execute it properly. Barry has already added huge value to us with his wealth of experience and contacts and this contribution I know will grow substantially over the forthcoming years. This is a vital piece in the Hardings' jigsaw - and we are all delighted with the appointment."

Barry Gibson commented:

"This is a very exciting time in the development of the Company. The initial success of the QM2 retail contract, added to the 28 other ships that we operate, has given a substantial lift to the profile and commercial success of the Hardings business. I am impressed by the energy and ambition of Neil and his team, and am looking forward to playing a central role as they develop the business further. They have tremendous focus on, and understanding of, the cruise-based environment and plenty of growth opportunities for the business to go after. This will, I am certain, be a very exciting journey."

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January, 2004

Succesful start to QM2 contract

Harding Brothers is delighted to announce an extremely successful start to its retail contract aboard the much heralded QM2. The ship enjoyed the highest profile launch of a cruise ship for many years and the scale of the publicity gave prominent exposure to many of the brands represented on board including Hermes, Chopard, H Stern, Gant and Escada. The substantial number of visitors and shake down cruise passengers were very attracted to the QM2 branded merchandise which was very well received. A temporary retail unit, set up in the QE2 terminal, had long queues for most of the days on which it was open.

Neil Harding said, "this set up has been an enormous amount of effort for my team and I am sure it will prove an important watershed in the development of the business, giving us more exposure to the US passenger market. We have overseen the refit of two units in record time and the initial reactions of passengers and visitors, as well as the owners of the ship, has been very favourable. I believe that over time QM2 will become the most valuable cruise ship brand in the world".

November, 2003

Harding Brothers announce Hermès QM2 store

Harding Brothers is delighted to announce that, for the first time in a cruise ship environment, Hermès will be represented on QM2 with a stand-alone store. The unit will be fully fitted out in the Hermes style and will carry a comprehensive range of articles.

Neil Harding said, "We are delighted to be able to display Hermès products in their own dedicated area on QM2 alongside other major luxury brands. High profile passengers are attracted by this unique ship and we feel sure that these fine products will be of great interest to them".

Hermès joins Dunhill, Chopard, Gant, Escada, Gucci and H Stern, among others, whose merchandise will also be available on QM2.

Left: Florian Craen and Neil Harding (seated) and Richard Goldstein sign the Hermes contract in the newly opened Hermes store on the QM2.

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October, 2003

Harding Brothers Announces The Appointment of a new General Manager for its Spa Division

Harding Brothers announces that it has appointed Rod Smallwood as the new general manager for its spa division. Rod has extensive spa experience both at sea and on land. Having originally trained as a stylist and beauty therapist Rod held many senior positions in a sea based spa operation rising to Spa Director during his thirteen years with them. Most recently Rod launched the Molton Brown day spa at the Bluewater retail centre in Kent.

Speaking of the appointment Neil Harding, Managing Director, said

"Once again I am delighted with the quality of individual that we have been able to attract to Hardings. Rod is extremely well known and respected in the spa world and he shares our commitment to build the spa business from its dominant uk market share to a business that has the quality to compete on the world stage. Rod is key appointment for us and I am very excited about what he will bring to us. He has the right Hardings mix of entrenpreneurial flair, hard work and professionalism".

Rod Smallwood said,

"Much as I really enjoyed the Molton Brown launch, I had itchy feet and a passion for the sea based spa industry. I have been given a unique opportunity at Hardings to build off a sound base a world class spa operation. I am very excited about what the future holds in store for me here".

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October, 2003

Harding Brothers announces partnership with Mariner Duty Free

Harding Brothers is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mariner Duty Free Ltd, who will be running a trunk show programme for a number of our ships over the next few months.

Mariner directors Gerrard Spray and Chris Burgess have over 20 years experience in duty free cruise ship retail, serving as onboard shop managers and operations managers before launching Mariner in 2003.

Mariner’s expertise is primarily in jewellery and gemstones, with which they will be travelling from ship to ship throughout the year. Both directors are graduate gemmologists and will promote each trunk show with a series of lectures, presentations and workshops. The Mariner retail strategy is to target geographically-specific merchandise for the ships, such as opals for Australia, tanzanite for African cruising, pearls for Japan and emeralds for Colombia.

Additionally, Mariner will be the preferred supplier of Russian merchandise for the Baltic cruising ships, supplementing standard souvenir merchandise with higher value pieces on a trunk show basis.

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August, 2003

Queen Mary II Project

• The Queen Mary II project is taking shape. Negotiations are ongoing with several world leading brands, many of whom are to experience the cruise ship retail environment for the first time. The final line up of brands will be announced over the next two months.

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July, 2003
Latest Recruitment

• Harding Brothers has completed a substantial round of recruiting to complete the first phase of its development after the January equity raising exercise. Mark Birnie, who has spent many years in a ship based retail environment joins as an Area Manager and will initially support the P&O fleet.
  
  
• Mark’s appointment comes soon after those of Louise Smith and Bernadette Vucinic in our Human Resource Department. Louise has many years’ professional HR experience and Bernadette worked for many years for another ship-based retail operator and brings to her role hands-on personal experience of the issues facing our shop managers.
  
  
• In addition to these appointments, the buying team’s capability has been significantly extended with the addition of Karen Abriel and Victoria Livings.
  
  
• Commenting on this round of appointments, Neil Harding said:
  
  "I am delighted with the calibre of individual that we have been able to attract to the business, which I believe underpins the confidence that we have in our future success. All of these individuals have much to bring to us and will be a critical part of our future development. They are all most welcome to our growing team".

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April, 2003
Ocean Village Launch

• Harding Brothers announces that, among other new supplier relationships, it has arranged its first listing with The Discovery Store as it refines its offering for the launch of Ocean Village, the newly launched P&O brand aimed at younger holiday makers who have never previously cruised.
  
  
  
  

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January, 2003
Three New Executives Welcomed

• Harding Brothers is delighted to announce that it has raised significant expansion capital to fund the significant growth that it has enjoyed in its retail division. As a part of the deal it also welcomes three new executive directors on board. Two of them, Richard Goldstein and Harold Gittelmon have until now been running Eclipse Investment Partners, a venture capital business based in London and were the lead investors in the capital raising. The third director, Jeffrey Kinn, who takes up the role as Finance Director held similar roles previously with Prontaprint Group plc and far Blue plc.
  
  
• Neil Harding, Managing Director, commented on the deal:
  
  "I believe that this significant addition to the financial and board resources of the business gives us a firm platform on which we can build, and am confident that the experience of the three new directors will undoubtedly help us to grow further in the future. I am delighted to have concluded this transaction and am very confident of the future success which the business will enjoy".