About Us
About Meridian Partners
Meridian Partners is a boutique travel retail consultancy and distribution firm founded in Dubai. We exist for one reason: to help brands unlock the full commercial potential of the travel retail channel — with the relationships, expertise, and track record to back it up.
The Opportunity
The $100B+ Travel Retail Opportunity
Global TR market by 2027
International air passengers in 2024
Faster growth than domestic retail
Travel retail is the world's most premium point of sale — but it requires specialist expertise to unlock. Brands that enter without the right partner lose margin, miss listings, and damage equity. The right partner changes everything. That is exactly what Meridian Partners delivers.
Our Story
Founded on Execution, Not Theory
Meridian Partners was founded by Ziad Jabre after 24 years of building and scaling travel retail businesses across the world's most competitive markets. Having personally founded GTR functions at Al Fakher and helped transform Valrhona from a B2B brand into a €4M travel retail business at Mars, Ziad brings something rare in consultancy: a track record of actually doing it.
Case Study Snapshots
Built It. Measured It. Scaled It.
Building a GTR Function from the ground up
Challenge
Al Fakher had little TR presence. No team, no retailer agreements, no playbook — and a product category (shisha tobacco) that required positioning.
Results
Transforming a B2B Brand into a TR Business
Challenge
Valrhona was a world-class luxury chocolate brand built almost entirely for B2B. Very low consumer awareness, no TR pricing, no retail identity.
Results
Why Meridian Partners Exists
01
Execution over advice
Most consultants have never held a P&L, negotiated a global framework agreement, or built a GTR team from scratch. Ziad has done all three — multiple times. Meridian Partners was founded on the belief that the best advice comes from people who have actually done the work.
02
Relationships over directories
Anyone can name-drop Dufry and DFS. What matters is whether the buyer takes your call. After 24 years and hundreds of negotiations across MEA, Europe, and APAC, Ziad's relationships in this channel are among the most valuable assets Meridian Partners brings to every client.
03
Boutique by design
Meridian Partners will always work with a small number of clients. Not because of capacity — but because of commitment. Every brand that engages us gets Ziad's direct attention, not a junior account manager and a weekly status call.