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 Zero
Challenge
Al Fakher had zero TR presence. No team, no retailer agreements, no playbook — and a product category (shisha tobacco) that had never existed in travel retail.
Results
Transforming a B2B Brand into a TR Business
Challenge
Valrhona was a world-class luxury chocolate brand built entirely for B2B. No consumer packaging, no TR pricing, no retail identity.
Results
A Track Record Built on Results
Every number below was earned — not projected.
2018–2021 · Al Fakher, Head Global GTR
Built the GTR function from zero. Established Al Fakher as the first shisha tobacco brand in European travel retail. Expanded volume 400%+ and profit 600%+ in under two years. Secured #1 shisha ranking at Dubai Airport.
2021–2022 · Al Fakher, Head GTR & Levant
Led post-pandemic GTR recovery, achieving 30%+ growth in revenue and profit. Delivered 22% volume growth in Levant, driving 33% revenue and 36% profit increase. Won the 2022 F1 Air Global Award.
2022–2024 · Al Fakher, Regional Director APAC & GTR
Directed growth across APAC and Indian Subcontinent. Secured partnership with India's leading Pan company. Achieved 108% profit growth in GTR and 37% in APAC.
2024–2026 · Al Fakher, VP GTR & Heritage Markets
Directed GTR and Heritage Markets across Levant and Lower Gulf. Cultivated new distributor partnerships in UAE and Qatar. Boosted profitability 12.2% in GTR and 18% in Heritage markets.
2010–2016 · Mars Inc, Global Sales Development & Regional ITR
Transformed Valrhona from a B2B brand into a €4M travel retail business across 45 global airports. Managed MENA & Indian Subcontinent ITR as Regional Sales Manager.
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.