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Stacy Shaw wants to make it very clear that Starboard Group<\/strong> is specifically in the business of vacation<\/em> retail, as opposed to the broader travel<\/em> retail category. \u201cThat\u2019s where our expertise lies \u2014 not with the business traveler, not duty-free airport shops,\u201d said Shaw. She is SVP at the 65-<\/strong>year-old company, which supports and operates shipboard retail stores on nearly 100 <\/strong>ships operated by 15 <\/strong>cruise lines.<\/p>\n \u201cAll our work is about figuring out and providing the things that people want, or need, to buy when they\u2019re on vacation, which is sometimes quite different from what they\u2019re buying in their everyday lives,\u201d Shaw explained in an interview with Retail TouchPoints<\/em>. This distinct self-identification has become increasingly important now that Starboard Group is moving onto dry land, with plans to support resort boutiques at a Westgate Resort<\/strong>s property in Las Vegas beginning next month. A second <\/strong>store at another Westgate property is slated to follow later in 2025.<\/p>\n Shaw believes Starboard Group has the right combination of flexibility, supply chain infrastructure and experience in carefully curating product assortments to appeal to these vacationers, whether they\u2019re at sea or on terra firma<\/em>. She revealed Starboard Group\u2019s sometimes twisty path to land-based retail and the strengths it brings to the luxury retail space.<\/p>\n Retail TouchPoints (RTP): What were some of the business reasons for moving into land-based luxury retail?<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Stacy Shaw: <\/strong>I joined the company in 2019 to create a luxury division; Starboard had been discussing this as a strategic move even back then. Then the pandemic put everyone on a different course, followed by the industry\u2019s restart, but it\u2019s been part of our strategic plan for the last few years to create an independent business unit, Starboard Resort. Because we\u2019re focusing on people who are on vacation and traveling all over the world, it seems like a very natural transition from sea to land.<\/strong> We travel to more than 1,000<\/strong> ports of call and touch every single continent, and we\u2019re delivering and operating [stores] in those places, which opens the door for us to resorts anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n RTP: How will Starboard be supporting these resort retail shops?<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Shaw: <\/strong>It\u2019s going to be very similar to what we\u2019re doing on ships. We\u2019re B2B, behind the scenes with cruise lines; we create the vision for [the shops\u2019] product assortment based on a deep understanding of different cruise line brands and demographics.<\/strong> We manage relationships with vendors, hire staff and train them, and do the scheduling and travel for them, because many work on a contract basis. Then we operate the boutique itself, but we make a different financial arrangement with each partner.<\/p>\n It will be the same on land, in the sense that each situation will be different. It might be that we\u2019re just a tenant, operating a retail concept completely on our own and paying rent [to the resort], or it could be a bit more integrated, similar to what we do with our cruise line partners. We try not to approach anything as cookie-cutter.<\/p>\n We also do some product development of our own, creating our own brands and goods in-house. For example, we have a fashion jewelry brand that sells very well across both mainstream and premium cruise lines. We also can create branded logo apparel and giftable items for a cruise line or a resort.<\/p>\n Additionally, we have a distribution center in Miami, which we fully own, that moves 25 million<\/strong> units per year, part of a complete supply chain operation. We\u2019ll also be hiring locally rather than using team members from all over the world, which means we\u2019ll be able to boost the local economies and do some interesting new things \u2014 but it\u2019s all stemming from what we do every day at sea.<\/p>\n RTP: Will it be a challenge to create assortments for resorts that may be in very varied locations or have different \u201cvibes\u201d?<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Shaw: <\/strong>The curation that we do will be specific to the destination, the same approach we take with cruise lines. Within this luxury portfolio you find everything from classic ocean ships to yachts to expedition vessels that go to the polar regions \u2014 so what we\u2019re curating for [on those ships] is really different than what you\u2019d find on a Caribbean cruise. It would be waterproof gear, outerwear \u2014 and anything with a penguin on it. We analyze every cruise line, ship and itinerary [in curating different assortments].<\/p>\n In Las Vegas, for example, it\u2019s not just travelers staying at the resort \u2014 there\u2019s also the potential to capture some local [consumers]. Think about Las Vegas and what people enjoy about it. What will their memory be from there? So we need to curate for special events as well as regular business in that destination. The assortment is really representative of the place where the person is shopping, and they will want to take home something that serves as a memory, capturing something special to memorialize the wonderful time they spent.<\/strong><\/p>\n We don\u2019t want it to be just a transaction; we want it to be integrated into the guest\u2019s experience. We\u2019ll be looking to increase guest engagement, allowing them to learn something or do something rather than just coming into the store to make a purchase.<\/p>\n The biggest thing is understanding the mindset of a person on vacation. <\/strong>We want to provide what they need \u2014 they may have lost their luggage or forgotten to pack things, like a dress for a certain event or sunglasses. We\u2019re also looking at impulse buys and celebratory purchases, and there\u2019s also a lot of gifting that happens. A lot of those things will translate in the way we\u2019re creating assortments for our resort partners.<\/p>\n RTP: What do you think are the prospects for this new segment of Starboard Group\u2019s business?<\/mark><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Shaw: <\/strong>We think the potential for this business unit will ultimately be equal to, or greater than, the business from cruise [retail], because it\u2019s completely untapped. Now that\u2019s not a criticism of how resorts currently manage retail; but these aren\u2019t retail companies, they\u2019re hospitality companies. [Resorts will want to work with us] for the same reason that cruise lines work with a company like ours. They want to partner with companies that can capture the essence of their brand and their customer, and that\u2019s a tremendous opportunity in terms of what we can do for resorts, whether they are in Hawaii, Big Sky Montana or the Caribbean.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.retailtouchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Stacy-Shaw_StarboardRetail-436x600.jpeg\")