Darkness at the edge of town

[All WWHQ pictures: Minox DC 8011] My training regime for the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fund-raising 10k run in Dubai on 22 November on behalf of cleft charity The Smile Train is about to get a whole lot harder. There are worrying signs of winter approaching down in the deep, dark recesses of the garden at Chez

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Helping a brave son of Ireland

Today I spoke to John Mangan, a lovely Irish guy who works as L’Oréal UK Luxury Fragrance Division Deputy General Manager. He used to work in the French beauty group’s travel retail division, and as a result played in the annual Cannes rugby ‘test’ between the rest of the world and the French on a

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Championing new concepts in Brussels

If your travels take you through Brussels Airport in the near future, and specifically the Pier A Schengen departures zone, then make sure you seek out what we think are two of the best new innovations anywhere in the world of airport retail and F&B. In fact, you won’t need to seek them out, because they

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Aldeasa captures the taste of Spain

In this industry, is there a better expression of the flavour of a country – literally and metaphorically – than in Aldeasa’s duty free stores at Madrid Barajas Airport Terminal 4 (pictured above)? Other than some great stand-alone shops – Out of Africa (Johannesburg and Cape Town) and Cafe Britt (Lima, Peru) are top of mind

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Rum moments with your head above the clouds

En route to Panama this month for the annual ASUTIL conference, my Iberia flight stopped off briefly at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala. It’s a country I’ve long wanted to visit but an hour in transit hardly counted. Such though is often the lot of the travel retail executive – hotels and airports often constitute the

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The truth, the bald truth… and nothing but the truth

I am starting to worry about my home country… Not only did it throw away the last Rugby World Cup at the quarter-final stage despite possessing arguably the most brilliantly talented team in the history of the game. But it also rejected (out-of-hand) an approach to buy Auckland Airport by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise that would have

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Swarovski welcomes you to the giant’s lair

Things to do in travel retail before you die (1). Visit the Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds). Trust me, you’ll be amazed and enchanted. The attraction is set in Austria’s beautiful Tirol region in the town of Wattens, home also to the Swarovski production plant. Outside, the landscape is picture postcard beautiful. Sweeping expanses of lush green

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Hit the road Jakk

News reaches The Moodie Blog that the 56 runners and walkers enlisted so far for the ‘Miles for Smiles’ fund-raising run and walk (and sometimes both) in Dubai on 22 November have already raised nearly US$40,000 for children’s cleft charity The Smile Train. Miles for Smiles takes place on Saturday 22 November in Dubai commencing

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A great view ruined

A great view ruined. With apologies to Mark Twain and his classic reference to golf (“A good walk ruined”), it was indeed a case of a wasted view this morning as The Moodie Blog’s high-octane training camp for the November 22 ‘Miles for Smiles’ fund-raising run in Dubai moved from Macao to Panama. Waking up

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ASUTIL – and The Moodie Blog – head to Central America

If it’s Tuesday, it must be Panama… I think. The Moodie Blog has generated some decent (or maybe indecent) airmiles in recent days. On Saturday night I headed home to London from Hong Kong International Airport after an exhilarating visit to the new DFS Galleria Macao. Back into a dull and rainy London Sunday morning, then

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