“People don’t talk about the soul very much anymore. It’s so much easier to write a résumé than to craft a spirit. But a résumé is cold comfort on a winter night, or when you’re sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you’ve gotten back the chest X-ray and it doesn’t look so good, or
Miscellaneous
Mr Pelous I presume…
Some people really know how to cheer you up… The last few days have seen some lovely and generous Christmas gifts pour into the office, several accompanied by kind sentiments wishing me well during the final stages of my medical treatment. One package revealed a nice bottle of Bordeaux (pictured) called Dédicace, a blend of
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Miscellaneous
Stranded – the theme of 2010
It’s cold, mighty cold, down in the original Worldwide Headquarters of The Moodie Report (forever known as ‘The Shed’ in the immortal words of former Abu Dhabi Duty Free Managing Director Mohamed Mounib…). London currently resembles Siberia and the bookmakers have stopped taking bets on there being a White Christmas. If this Blog is relatively
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Miscellaneous
No time for leftover wine
What do you do when the people go home? And what do you do when the show is all done? I know what I’ll do in the alone of my time But what will I do with the leftover wine? – Melanie Safka, ‘Leftover wine’ And so another year in travel retail nears its end. Other
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Miscellaneous
Entering the topic of Cancer
[Picture: Vanity Fair] ‘Nobody wants to be told about the countless minor horrors and humiliations that become facts of “life” when your body turns from being a friend to being a foe: the nasty double cross of feeling acute hunger while fearing even the scent of food; the absolute misery of gut-wringing nausea on an
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Miscellaneous
An airport with a heart
This week’s launch of Auckland Airport’s revamped Departures area was an uplifting occasion, writes our Special Correspondent Peter Dowling. Not only has the retail team led by Adrian Littlewood and Paul Divers done an outstanding job of creating a shopping experience that is of international standard while preserving a funky Kiwi flavour. Auckland Airport now
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Miscellaneous
High success in Haiti
Great news reaches The Moodie Blog from the wonderful team working on Hand in Hand for Haiti – the travel retail industry initiative to build a world-class school in the earthquake-ravaged Caribbean country. This week an update was sent out to the many industry donors – one we share with you here. DFS Chairman Ed
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Miscellaneous
Trinity becomes a Quintet in Dubai
Dubai Airport played host this week to a welcome but all too rare retail collaboration, when the new Emporium luxury spirits, fine wines and Champagne store and bar opened at Terminal 3. In this case, the ‘Trinity’ of brand owner, airport and retailer became a ‘Quintet’, when the partnership between Diageo GTME, Möet Hennessy, Dubai Duty
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People
Wishing Martyn a swift recovery
If there’s one individual who is consistently at the head of the queue for helping good causes in this business it’s Mars International Travel Retail Manager UK and Ireland Martyn Westbury (pictured left with Martin Moodie and Alan Edwards after the ‘Miles for Smiles’ charity run in Dubai). Whether it’s participating in charity runs; donating corporate prizes
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Events
A very special Consortium
‘Although the way station you want to reach Is dangerous and the goal distant, Do not sink into sadness. All roads have an end.’ – Hafez (14th century Persian poet) 43 days to go. Starting tomorrow, just two full three-week chemotherapy cycles left. I’m nearly on the home strait. Suddenly January 18, 2011 doesn’t seem
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Miscellaneous
Singh swings, Irish Village rocks
One of the year’s industry highlights ended on Thursday, as the 18th Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup climaxed in victory for local businessman and supplier to Dubai Duty Free, Gurbax Singh (pictured centre with the Dubai Duty Free team and Irish golf pro Des Smyth). It was an event that combined superb and terrible
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Miscellaneous
A new take on the overnight stopover
It’s something of an understatement to say that The Moodie Report spends a lot of time at airports, but last week this journalist broke new ground by spending the entire night at Dubai T3. And not stretched out across the departure lounge seats, either. No, courtesy of L’Oréal, who flew me out to cover the
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Miscellaneous
In the pink in Dubai
The annual Premier Portfolio Pinkie Pairs golf tournament – a key prelude to the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup – was dramatically won yesterday by Aer Rianta International-Middle East Managing Director John Sutcliffe and Paton’s Chief Operating Officer James Kfouri (above). Their victory only came after a titanic battle down the stretch with Alan