A few years ago, my then boss and I found ourselves in the departure lounge at Delhi International Airport. As was our customary task when travelling, we made a thorough assessment of the duty free offer. It took about three and a half minutes. I particularly remember seeing a gleaming new gondola by Rémy Martin
Miscellaneous
Schiphol’s dash of style
The completion of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s new Lounge 3, which has its official opening next week, marks the latest phase in the commercial transformation of one of Europe’s major hubs. We’ll bring you full details of the retail and food & beverage line-up, plus an assessment of the offer in coming days, as well as
Read More
Airports
Getting the basics right at Terminal 5
Sunday morning, 8am, London Heathrow Terminal 5, writes John Rimmer. Too early for a full meal, tempting though the breakfasts look, and while the Belvedere promotion at World Duty Free is impressive, I just can’t face even a thimble of vodka (sorry Torben). A coffee and a read of the sports pages is about all
Read More
Miscellaneous
Going The Extra Mile
At The Moodie Report we strive to do whatever it takes to get the story, and today we went the extra mile again – all the way to Gibraltar, onboard Monarch Airlines’ 07.05 ZB068 flight from London Luton Airport. Among the industry executives keeping this writer company in the small hours (we rendez-vous’d in the
Read More
Events
Raising the human spirit
Sometimes, often in fact, the travel retail sector restores your faith. After the recent riots in London made one despair for the human condition, it was uplifting to hear from two industry executives over the past week who delivered notes of great kindness to Moodie HQ. The first came from Stuart Bull (above), the long-time ‘Mr Mars’
Read More
Miscellaneous
Monitoring the pressure
As the workload builds remorselessly at The Moodie Report offices in the unseasonably early run-up to the Cannes show (which takes place in September this year rather than the traditional October slot), I took more than a passing interest in new products on the market from Omron Healthcare. At the recent ASUTIL show in Mexico
Read More
Events
The Cup is Coming Home
Rugby World Cup fever is breaking out in New Zealand. The tournament, held every four years, begins on 9 September with a game between the country’s famous All Blacks and Tonga and concludes with the final in Auckland on 23 October. The Moodie Report will be there every inch of the way – I will
Read More
Miscellaneous
Hit the road Jack
The Moodie Report receives a mountain of press releases every week, culminating in the PR equivalent of the Swiss Alps in the run-up to a trade show. With TFWA World Exhibition falling a month earlier this year we are now full swing into that seasonal blitz. The releases run the full gamut of quality. Many
Read More
Miscellaneous
The end of innocence
Ealing, where I live, is usually described as a leafy, middle-class and inherently safe suburb of London. It’s an uneventful sort of place. Or it was. Last Monday everything changed. Ealing, in no way connected with the original incident that had sparked rioting and looting in North London, was targeted that night by a mob aptly
Read More
Airports
A city that will rise again
The words say it all. A city broken. But not destroyed. My home town of Christchurch is beginning the slow, painful comeback after the devastation wreaked by the big earthquakes of the past year and thousands of aftershocks. As these pictures published this week of the cordoned-off Central Business District show, the damage is catastrophic.
Read More
People
Two champions of Trinity
It’s all change at Diageo and last night I had the welcome opportunity over dinner to say both farewell and thank you to two individuals who have given great service to the company and to the travel retail sector. As reported, Diageo recently announced a review of its operating model, resulting in the imminent
Read More
Miscellaneous
Preparing to cross the desert
Duty free’s masochistic fringe continues to make headlines. Hot on the heels of multiple marathon man Sean Staunton chugs The Edrington Group Area Director – Japan, Hong Kong, Asia Pacific Duty Free Ryan Hill, the latest travel retail executive to sacrifice his body for a very worthwhile cause. Ryan is participating in the 250km Sahara