MANN-SIZE MAGNUM

A glass – or two – of fine red wine is occasionally (ahem) enjoyed by certain members of The Moodie Report team, and this writer is no exception. The trouble is, some days, the bottle doesn’t always seem big enough, and the bottom is reached far too soon. We surely aren’t alone in thinking this,

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The Moodie Blog on iPhone

After its (literally) crushing performance in Cannes, The Moodie iPhone has duly been consigned to the great cell-phone heaven in the sky and been replaced with an even sleeker model. So sleek in fact that I can even update my Blog on it – as I am now. This is life-changing stuff, especially given how much

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Larnaka’s travel retail template – 21st century style

I’ve seen all but one (Cairo) of Aer Rianta International-Middle East’s (ARI-ME) airport retail offers, so I was expecting something pretty good when I arrived in Cyprus on Friday for this weekend’s opening of the new terminal in Larnaka. I have always rated Bahrain Duty Free, for example, as one of the most sensible and

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Front of store, front of mind – but for WHO?

Where, in an acutely sensitive regulatory environment, should the tobacco category be positioned in a duty free store? When The Nuance Group opened its splendid new 650sq m tax & duty free store at Geneva International Airport earlier this month, it opted to place the entire tobacco category at the entrance of the store – displayed

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Countdown to opening in Cyprus

The Moodie Report is in Cyprus, having flown to the island for the official inauguration of the New Zenon Terminal in Larnaka on Saturday.  This is a major event here – in fact it’s the biggest European airport opening of 2009. The new facility includes 5,000sq m of retail space, all run by  CTC-ARI Airports. ARI Director

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MOre power to an industry MOgul

If you bump into McArthurGlen Luxury Retail Chairman Brian Collie this month, you may not recognise him… The much-respected industry executive (and former BAA Group Retail Director) has long been a generous supporter of various charities. Now he’s an active (depending on how you define the word) participant in a fantastically innovative fund-raising campaign to

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Farewell to a friend

I raced back to my hotel room in Abu Dhabi today preparing to file a story that I had just covered at Abu Dhabi International Airport, conscious as always of an imminent deadline. Within seconds both the story and the deadline withered into insignificance. At the top of inbox was a note from Christine Martin, owner of Travel

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Trackside in Abu Dhabi

The new Yas Marina circuit, purpose-built for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is a stunning place. The 5.5km track also includes the iconic five-star Yas Marina Hotel (pictured below at both day and night) which straddles part of the circuit, and a 60-metre solar-power Sun Tower. The Moodie Report attended the big race today,

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