Surely the most talked-about stand at this year’s TFWA Asia Pacific exhibition is Korean Air’s. The world’s most successful inflight retailer has created a mock-up of an aircraft in order to show off its latest innovation – the first-ever onboard duty free shop. The shop, dubbed the ‘Duty Free Showcase’, will be a feature of
Blog
Events
The very bearable lightness of being
How fast a year goes by. I’m back in Singapore for the annual TFWA Asia Pacific show. This time last year I was awaiting the results of some preliminary medical tests, which I’d done on the eve of the show. I didn’t feel or look well, but with a fair bit of optimism and naivety
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Airports
Terminal (but not interminable) waiting at Heathrow T5
It’s just like old times. Sipping a glass of good Sauvignon Blanc in the British Airways lounge while I wait for my delayed flight to Asia. As a result of my recent illness, it’s many months since I travelled through Heathrow Terminal 5 and I’d forgotten just what a pleasant and efficient place this has
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Miscellaneous
The (Nivea) Boat That Rocked
There were 1,000 guests – from 50 different countries – onboard a specially-chartered cruise ship. There were multimedia exhibitions, presentations and interactive installations. There was cake. There was Champagne. Hell, even Rihanna showed up to perform a very exclusive gig. As birthday parties go, Nivea’s centenary celebrations were something pretty special. The Moodie Report’s Rebecca
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Events
Sean Staunton – Dubai Duty Free’s Marathon man
News reaches The Moodie Blog of an epic endurance feat in progress by Dubai Duty Free Manager – Operations Sean Staunton. Within a period of four months the popular Irishman is running four marathons across four continents. That’s a total of 168km and it’s all in a good cause – to raise funds for travel
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Airports
Olympian effort required at London Heathrow
The countdown to the London Summer Olympics of 2012 continues and the city is accelerating its preparations for the big event. With millions of visitors expected to pour into the capital I hope that WDF is planning a radical overhaul of its arrivals shops at London Heathrow Airport. I’ve always considered these among the drabbest
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Airports
Geneva Airport turns on the style
Wow, what a change at Geneva Airport since I was last through there a few years back. I passed through the Swiss gateway last week on a brief business visit and was impressed by the commercial transformation, particularly in duty free, watches and specialist retail. Under the leadership of Commercial Director Pierre Germain, the airport
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Events
All Black or all gold as a ‘Baggie’ dances with Wolves
With the god-like Dan Carter (above) currently crocked with a hamstring injury and still no sign of a high-quality back-up, are the odds of an overdue All Blacks triumph in this year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand lengthening? With my final tickets long booked, I’m hoping against hope that all will be right on
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People
Lunch with a legend at Langan’s
Today I had the immense pleasure of lunching with one of our industry’s great figures – Cecil Macdonald & Co President John Sankey. For more than half a century John has shaped and driven the magnificent success story of one of travel retail’s best independent companies. He not only forged a superb distribution and agency business
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Events
A MIS-HIT strikes its target
Warm thanks to all those industry golfers who participated in the 2010 Moodie International Superstars Honorary Invitation Tournament (the ‘MIS-HIT’) at the Cannes duty free show last October. As reported in an earlier Blog, I was unable to host the tournament due to my recovery from treatment for stomach cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital.
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Miscellaneous
Pro-industry legislation, rare and welcome
As an industry, we invest much time and energy facing down legislative threats to the business. So when a piece of legislation comes along that enhances the status of duty free – and in Europe, at that – it’s something that appears rare and precious. Yet that’s what we are applauding this week, after the
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Events
A royal day out with Dubai Duty Free
[Left to right: Colm McLoughlin, Fedora, Martin Moodie, Breeda McLoughlin] Dubai Duty Free’s brace of horse racing days at Newbury racecourse near London this week proved, as usual, a big success. The Moodie Report Publisher was on hand to try out his recently acquired Fedora (as recommended by one Breeda McLoughlin) and to enjoy the
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Airports
Every picture tells a (Vuitton) story
The new Louis Vuitton store at Incheon International Airport (the world’s first airport Vuitton store) is going to be a spectacular place, according to The Moodie Report’s John Rimmer who travelled through Incheon this morning. The store, run by The Shilla Duty Free, will open in September and is expected to generate annual sales of around
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