At TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes yesterday, Brown-Forman hosted a short gathering to honour the memory of one of their (and the industry’s) finest executive, Patrick Moran (above), who passed away in May. Patrick held a series of senior positions in duty free and travel retail over three decades, including periods with DFS Group, Courvoisier,
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Miscellaneous
Bowled over at Lord’s with Hardys
Over the years, through the course of my work, I have been fortunate enough to attend many great sporting events. The invitations, and corresponding hospitality, have included horse-racing at Ascot, arena polo at Hickstead, tennis at Wimbledon and several rugby union matches, among them the nerve-shredding 1999 Five Nations (as was) game in Paris, which
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Miscellaneous
I’m on top of the world
‘Been dreaming of this since a child I’m on top of the world.’ – Imagine Dragons I am writing from familiar turf. Or to be more precise, familiar air space. I’m 34,000 feet up in the sky, flying over the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, 3,140 miles and six-and-a-half hours away from London. I’m on Cathay
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Miscellaneous
The loneliness of the long-distance writer
I’m at London Heathrow Airport T3, about to jump another long-haul flight. Desperately trying to buy an upgrade from my economy ticket as I need to work non-stop for the next few hours on our Cannes print issue which is looming menacingly over me like a modern- day guillotine. I’ve had my compulsory Paul Smith
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Miscellaneous
Welcome to the Moodie Monsters’ Ball
Well my friends are gone and my (last) hair is grey I ache in the places where I used to play – Leonard Cohen, Tower of Song “Why haven’t you updated your Blog? Is something wrong?” – an e-mail from a concerned reader 7/10/2014 12 years ago I gave birth. An immaculate conception that created
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Planes, Trains & Automobiles – the Ryder Cup Return
[Dermot ‘Divot’ and Martin Moodie preparing for Ryder Cup action] I’ve escaped intact, exhilarated in fact from four days at the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles near Edinburgh, despite being holed up with some of the most dangerous company in travel retail. Courtesy of Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman Colm McLoughlin, I and my
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Hairing around London Fashion Week with Toni & Guy
I used to think Cannes was tough – but that was before I did London Fashion Week. Reader, after just three days racing around the whole of south east London, beset by serious hair and outfit angst, suddenly the prospect of five days on the Riviera is looking positively restful. It’s taken me a fortnight
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Miscellaneous
Flying Divots as Ryder Cup begins
Welcome to The Moodie Blog’s first roving bureau. I’m writing this from the Fraser Suites in beautiful Edinburgh but I’ll be updating it from Gleneagles, about an hour from here. No, there’s not a lot of travel retail business going on at Gleneagles – but there’s a lot of travel retail executives there. That’s because
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Miscellaneous
Winding down, then up again, post Trinity 2014
I’m exhausted. Mentally. Physically. Every which way. Running an event such as The Trinity Forum simply takes it all out of you. Besides the intensity of the preparation, it’s the pressure-cooker atmosphere of managing the introductions, the time-keeping, the speeches, the speakers, the room, the audience, the question and answer sessions and much more besides that really
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Miscellaneous
Travel Retail Consortium conjures up Animal Magic
There are plenty of party animals in travel retail and, I daresay, the occasional spot of monkey business, so the choice of venue for the Travel Retail Consortium’s (TRC) annual Business Lunch last week – London Zoo – was nothing short of inspired. London Zoo was an inspired venue for the TRC 2014 Business Lunch
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Miscellaneous
‘Yes’ vote for Scottish independence means ‘Och Aye’ for duty free
Tomorrow’s historic vote on whether Scotland should be an independent country (Yes) or remain part of the UK (No), could have unexpected benefits for both nations’ duty free industries, writes our Glasgow correspondent Mai Sporran. Should a majority of the approximate 4 million voters say Yes, then Scotland will become independent. In that event, huge questions
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Arriving in true Trinity style at Taoyuan after Sunrise celebrates 15 great years
I’ve arrived in Taipei for The Trinity Forum 2014, our annual airport commercial revenues conference co-organised with ACI and ACI Asia-Pacific, and what a welcome it was. Ever Rich Duty Free, our Platinum Partner, and Taoyuan Airport our hosts, have arranged a special Trinity makeover for their VIP welcoming buggies. It’s such a nice touch
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Miscellaneous
Paul Smith socks it to me before Sunrise in Shanghai
This Blog begins at the Emirates Lounge at Heathrow Airport Terminal 3, waiting to fly to Shanghai, via Dubai. I suspect it may not end here… I’m heading to Shanghai for the 15th anniversary of Sunrise Duty Free, where I’m privileged to be the sole international travel retail media representative. I’ve tracked Sunrise closely since
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