Up close and personal in travel retail
Over some succulent oysters and a pan-fried snapper so fresh it was practically flapping on the plate, washed down with fine Man O’ War Estate Chardonnay from the island and back-lit by a sublime beach, sea and sky view, it was an unforgettable moment in time.
If a conservative-leaning town in the south of England can house such a showcase for the LGBTQ+ community, then why not an airport?
For if an airport is to be a showcase for a city’s or nation’s culture, should it not also be a showcase for their values?
“This is a shop that refines what is possible and a symbol of a rising Ethiopia. This is more than a retail space, it is a statement that Ethiopia is raising the bar.”
The ‘liquid to lips’ mantra, so key to converting browsers to buyers, reigns supreme here. And certainly one sip of a fine Speyside expression from The Macallan Harmony collection has me determined to buy on departure.
Right across the YVR estate there is compelling evidence of avid consumer-centricity at every level, from operational excellence to the focus on accessibility, inclusion, sustainability, sense of place and innovative technology
“Most people see airports as buildings and planes, I see them as people – millions of people that come together,” Hari Marar told me over coffee at the Taj Bengaluru. It’s an opportunity to influence a large cross-section of people and maybe humanity.”
If Bengaluru Duty Free is the airport world’s best arrivals duty-free shop, this Mitti Café is surely its most special food & beverage outlet, ‘The Magic of Abilities’ writ large across the warmest smiles you could ever hope to encounter.
Ever Rich Duty Free is indeed, like Confucius, standing firm at 30. Firm to its values of integrity, professionalism, innovation, commitment to public welfare and dedication to the greater good laid out by Founder & Chairman Simon Chiang three decades ago.
Any requests? Something by The Moodie Blues, I suggest?
The calligrapher kindly asked me to choose a design of my choice. Admiring the bright orange hues and the lovely shape of the lettering, I made my choice. “What does it mean?” I asked. “It means ‘Write like an angel.”
Vivek told me he’s been reading The Moodie Davitt Report every day since he started in the business a decade or so ago, catching up with brand launches, product trends and, yes, my Blog.
For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see/Saw the Vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be/Saw the heavens fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails/Pilots of the purple twilight dropping down with costly bales