Sometimes the innate, immense generosity and goodwill of this industry almost overwhelms you. On Tuesday I was asked to attend a meeting in London of the Consortium Travel Retail Club, a grouping of executives active in the UK travel retail sector. Between the members present, there would probably have been a couple of centuries of industry experience,
Events
“They all call me Pinki now”
It could be a big night for India at the Oscars ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday evening. While most eyes will be on Slumdog Millionaire’s bid for the Best Picture Award, a few hours earlier a less celebrated but perhaps more important film, also set in India, will have its own chance of glory. I’m talking
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Airports
Nuance-Watson (HK) says ‘Can do, no fear’
Would you buy a travel exclusive set from this very keen saleswoman? I know I would. Note the body language; the receptive, listening and attentive posture. Note the way she has the traveller’s eyes directed to the value message. This is a sale you just know is going to be made. Of course, this is no ordinary salesperson
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Airports
Mercedes Manuel model guarantees automatic success in Mumbai
I am sure that Diageo India Managing Director Asif Adil (pictured above) has many tough days at the office like all of us. But you have to admit that he looks like a man who enjoys his job immensely in this picture of him launching a spectacular new retail promotion at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai. Adil
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Airports
Delivering a travel tonic in New Delhi and Abu Dhabi
Last week’s travels reminded me (again) of just why I love this job so much. Not only did I visit two great places, New Delhi and Abu Dhabi, but in both instances I saw progressive forces within the industry doing their best to champion quality and partnership. The sort of stories that make any self-respecting reporter want
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Events
Supporting the DFNI Charity Ball
This year’s annual DFNI Charity Ball (to be held on 27 February in London) is dedicated to a fine cause – The Jim Corbett Environmental Primary and Junior School, Patrani in India. The school was nominated as the recipient of this year’s fund-raising by World Duty Free, Alpha Retail and Aldeasa Business Relations & External Affairs Director
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Events
A Ray of courage
There may have been a braver, more beautiful speech in the history of travel retail, but if so it came before I entered the business back in 1987. I’m talking about the words of Ray Martin, co-owner with his wife Christine of UK company Travel Retail Training, organisers of the annual Inflight Sales Person of
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Airports
Dubai Duty Free makes the impossible a reality
Unbelievable. But very, very real. I’m talking about Dubai Duty Free’s daily sales on 20 December 2008 – the retailer’s 25th anniversary. On the same day a year earlier the retailer posted a remarkable +56% year-on-year increase in sales to AED46,211,743.74 (around US$12.6 million at the exchange rate of the time) while celebrating its 24th
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Airports
Newshound scents a major story
All that glitters is gold – at least in the case of Paco Rabanne 1 Million, the new men’s fragrance from Puig (pronounced Pooch, an important detail as we shall explain later) Beauty & Fashion Group. Spurred by a stunning high-profile promotion at London Heathrow Airport Terminal3, 1 Million has been outselling every other SKU
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Events
Coming to the end of the road
First things first… 10k is a long, long way. But the road, for the first time since the Miles for Smiles ‘fun run’ was announced several months ago, is at last behind and not ahead of me. Yesterday was just as tough as we all expected it to be and every bit as rewarding. It
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Events
Munster the (real) victors after epic sporting showdown
That’s right – you could hear a dog barking in a backstreet of Limerick, such was the silence inside Thomond Park. You almost expected the crowd to collectively look in the direction of the dog, raise their fingers to their lips, and whisper “Shhhhh” in the direction of the hapless hound.
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Events
Disaster along the road to perdition
This Blog is a tale of fortitude, foolhardiness and frozen peas (above). And it had all been going so well… Saturday, November 8, London, 07.15 The big trial has arrived. My first attempt at 10k, exactly two weeks before the big Miles for Smiles fund-raising run in Dubai. If I can do it today, I can
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Events
And now, the end is near…
15 days to go till the big Miles for Smiles fund-raising 10k run in Dubai. It’s time to get serious. The training regime has been seriously disrupted by two weeks of travel – a week in Cannes followed by a quick flit to Asia to watch the mighty All Blacks beat the Aussies in Hong