Undoubtedly the most welcome of all the thousands of visitors to this year’s Duty Free Show of the Americas is Paul Pasternak (top left), part of the great husband and wife (Lois, above) team that runs Travel Markets Insider in the US. We have long had much respect for the quality and integrity of ‘Insider‘
Events
A Consortium of kindness
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,
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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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Miscellaneous
Mirroring despair – then joy
It’s sometimes easy to grow weary of charities, weary of giving. All of us are blitzed from all sides with requests for donations to countless good causes. Maybe some of you feel that way about The Smile Train, the cleft charity which we and others in travel retail have so championed over the past two
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People
Hennessy gets a drop of the right spirit
This week’s announcement that Parfums Christian Dior International Director Travel Retailing André de Bausset is to leave the beauty house is a classic case of good news and bad news. After 18 years in total and eight in his current role, André is taking up a new post as International Director for Hennessy, effective 2 February. The good
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People
Reflections of a cleft child
News that a documentary, set in India, and dedicated to The Smile Train, has been nominated for a Hollywood Oscar is just about the biggest boost imaginable for the cleft charity. Smile Pinki is the true story of Pinki and Ghutaru, two young girls in rural India born desperately poor whose cleft lips have made
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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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People
Christmas cheer from Nuance
The Moodie Blog receives a lot of Christmas cards – the traditional type and the modern digital version known as e-cards. Many try to integrate a festive season message with corporate branding, with varying success. We particularly liked this one though from The Nuance Group. In it, Father Christmas is delivering his presents in true duty
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People
Sport, conscience and courage
Readers of The Moodie Blog will know that I am mildly biased towards the All Blacks, the greatest sporting team on the planet in my neutral, considered, opinion (yes, yes, I know that they have not won the World Cup since 1987* – will people please STOP reminding me…) They will also know that The Moodie
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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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People
Raising the everage spend
News reaches The Moodie Blog that MAC aims to inject some Possum power into the make-up market, with the imminent introduction of a line of colour cosmetics from ‘Aussie megastar housewife’ Dame Edna Everage, write Rebecca Mann and Martin Moodie. What an inspired move. What better way to banish the economic blues than by buying