It’s only 6 January but I figure that this photograph will take some beating as the travel retail image of 2008. The scene is a small village in South Africa’s North West Province. It symbolises the marvellous fruition of an initiative started by World Duty Free to support the ‘One Water’ concept championed by UK entrepreneur and
Events
Running with a Travel Retail Smile on his face
One of the first of our readers to take up the invitation to create ‘Travel Retail’s 5,000 Smiles’* was Phil Burdekin, our trusty (and, given The Moodie Report’s travel schedule) overworked travel consultant at Flight Centre in London. Phil read about the ‘Turning Tears into Smiles’ dinner in Hong Kong to raise funds for leading
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Events
Letter from the Editor: It’s time to get up and go… again
Somehow we made it to the end of the year. The toughest, yet most exhilirating 12 months in our short five-year history. So many flights, so many places, so many stories. Who the heck came up with the original idea of a weekly e-newsletter and a daily website, I ask myself? Was he mad? I put the
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People
George Clooney finds new leading lady in Dubai
He’s played alongside some of the world’s leading ladies, from Nicole Kidman to Catherine Zeta-Jones and Julie Roberts. He’s an almost impossible combination of good looks, great acting ability, charm, intelligence and social conscience. Yes we’re talking George Clooney, Hollywood’s hottest property and star of such epic movies as Syriana; Good Night, and Good Luck;
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Airports
And I’ll be a World Rover, no never, no more…
The Moodie Report is more used to writing about best-sellers in duty free than being one of them. So imagine our excitement at spotting a beautiful display for a limited-edition version of our book ‘The World Rovers’ at Dubai Duty Free this month. The book, co-authored by Dermot Davitt and yours truly Martin Moodie, tells
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People
Maui Jim comes out of the shade to climb new peaks
It may be a newcomer to the travel retail channel but Hawaiian sunglasses brand Maui Jim is quickly making a name for itself. That’s down to a quirky style, great people, innovative promotions – and, of course, a quality product. The brand has its origins on the beautiful beaches of Maui, Hawaii (yes there is a Maui
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Events
Miller magic confirms Blog bookmaker’s optimism
The Moodie Blog has decided to launch a bookmakers’ division after a Nostradamus-like prediction of the results of the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup, which concluded on Monday. As exclusively predicted by The Moodie Blogmakers (as the division is to be known) husband and wife team Art and Nancy Miller topped the respective international golfing fields at
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Events
Sizing up the odds at the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup
Dubai, Saturday. Tension is rising in the final countdown to golf’s fifth ‘major’ – the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup, which tees off later today at the Four Seasons Golf Club in the heart of Dubai Festival City. The 36-hole tournament concludes the following day at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. Once again the
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People
Showing travel retail’s great heart
Two of the industry’s big charitable initiatives of 2007 and 2008 share a heart-warming link. This week our media colleagues Raven Fox (publishers of DFNI) announced an excellent cause for their annual fund-raising Charity Ball (29 February at the Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel in London). The chosen recipient is the Children’s Research and Medical Foundation at
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People
Andy’s back in the fast Lane
News that long-time Whyte & Mackay Travel Retail Director Andy Lane (above) has taken up a similar post at independent drinks company Ian McLeod Distillers is welcome. Andy is one of the trade’s most genuine individuals, and committed and knowledgeable with it. For the past few months he has been consulting for Ian McLeod Distillers,
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Events
Reflections on TFWA World Exhibition 2007
Now the carnival is over… TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, the glittering annual extravaganza of the duty free and travel retail industries, drew to a muted close on Friday with a quieter than usual last day due to the Air France strike that hastened the exits of many overseas delegates. The ‘breakdown’ of a trade
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Events
A world-class Premier in Cannes
Of all the industry ‘Oscars’ handed out at the annual Frontier Awards in Cannes last night, none was more popular with the audience than that received by Premier Portfolio. The UK company, owned by Andrew Webster (pictured right) and Kevin Walsh (second from right), has thrived in recent years thanks to a combination of innovative
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Events
One giant leap for mankind
And so it begins. TFWA World Exhibition, the industry’s glamour event, officially kicks off in Cannes today with this morning’s conference, featuring one of the biggest names ever to grace the event. That’s American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, and forever remembered for his words “That’s one small step