The scene is London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4 on a cold and drab winter’s day in late December. I’ve just staggered off the 12-and-a-half flight from Shanghai Pudong, where the weather was equally dank and miserable. My mood is similarly grey. I’m tired, fed-up and just want to get a cab home. (Rarely for me) I
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George Clooney and My Fair Lady
We had plenty of entries in The Moodie BLOG’s caption contest to best identify what famous American film star George Clooney was saying to Breeda McLoughlin, wife of Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Colm, during the recent Dubai Film Festival. Or, vice versa, what she was saying to him… George has played alongside some of
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People
The water carriers
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
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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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Airlines
Paying for the environment with plastic
Question: Does travel retail need to become more eco-friendly? Answer: In an age where oil is tipping the US$100 a barrel mark, where rates of fuel burn are a major issue, and where more and more travellers are becoming aware of the impact on their activities on the planet, the answer has to be a
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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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Miscellaneous
Doing extra duty at Diageo
Ever wonder why Diageo seems so close to its consumers? That’s because it is – and on Tuesday we saw the evidence with our own eyes. The Moodie Report Publisher was doing a spot of reconnaissance in the World Duty Free liquor & tobacco store at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Three this week when who
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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
Regulatory intervention at Heathrow
“Excuse me Sir, can I ask you where you’ve just come from?” Dismissing as unwise a curt reply to the effect of “No, you can’t sorry, I’m in a hurry,” I smiled nervously at the Customs officer at Heathrow Airport and wondered what it was that had attracted his attention on this day after I
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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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Airports
A (wash)Room with a view
The folks at the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) have thought of everything in creating the ultimate consumer experience at the long-awaited new Terminal 3. It’s a spectacular place, spacious, futuristic and user-friendly all in one. We were given a sneak preview of the terminal by CAAS Director (Commercial) Lim Peck Hoon this week and we
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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