Blog

Hooray for Heinemann – and for Hamburg

Having sounded off about the poor wine offer at Munich Airport, I am happy to say that elsewhere in Germany – at Hamburg Airport to be precise – things are a whole lot better. Here Heinemann Duty Free has done precisely what Eurotrade does not do in Munich – i.e give the category plenty of

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Grabbing the attention in Gothenburg

World of difference: the bright new retail zone at Landvetter I remember well the last time I was in Gothenburg Landvetter Airport (before this week). Running late for a flight, I recall my horror at the interminable security line, with passengers herded into a narrow bottle-neck at the end of it, before (much later) being

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The good, the bad and the very, very ugly

My sojourn around the wine departments of the world’s airport shops continued in contrasting style last week as I journeyed respectively through Phuket International and Dubai International airports. In some ways any comparison is unfair because Phuket International handled (a record) 9.5 million arrivals in 2012 whereas Dubai International handled nearly 58 million. In scope,

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Journey’s End and why Little Hearts Matter

If you read just one piece of writing this year, I urge you to make it this one, called simply ‘Journey’s End’. It’s a farewell, a lament and an anguished tribute to a four year-old boy, Edward (Ned) Wheatley, written by his father Andy (a good friend of Scorpio Distributors Chairman Stuart McGuire). They are

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Flying high at Dubai International and onboard the Emirates 380

For aviation aficionados it doesn’t get much better than flying on the Emirates A380, a magnificent gleaming, giant white bird of the skies. It’s not just the majesty of the aircraft I adore. It’s also what’s onboard. I’m writing this Blog from 37,004 feet, half an hour out of Dubai en route to Hong Kong

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Thinking and dreaming big in Dubai

From my sixth floor room at the excellent Jumeirah Creekside Hotel this week I’ve had a splendid view of Dubai’s famous tennis stadium (home to the annual ATP men’s and WTA women’s championships) and the Irish Village. All three facilities share something in common – they’re owned by Dubai Duty Free. The panorama is a powerful reminder

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Entering a World of Unique Brands and family spirit

Alas I have left The Moodie Report’s temporary Eckernförde bureau behind, after a fascinating (and far too fleeting) few days in this lovely part of Schleswig-Holstein on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast. Schleswig and Holstein have at different times belonged in part or wholly to either Denmark or Germany and a convergence of a very different

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Raising a glass to champions of Irish whiskey

As a regular traveller through Dublin Airport Terminal 2, I pay a visit to the Irish Whiskey Collection nearly every trip and it’s not hard to see why it works. The whiskey guides know the category inside out, and the promoters bring a great sense of fun to the environment. There’s plenty of newness (though

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A cause for celebrating (or whining about) wine

As the unofficial New Zealand ambassador for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (my doctor always advised me to take lots of grapes and liquids, so I do, only mixed), I confess to having a vested interest in the way wine is showcased and sold in the travel retail channel. From being arguably the poor relation (let’s make

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Moving forward in Málaga

Málaga Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport’s Terminal 3, which opened in 2010, is set for an ambitious makeover of its commercial offer. But I have to say that what’s already there is very good. The main Aldeasa (World Duty Free Group) duty free and travel retail store (above) was absolutely buzzing as I took a  flight to

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A new take on Sleeping Beauty

It’s official: inadequate sleep makes you look older. So far, so obvious, perhaps. But we’re not just talking about a temporary cosmetic effect that can be remedied with a couple of early nights. A recent clinical trial commissioned by Estée Lauder to coincide with the launch of its new Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex

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A story to make you smile

I recently had the pleasure of attending The Smile Train’s Wimbledon Barbeque on behalf of The Moodie Report, writes Victoria Bowskill. The sun-drenched event was held in celebration of an extremely beautiful young lady with a winning smile called Pinki Sonkar (pictured). Pinki was a patient of cleft charity The Smile Train in India several years

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Leaving Typhoon Soulik behind

With the rain belting down in Taipei and the trees starting to bend alarmingly as Typhoon Soulik neared the capital, I decided not to chance my luck on waiting for the 20.15 down to Bangkok. As a result I’m back in my old haunt of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), this time in the United

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