A silver Fern for a golden Ferne

I’ve arrived in Taiwan for a series of meetings and by the looks of the weather The Moodie Report’s temporary Taipei bureau may be forced to remain open for some time. That’s because Typhoon Soulik is due to hit the island later today with a vengeance. Winds are expected to reach level 17 on the Beaufort

Read More

Innovation and imagination at Hong Kong International Airport

I’m operating out of The Moodie Report’s temporary Hong Kong bureau at the Novotel Citygate Hotel, my home during a fleeting visit before heading on to Taiwan tomorrow. From my 17th floor room I have a breathtaking view that takes in Hong Kong International Airport; cargo-heavy container ships moving slowly across the South China Sea;

Read More

Hunting for Honey with Coty and Firmenich

How do you create a fragrance? It’s a simple question, but the answer – and the process itself – is anything but. Nobody can create on an empty stomach. And even the cakes were on-brand Think of everything a fragrance juice has to do. It has to reflect the brand universe, and sometimes a celebrity/designer’s

Read More

Age ain’t nothing but a number

Last week, The Moodie Report was part of an exclusive group that was the first in the world to witness the unveiling of SK-II’s latest anti-ageing innovation – Stempower Essence – at Nuance-Watson (Singapore)’s stores in Changi Airport Terminal 1. “Is age just a number or a destiny you can control?” That’s the million-dollar question

Read More

To Andy Murray the trophy, to Pinki the spoils

[Photo: Times of India] Anyone watching the men’s final at the Wimbledon Championship on Sunday would have witnessed a magnificent victory by home town favourite Andy Murray over the great Serbian Novak Djokovic. Just moments before the match commenced, a very different sort of victory was witnessed by the millions of viewers tuned in all

Read More

Charles de Gaulle scores an E for excellent

Last Friday I paid my first visit to the S4 satellite at Paris Charles de Gaulle Terminal E. I had heard many positive comments about the facility but the reality was  better. Much better. Over the 11 years of The Moodie Report’s history, I have visited every continent, witnessing many terminal, store and restaurant openings

Read More

On the scent of victory

I’m writing from my temporary Parisian bureau at Charles de Gaulle’s Pullman Hotel, where I’m awaiting the big launch of Paco Rabanne’s new male fragrance, Invictus. Parent company Puig has high hopes for what it believes will be a new pillar product. It’s being pre-launched exclusively with Aelia beginning today, before being rolled out across

Read More

“Just keep paddling till you see the pub.”

“Are we nearly there yet?” It’s a question any parent who travels with small children has come to know and dread. On Monday, it was an oft-aired query as Team Moodie #1 and #2 kicked off the company’s 2013 Great Travel Retail Educathlon efforts (there are more to follow this weekend). I’d like to say

Read More

Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Readers’ Competition

It’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby time again this Saturday as the retailer moves its focus from the Middle East to The Curragh racetrack in Dublin. As regular readers of this Blog will know, each year we enlist the expert assistance of one of the world’s leading punters, the legendary Moodie Tipster, to try to

Read More

Dubai Duty Free gets party going with Pre-Wimbledon bash

With the Great British Summer in as full a flow as is ever likely  (no rain outside Moodie HQ here in London for at least 24 hours), the world’s greatest tennis players are currently serving, smashing and in some cases grunting their way through the Wimbledon Championships just down the road, writes Rahul Odedra. Wimbledon

Read More

Fur flies as Copenhagen Airport woos Chinese visitors

I’m in Copenhagen to witness what is surely one of travel retail’s great events, writes Gavin Lipsith, a perfect example of what cuddly TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough might call ‘the Chinese travel shopper, in its natural habitat’. Over the next couple of hours more than 600 high-spending Chinese passengers will depart from Copenhagen Airport –

Read More

Saluting a great family spirit at Camus

“We’ve had 150 years to plan this,” joked Cyril Camus as he welcomed around 200 guests to an extraordinary celebration in Cognac on Friday evening. The occasion was the 150th anniversary of Camus, founded in 1863 by Jean-Baptiste Camus. Cyril represents the fifth generation of the family, following the proud traditions of Jean-Baptiste, Edmond &

Read More

Revealing a new world-class face for LAX Airport

Los Angeles now has a terminal to rank with the very best at the world’s airports. That’s the firm conclusion to be drawn following last week’s media unveiling of the new Tom Bradley International (TBIT). The event was an emotional one for many of the protagonists. One could sense how much it meant in the

Read More