May News

Exclusive perfume training for staff

WDF beauty staff are raving about the fragrance master classes from the famous Roja Dove.

Roja is the world’s only Professeur des Parfums and was the ‘nose’ for classic fragrance house Guerlain for nearly 20 years.

Described by head of beauty Debbie Ansell as ‘a once in a lifetime experience’, the workshops initially ran in January and February, but were so popular another session in April was set up to meet staff demand.

Category manager Gail Taylor, who took part in the Scottish session at Glasgow said: ‘It was absolutely fantastic. I loved it. I’ve been at WDF for nine years and in beauty for seven of those years and it taught me things I never knew. Everyone was raving about it.

Hannah Gretton, category manager at Heathrow Terminal 1 described how Roja upturned many commonly-held beliefs. ‘I’d always thought eau de parfum was stronger than eau de toilette but Roja explained this isn’t true. The scent is as strong, it’s just that eau de toilette needs to be refreshed. The myths of fragrance – things I’d believed for the last 10 years just went out the window – it blew me away!’

The sessions took place at Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Glasgow and coincided with the launch of a joint WDF and Roja Dove website http://www.discoverfragrance.co.uk/ This helps passengers find a new fragrance to match their travel plans. Once they’ve made their choice, WDF staff can help them find their perfect match in-store.

Heavenly Havana

Two cigar specialists at Heathrow had the trip of a lifetime to the home of cigars – Havana, Cuba. Jane Shortland, from Terminal 5, and Ronella ‘Ronnie’ Edwards, from Terminal 1, spent eight days as guests of Hunters & Frankau, the cigar importers.

The company awarded the pair their ‘Excellence in Cigars’ award for their customer service, wealth of knowledge and dedication to the product.

“It was a fantastic and fascinating trip,” confesses Jane. “Being part of a training group meant we got to see more than we would have done as tourists. Hunters & Frankau are great hosts who really looked after us.”

One of the highlights was visiting the factory making Cohiba cigars. “These were launched after the revolution and visitors usually aren’t permitted but we were welcomed,” says Jane. Ronnie agrees: “Some of the rollers recognised us as they had been to give demonstrations at the Cigar House. They thought it was great that we came to see them in their environment. It was a wonderful trip, a dream come true.” Jane adds: “Havana is beautiful and Cuba is just another world.”