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David's AW News: Heat Bombs, Bureaucracy & Bank Holiday Trading

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Greeting from Sunny Spain Ironically, parts of the UK have actually been hotter than here this week… but don’t get too comfortable — Spain is next in line for the heat bomb… and it’s coming fast. Last week I was telling you about my trip here and why you should stuff cotton wool in your ears.. if you missed it you can catch up here. I’ve spent part of the week with the Spanish team in the new Malaga office and warehouse. Always good fun. The showroom is taking shape nicely, stock is flowing, and there’s a real feeling that Spain is beginning to hit its stride for us now. But alongside warehouse visits and meetings… I also had the pleasure of tangling once again with the famous Spanish bureaucracy. Ah yes… Residency Card Renewal time. I needed to renew my residency card before it expired. In theory, straightforward. Years ago, the system involved turning up at dawn outside a local police station, joining a confused crowd shuffling about on the pavement. Every so often a very i...
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David's AW News: Cotton Wool to TikTok

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Greetings from Spain… Last I was writing to you from T2 Manchester Airport on the way back here… talking about Queen Victoria, Henderson’s Relish and a whirlwind week in Sheffield. If you missed it you can catch up here … Well… I made it home at last. It’s actually been almost three months since I properly stayed in my house here in Spain, and I have to say… it’s good to be back. The jasmine is starting to bloom, the mornings are warm again, and after airports, factories, warehouses, trade shows and far too many hotel breakfasts… even making coffee in your own kitchen feels like luxury. Only problem was… I seemed to have brought something back with me besides supplier samples. A very painful ear. Agony it was literally bringing water to my eyes. I went to our local clinic here expecting antibiotic drops, but the doctor took one look and smiled. “No infection,” she said. Apparently all the flying had pushed wax deep into the inner ear. Well… What followed was slightly traum...
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David's AW News: From Sheffield with Relish… and Rainsticks

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 Hey.. I hope you guys are doing well! Greetings from Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport .. Because yes.. I'm on the way again.. It's pretty busy here, I had a job finding somewhere to work. Last week I was telling you about my crazy trip.. through Kathmandu, Kolkata to Mumbia and to Sheffield.. If you missed it you can catch up here .. I found Queen Victoria in a Sheffield park… very like the statue in Kolkata where I was only a week ago. Strange really, because Queen Victoria never actually visited India — or (when I checked) Sheffield for that matter. Yet somehow her presence still lingers in both places. It reminded me how connected the world became during that Victorian era… Sheffield steel, Indian trade, railways, industry and empire all somehow woven together. One week I’m passing the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata… the next I’m passing a quiet statue in Endcliffe Park under Yorkshire trees. History has a funny way of following you around. Well, it’s been an interesti...
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David's AW News: From Kathmandu to Kolkata to the Kenwood Hotel… and a 12-hour sleep

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Greetings from Sheffield. I'm staying at the Kenwood Hotel as usual. I just woke up this morning after sleeping like a log… a full 12 hours out cold (I’ll explain why in a minute). It’s Friday 1st May — May Day… Labour Day across much of Europe… a full moon… and the eve of a bank holiday weekend. One of those moments where the calendar quietly lines up and says: pause, reflect, enjoy it. Last week I left you with my strange night in Guangzhou — if you missed that cautionary tale, you can catch up here … Since then… quite a journey. I made it safely to Kathmandu, caught up with our suppliers, checked on orders in progress… and yes, even squeezed in a wedding (as you do) see last weeks new.. But the real highlight — a short trip just outside the valley to visit a felt factory. Now this is interesting… the felt business in Nepal is booming . It’s not just a factory story — it’s a village story. Thousands of people involved. Most artisans actually choose to work from home, a...
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David's AW News: A Strange Night in Guangzhou… and a Warm Welcome in Kathmandu

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Greetings from Kathmandu, Last week I was in Yiwu, China. This week, Nepal. If you missed the Yiwu update, you can catch up HERE . My newsletter has a slightly different format this week; it's a cautionary tale.. Sandra and Bryant (who were in China with me) are safely back in the UK, while I took a China Southern afternoon flight down to Guangzhou, planning to connect on to Kathmandu. Except (again)… my onward flight had been cancelled and replaced with an early morning departure the next day. No great problem, I thought. I remembered there was a rather nice five-star hotel somewhere in the airport complex. Oddly, I couldn’t find it on Trip.com. Expedia, however, showed me a hotel just eight minutes’ walk from the terminal. The room photos looked familiar. I even found the location on Google Maps. That must be the place.. Then came the first warning sign: the price. Seventy-five percent off. About £16. Too good to be true? Almost certainly. Did I book it anyway? Of cours...
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David's AW News: Happy New Year! X2

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Greetings from Yiwu, China Happy New Year! - Yes it is - I received messages from my Nepali contacts its 2083 in Kathmandu - and on the same day messages from Mr Chatterjee in Kolkata - it's Bengali New Year 1433 . I was actually in Kathmandu last year with Toni, the city is a full on party town for New Year..   So strange no? But here.. It’s been one of those full-on weeks … proper China pace. Sandra, Bryant and Coco… what a team. Long days, late nights, running between factories, samples appearing almost overnight… you get into that rhythm where you just keep going because you know you’re building something. Last week I mentioned the plan — 12 Days in China to get it all done . If you missed it, read here . Well… the twelve days are up . Sandra and Bryant have just headed off — a early morning taxi to Hangzhou, then onto Hong Kong. Bit of a strange moment really… that quiet pause after the intensity. But I’m still here. Just tying up the last loose ends… final check...
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David's AW News: 12 Days in China

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Greetings from Yiwu, China Hope you survived Storm Dave, enjoyed the Heat Wave and are ready for whatever weather comes next. Here in China we are also suffering/enjoying dramatic temperature changes—one day 15°C, today 32°C. But cracking on with work regardless.   Last week I was telling you about my journey here with an unexpected detour in Guangzhou.. our quick trip to Coco's hometown.. if you missed it you can catch up here .. Now we are back in Yiwu..And the thing about Yiwu.. There’s a certain energy here that’s hard to explain unless you’ve been here. Not chaos exactly… more like momentum. Everything always moving, everything possible. No time wasted, competent people - who get things done without fuss.  Bryant and Sandra arrived via Hong Kong a few days ago — It's Bryant’s first time here — and you can see it in his eyes… that mix of curiosity, excitement, and “blimey, this place is big”. And it is. Properly big. But also full of opportunity if you know where to...
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