Business
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Q&A: Adrian van Hooydonk
In the run-up to the Frankfurt Motor Show, Monocle editor-in-chief Tyler Brûlé talks to Adrian van Hooydonk, head of design at BMW, about designing cars to suit the times, consumer expectations and the relationship…
Full speed ahead
Later this year, Barack Obama's transportation secretary Ray LaHood will begin allocating $8 billion to emerging American train systems, with another $5 billion to come over the next five years - the first time…
The School of Life
A curious new shop has appeared in central London. Billed as a cultural apothecary for the mind, The School of Life sells ideas and inspiration, from evening courses to curated holidays, secular sermons to…
Hotel Nimb
Recently reopened in Copenhagen's Tivoli gardens, Nimb has provided the city with a badly needed asset - an outstanding hotel. Furnished with the best, locally sourced materials and bespoke Danish designs, the family-run business…
The Bookseller of Beirut
As anywhere, Lebanon's independent bookstores have slowly been eaten up by big, bland chains. Set in the once thriving district of Hamra, Esquire stands out as a slightly dusty, but proud, pillar of independence.…
Cracking the market
Al Rifai - the 'Rolls-Royce of nut companies' - is famous throughout the Middle East for its perfectly roasted pistachios and giant cashews. Now the Lebanese company has opened a Swedish HQ as it…
Eataly
"Buy, taste and learn about the best foods all under the same roof." That's the slogan of Oscar Farinetti's super-market Eataly, which opened earlier this year in Turin. Housed in a former vermouth factory,…
Brand Lexus
Rewind to 1980 and the idea of a Japanese luxury car brand would have been unthinkable. Today, Toyota's Lexus division has become a dominant force in the US luxury market and wants to do…
