Business
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Making shelter
Housing manufacturers are providing prefabricated homes for those in areas worst hit by Japan’s tsunami. Monocle visits Rikuzen-Takata, where over a third of the town needs shelter.
Lapa
The Lisbon neighbourhood of Lapa retains its traditional charm, feeling more like a quiet village than part of Portugal’s capital. It’s far from the noise but close enough to walk to the centre.
Fresh start
Setting up shop on your own after three decades at a leading engineering firm is a huge leap of faith. For Cecil Balmond, running a nascent design company with his daughter seemed logical.
Tills and Thrills
From futuristic cash-register technology to staff trained as vegetable sommeliers to exhibitors promoting their concoctions, Japan’s Supermarket Trade Show had the highest turnout yet and offers new ideas for an increasingly competitive industry.
Try again
Overhauling a business is a gamble: it can backfire badly or radically improve profits. Monocle meets 10 firms taking the risk and suggests 10 industries in need of a makeover.
Brand National
Li-Ning's costly US push exposes a deeper dilemma: as China's economy matures, do its brands really need Western recognition, or richer markets closer to home?
Americas
Style leader Raúl Castro, South American coffee consumption and London-based US politicians.
Free Spirits
Before digital music, labels just produced records. Now, a new approach is needed. Enter Ghostly International, with its unique brand of art, music and retail, showing how to thrive.
Making a splash
How do you make rubber suits fun? That’s the challenge facing a diving industry tired of its staid image. At Boot 2011, they showcased a new, more accessible and fashionable approach to the sport.
Full of beans
As gatekeeper of illycaffè, one of Italy’s most famous coffee brands, CEO Andrea Illy faces some intense competition. He tells Monocle how he has kept the company not just above water, but thriving.
