Your Taipan has spent the past few days in Amsterdam. By coincidence, I am not the only owner of a Hong Kong weblog to be in this fine city - Lola Voyages Entreprises has also been spending a few days in the Venice of the North. Sadly we did not spend it together. Had I known earlier, I would have invited her for a cruise along the canals aboard my Sunseeker. It is a trip that few young ladies can refuse!
Now to business. I am afraid to report that Rothwell-Gornt's most loathsome competitor, "Struan's" - also known as the Noble House - has developed a sizeable and rapidly expanding business empire in Europe's lowlands. Their brand is ubiquitous - from XXX titles which I noticed whilst strolling innocently around Amsterdam's Red Light District (Knoble Knobs, Stuan's Shemales III, Struan's Strap-ons, and so on) - to quaint side streets as far away as the Hague.
It may come as no surprise that Dunross has also invested heavily in Amsterdam's "coffee shops". The margins for legal recreational drugs may not be as lucrative as those of opium in the days of Dirk Struan and Tyler Brock - but they still seem interesting enough for the Taipan to be involved.
While the Noble House's relative strength in this market is of some concern, we can take heart that Dunross appears to have been heavily affected by Holland's liberal attitude to both drugs and sex. His new look seems unlikely to inspire great confidence amongst Europe's business elite.
Best of joss,
Quillan Gornt
CEO & Taipan
Rothwell-Gornt Holdings
