An Even Smaller Chef
Merlin, rather than Heston, may have been a better choice of alchemist for Little Chef. Many years ago, I met a senior marketing bod at Little Chef and I pointed…
All these articles illustrate why you need to stay different. Difference, more than anything else, drives value and allows you to achieve higher returns on capital in your business. Most businesses fail to give Difference enough attention, not just when starting out, but over time as competitive pressures increase and things change around them.
Big Beer Man
How much more room is there for JD Wetherspoon's pubs on British high streets? The fewer sales you have, the more profit you need to make on each to make…
“A Handbag?!”
Mr Worthing was found in one, the Iron Lady used one as a weapon and girls used to dance around them at discos. Today they are full of money. As…
Peak Shopping Experience
The nation’s shopkeepers never had it so good, until now. The value of Tesco shares plunged on Thursday, after the retailer issued a profit warning in the wake of “disappointing…
The Pilgrim Fathers’ Flicks
We are good at exporting our culture, but Hollywood is better. David Cameron has urged British film makers to shift their focus from art house cinema to more mainstream movies…
Competing by Appointment
Can you afford to keep recruiting senior folk from your biggest clients, or do you have to compete more directly for new sales? Siemens has hired Stanley McChrystal, the four-star…
Monty Python’s Banking
Can I pay you to borrow some money from me please? To many people, the Financial Times headline “Germany issues debt with negative yield” must sound very confusing. Yet, “issuing…
The Pret Phenomenon
They just sell sandwiches don’t they? If I have an early morning meeting in London I am often the first customer in my favourite sandwich shop Pret a Manger. There…
The Winged Goddess Of Victory Flies High
Nike has just announced increased sales, but what exactly is it that they sell? I guess that most people who buy Nike sports clothing aspire to emulate the myriad of…
Will Ocado Ever Be Big Enough To Make Any Money?
What will become of Ocado if there really isn’t such a thing as a “grocery logistics” business? Ocado gets bigger every year, but still no profit to speak of, just…