Ed Pereira

Paul Slater Interview

2009-10-30T05:25:00.001-07:00

Slaters has recently opened a new premises on the old David Evans department store site in Swansea. The retailer is being seen by the local council as a key catalyst for attracting more retailers into the development and Swansea city centre as a whole, so we caught up with Slaters Managing Director, Paul Slater, to talk about why Slaters chose Swansea and what customers can expect, amongst other things.

How did Slaters end up in Swansea?

Five years ago we sat down in the company's head-office in Glasgow and decided we were going to expand. We got some market research data from Experian, CACI and various other market research companies which had a list of the top 40 locations in the UK and Swansea was one of them - it's as simple as that.

I have a map in my office with all these little dots on it and because we only operate from upper floors - although funnily enough we are about to open our first basement store in Cardiff - we had to take the opportunities as they arose. We would have preferred to have done expansion in the order of Scotland, north West, north East, Midlands, and so on throughout the UK, but things didn't turn out that way. It's taken us three years to set up in Swansea because we're based on the site of the old David Evans store, so we had to wait for planning permission to be be granted to knock down the old building, and then ground workers found some remains of old bones underneath the site. At first it was assumed that the area was a murder scene that then turned into an archaeological dig site which had to be excavated, we had to then wait for the dig to be completed, then there were other minor issues.

It's been a long a time coming but fingers crossed hopefully it's well worth it.

Was your plan always to develop outlets in all those 40 cities on the list and if so how far down was Swansea ?

Yes our plan was to set up in all of them. There wasn't any hierarchy it was only really because of the difficulty of securing the right locations for us. Swansea would have been further down the list, but only from a geographical point of view, not because of a socio-demographic view or anything like that.

I read a book about [men's retro clothing chain owner and founder] Sam Walker and his business expanded in concentric circles form the original store and I always remember saying that's the way to go because our biggest problem is awareness level. The last store we opened before this, store number 24 for the business, is in Norwich, which hasn't been that successful so far over the 18 moths it has been trading simply because we're a 100 miles away from the nearest Slaters store. Therefore we have no brand awareness and understanding and that's very hard from a standing start, whereas Swansea has a lot more going for it because it's close to Cardiff and we get a lot of customers from Swansea who have been visiting our Cardiff store. In that respect I'm quietly confident that this one will be good.

What can a customer expect from a Slaters store experience?

I think that if you haven't been to us before you'll find that we like to 'wow' customers. We use the expression 'wowing the customers' a lot. I know that sounds like American jargon but we're old fashioned. My late father started the business in 1973 and if you had to ask me to put in order our pillars of the business they are: service, selection, quality, and value. I would put service top and it would be interesting to do an exit pole to see what is most important to customers. Some may say selection, because they're a 48 long, some might say service, some might say the value aspect, but hopefully they'll be wowed with the whole package. I think men particularly, although we do have a small ladies offering as well, find shopping a bore and a chore. When I see most of the guys coming in it's quite funny because their either being pushed in by their wives or dragged in by their girlfriends, or whatever, and the classic line is: "He needs a new suit". Sadly men don't seem to wake up and go "I think I'll go shopping today". My wife on the other hand, for example, will wake up and say: "I think I'll go shopping today, I think I'll treat myself, I think I'll cheer myself up". It's generalising but I think most men see shopping as a necessity for themselves. So we see them coming in and they're not particularly looking forward to it, so we just try and make it as easy and effortless for them as we can.

First of all because we have service, and by that I mean I'm not naming any competitors' names but you'll see men wandering around these stores and they're obviously lost, they haven't got a clue what they're doing, they're trying on jackets where their sleeve's are down past their knuckles and they're looking for a mirror and changing rooms so we make it easy, simple as that. It shouldn't be hard. They can come in and get something they like at a price they're happy with on the one or two occasions per year that most men go shopping. Women on the other hand will go and browse, find something that they're happy with and then go back later. With a man, he's focused, and the general outlook is: "I'm here, if I like it then I'll get it", then he'll get back to watching the football or rugby or whatever else he enjoys.

You've already mentioned that your father founded the business. When he started it do you think he imagined it growing to what it is now?

No. I defy anybody who starts-up a fledgling business to think beyond survival. I can only speak about our family business, which my father started in 1973 and I then joined at the age of 17 in 1976, so that was nice because we didn't start from the point where there was generational issues and it was like: "OK son, I've been doing it like this for 20 years. Don't come in with any of your smart ideas because this is the way we're doing it." We kind of built it together more like brothers than anything else. I remember in those days we used to get a bank statement coming through every Thursday and we would always have a guess about how much of our overdraft we were in. We spent years using the overdraft and in debt and it's a struggle. It was a small 2000 square foot second floor premises that my father had opened up, which ironically had been the factory shop to the factory that was the family business before it was wiped out by a fire. My father, uncles, an aunt and a cousin ran the business until the fire. After the fire they had the choice of either merging with another manufacturing business and but having been in manufacturing for 30 years my father could see that all the money was being made by the retailers - not the manufacturers. At 55 years of age, an age which when most people reach these days their talking about retiring to the sun, he re-mortgaged the house and put everything on the line then managed to get a lease on the small 2000 square foot factory. That's where it started and it grew very, very slowly from there.

Was there a moment when you thought: "Yes, we've turned the corner, we've made it"?

There probably was, although I honestly can't remember when . We came off overdraft on a permanent basis and only went into it occasionally because of peaks and troughs with stock holding and sales. Thankfully I haven't been into the overdraft for about ten years I think, so that's nice.

What do you think caused that turning point or was it more of a case of marketing and growing the business?

We've gone from one branch to a few more branches. We got our act together, I mean like any business you make your mistakes early on and that's quite good. Because when you make your mistakes early on it's like snakes and ladders; you don't have far to fall. But when you're nearly at the finish line it's a big drop. Also, I think you've got to take more risks in the early days because you've got less to lose. I think sadly as a business matures and you get a bit of a cushion of cash you start thinking: "I'm not sure I want to jeopardise that". The early days were very exciting with all the cut and thrust.

What drives you now?

I still enjoy it and I suppose that's still the fundamental thing. I still bounce out of bed on a Monday morning. The nice thing with retail is that it's an art and not a science. I've spent 33 years in retail and still we haven't got it right. That's maybe a failing and shouldn't be celebrated but it's a challenge because you know you can do better. I have this ongoing debate with my buying department about this product that comes in and flies out and I ask them: "Why did you only buy 300 of them, that's not enough", and they say: "No, we've oversold". You can never get it right because you either buy to few of them or too many of them because you're never going to get the right amount.

Then there's fashion: three piece suits are in right now, we're trying to get into that at the right time - and get out at the right time!

Are there regional variations for your store or are they more uniform?

We're in the middle of creating a new look right now. This new store is only the third to get the new look after Manchester and Norwich and the other stores are being refurbished to the new look. Visibly they look the same because we do have a big profiling/merchandising team up in Glasgow. They delve into the facts and figures and at any particular time they'll say: "Right, that store needs more fashionable stock, it needs more up-market stock or it needs more down-market stock". We always adjust each store to suit the local tastes and styles.

You've mentioned you have a store in Cardiff as well but are you aware of the big rivalry here in Wales between Swansea and Cardiff?

Yes. I was conscious about that and when we were looking at who to have for the opening of the Swansea store there was some talk of hiring a choir. When I asked the marketing team where the choir was based and they told me Cardiff I said: "I don't know because I'm not from down there but if it's anything like Glasgow and Edinburgh the last thing you want to do is bring a Cardiff choir to a Swansea opening". That's why we got the Ospreys rugby guys instead.

How does the current climate make you feel? Is it a challenge or something you view with more trepidation?

We started setting up the Swansea store three years ago before the world stopped spinning, so to speak, and that's the fundamental point - actually, the world hasn't stopped spinning. It's a sad thing that the media adopt scare-mongering tactics at times like now, as they have been recently. The headlines are always based on worst case scenario predictions which does nothing to help people's confidence. The fundamentals and the facts are slightly awry. Fundamentally people are better off because they're coming out of expensive mortgages, petrol has gone down in price, utility bills are going down, people actually have more now than they had six months ago. But the mindset is the opposite. I think the market needed adjustment anyway. Where I'm from in Glasgow they've just built another shopping centre and there's been a massive growth of new shopping centre's which I just don't understand. Everywhere you go you always get some area's dying and other's dying out.

Have you seen any dip in sales?

We've seen a slight dip but compared to our competitors in the market-place we're quite relaxed with what's happening.

You mentioned out of town shopping centres and your a smaller outfit competing against the big boys. Do you see yourself as independent?

When I joined the company in the 1970s I remember looking at the big boys like Marks & Spencer and thinking how can we compete with these people because they are so big and so slick. But when you get to know these companies behind the scenes they're just big floundering monsters. There's a lot to be said for being small, swift and nimble and also to have a very short chain of command - I'm the managing director of the company and I can make a decision. My buyers will go with me to look at a new range and we'll make a decision there and then. With the big national companies you're talking about committees being involved and these companies have a no blame culture where nobody wants to take the blame so they have lots of committees, lots of discussions etc. Never fear the big boys because they're not as big or as good as you think.

Did you have any roles models or people you used to look up to?

My father. He was the greatest man I've ever met. Aside the fact he was my father he was just a natural. He would say things like: "Don't worry about anything other than the customers because if the customers are happy then the business will be successful." He was full of little saying, fables and stories and at the beginning he would do anything and everything to make sure that customer left happy. And that's one thing we apply when dealing with complaints. It always amazes me the way companies deal with customer complaints. The classic is always when a customer comes in with a complaint and you can see their ready for a fight but they ask what we're going to do and if there's say a faulty suit we'll offer to change it - obviously. When it comes to complaints we'll always change the item if there's a problem. A customer who has complained and is then appeased becomes far more loyal than they otherwise would have been.

Is there anything you would never do with a store?

The usual - nothing immoral or illegal. One thing we have always prided ourselves on is listening to the customer. We have questionnaires and every one of them is read and put into the system. We're very much customer driven, for example we know our customers want sports footwear so we've been looking into that. But because we're not a bona fide sports shop Nike and Adidas at this stage say they won't supply us which confused me intensely because it's a business opportunity. A quarter or a third of my customers wear trainers and they have to leave my establishment to go somewhere else to buy them. It defies logic.

I've been looking at the growth in bespoke clothing, is that something that attracts your attention?

We've looked at that and trialed it but I'm not convinced that the finished article meets the expectations of the individual. Unless you're going for the quirky bespoke market I can see it working.

Of the clothes you stock what's your personal favourite?

I wear two brands called Jaguar and Samuel Slater, which is named after my grandfather who I never knew, he was a tailor. I never like to recommend a specific garment because what fits and suits me might not fit and suit you - whatever looks good on the customer. I always say to new staff that it's better to lose a sale than a customer. Yes, sometimes you can con a customer into buying something awful but it's not worth it. A guy walking out of here looking immaculate, looking and feeling like a million dollars; that's our advertising.

Since this interview was conducted Slaters have relocated their store in Cardiff to The St Davids 2 complex.

Doug Richard Interview

2009-10-30T04:50:00.000-07:00

Times are hard Doug. How are you coping?

In terms of my own portfolio, better than expected. My life is composed of getting involved with early stage high-risk, high-tech businesses, and if I look across the portfolio of businesses that I'm involved in, most of the bad things have already happened - the ones that remain are doing pretty well and those that were struggling and unable to access funding have already fallen.

So you think that in terms of the businesses you're involved in the worst has already happened?

Only in the sense that the credit crunch has had an impact on every part of the business spectrum, including the venture capital industry which has virtually come to a standstill and stopped investing. What that means is that any company needing investment in the last four months has largely been unable to access funding even if they were doing well, so both good and bad companies have gone under, as a sort of accident of timing. If you don't need funding right now then you're fine until you do and the hope for these types of businesses now is that they have enough to see them through the business cycle. I suppose I'm grateful in that all the businesses I'm active in right now are in that position.

When do you envisage the economy to pick-up and the money to start flowing again in the venture capital sector?

Tough call. The venture capitalists will continue to back companies they've already invested in and if they already have an investment they're not relying on anyone else to support those companies, rather they're just relying on themselves. So I think you'll see some people claiming they're investing again but really it's just supporting companies they've already invested in. You'll see some activity over the next few quarters but in terms of when the venture capitalists actively start investing again I think it's going to be a long time.

Do you think the government is doing enough at the moment to support investors like you and what else do you think they could do?

I think in the context of the credit crunch, which started the problem and remains the issue, no the government hasn't been effective but it's not for a lack of trying. The unfortunate reality is that the government has been doing many of the right things but shooting itself in the foot at the same time.

For example Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently announced an insurance package to help banks cover the toxic debt which in itself is as good an idea as any other floating around the western economies. But he also said he wouldn't let the banks get away with it and so he added a moral component to it and in so doing the shares stalled enormously because the shareholders had a look at the offer he was making and assumed they were going to get screwed. So in reality he's shot himself in the foot.

Until Gordon Brown starts to understand economics as well as politics I suspect that you'll find that perfectly reasonable programmes will be unsuccessful.

Do you feel that Prime Minister Gordon Brown will have to start taking notice of this?

I don't think he's capable of doing that and until he does you will continue to see a political tension with economic necessity.

Taking into account that you have business interests in both the US and UK, what effect do you think newly elected President Obama's economic policies will have on the general global economy and how will that effect the UK economy?

Firstly I'd like to say that I'm a huge Obama supporter, but not necessarily because of his economic policies. I voted for Obama for lots of reasons, but its never been proven that pumping large amounts of capital into an economy actually works in bringing that economy out of a recession.

Having said that, I'm not saying I'm absolutely opposed to this policy because there is a lot to be said for stimulating demand, but the huge stimulus package announced in the US will not in itself solve the problem, its just part of a series of things that can be done.

If you look at history, the US government bailed out the savings and loans banks and in doing so created what was essentially a toxic debt bank. And although it took 25 years the US government did eventually make a profit on that debt even though you very rarely here that reported in the media.

There is a series of things which can be done but the biggest impact that Obama has is essentially ceremonial. You can't underline the fact that a great deal of an economy rests on confidence, so a new president, especially Barack Obama, and a change of government will definitely help if things go Obama's way.

I also see the US economy coming out of a recession before the UK economy, which will help the UK economy, as the financial interrelations between our economies which has in part caused the recession will help both countries to pull out of it.

Do you think we will take any lessons out of the recent crisis?

I think we'll take some and that has already been taken. The main thing is that inactivity didn't work, and there was a huge period of inactivity when the crisis first emerged. Trade protectionism during the great depression actually accentuated the great depression and there are elements of trade protectionism in Obama's proposed policies, but buying American could create issues for the US if other countries start doing the same thing so hopefully we've learned our lesson.

The US is going to keep going down and then come up quite resoundingly, where as the UK economy is much more fragile. The UK has the potential to suffer badly with inflation, more so than many other Western economies, it was weaker going into the recession and it has a productive economy that rests on very few things. The continuing lack of housing stock is creating a floor for demand which is also coming home to roost.

In the past there was seen to be big differences between US and UK businesses. Do you think this still remains?

Yes and no - I think there are greater similarities that there are differences. Obviously the US is a much larger country so companies in the US have a much larger domestic market on their doorstep which means that the potential market for any start-up is much bigger, giving it better growth potential. Also because the US is a much younger country than the UK the infrastructure for distributing goods and services is much more efficient, which again increases the potential for growth. It's not a case that the US is 'better' than the UK, just that businesses there have better opportunities.

However, some of the differences are stark. For example in Wales I think somewhere in the region of 70% of people work for the public sector. This means that if only around 30% of the workforce are in private enterprise then the creation of wealth in the economy is extremely limited and after all the government is funded by the wealth created in the private sector. I think we need more entrepreneurship here in the UK.

You recently worked with the Conservative Party on the Richard Report, which looked at business and enterprise in the UK. How was it received?

The report wasn't well received by a lot of people. My primary concern after reviewing the entire measure of support for small businesses and entrepreneurship in the UK was the vast percentage of money spent was either of no value or was impossible to value because nobody had done anything to measure it. Therefore, it was subject to the suspicion that it had no value.

Unfortunately that's a damning indictment of an entire infrastructure system. It suggests very strongly that the only thing business support programmes provided by the UK government, either centrally or through devolved government, are essentially just creating jobs for people to enter a new industry - the business support industry. You end with an industry that is existent in itself.

Lots of companies have set up here with little or no regard of whether they actually do anything. So it would probably be better if a lot of that stopped, meaning a lot of people would be put out of work, but they would be put out of a type of work that wasn't doing anything anyway.

The vast majority of the report has been accepted by the Conservatives as part of their policy platform. Interestingly enough events have moved on since I produced the report but some constants remain. I think entrepreneurship can be taught, I think it starts culturally and therefore has to start in our schools. And I think we have to remove the moral question i.e. it's OK for people to make a profit and be successful and they have to be able to enjoy the fruits of the wealth they create. We should celebrate their achievements.

Do you think the entrepreneurial buzz that swept through the UK a few years ago, which was personified in shows like Dragon's Den is now disappearing?

There's something very counter intuitive about a recession, it tells people several things. Firstly it tells them they should spend less which of course makes a recession worse but it's the natural thing to do and I'm absolutely not criticising anyone that does. At the same time it also reminds people in a forceful and sometimes life changing way that you can't rely on a job with a big company no matter how big it is. We forget that lesson every generation. That's why we need to keep creating and training entrepreneurs, such as self employed professionals like plumbers, for example.

How did you get onto Dragon's Den?

When the shows producers started putting the show together they got in touch with some Venture Capitalists who were friends of mine and they declined the offer but suggested my name to the producers and I decided to give it a go.

Did you always believe that Dragon's Den would be a huge success?

No. I thought that it would be a flash in the pan and then disappear. I mean I thought what business show could possibly be popular.

Why do you think that Dragon's Den caught the public's imagination in the way it did?

That's a good question. I think that it's the first time anyone has distilled those frightening and tense moments in business onto a TV screen. Also the fact that the show was real, with real investors and real entrepreneurs putting-up real money made the show a captivating thing to watch.

Are you still working with any of the businesses that you invested in during the show?

Most of them are done, as in they have either failed or just muddled along but there is one business that is reasonably successful so it worked out alright - it could have been worse!

From your time on Dragon's Den is there one success story that really sticks in your mind?

Yes. Many people will probably remember a gentleman that developed a new way of growing truffles, well he went on to later success, although unfortunately I didn't invest in him but I always regretted that I hadn't.

Do you think that each series produced one or two of these great successes?

Yes, absolutely. I think its remarkable how many reasonable ones do come up at all, its a very small percentage. Having said that in each series there were a couple of times I thought 'gosh, that's a really good idea'.

Movies facing a severe downturn

2009-10-26T01:35:00.000-07:00

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life you can expect to see a sharp drop in the quality of Hollywood movies.

That's the prediction of legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola - best known for the Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now - as Hollywood comes to terms with the devastating impact which plummeting DVD sales and the massive decrease in bank funding due to the current global financial crisis is having on the industry.

Not only that, but Coppola also predicts that there will be an acute lack of choice as the big movie studios will "just make certain types of films like Harry Potter - basically trying to make Star Wars over and over again, because it's a business". One heavyweight industry insider has predicted that last year's production peak of 606 films to emerge from Hollywood will fall to fewer than 400 next year, and it may go lower than that in the future. This is because of several reasons, but the overwhelming factor is the global financial meltdown - banks that previously acted as the main source of funding for big and medium-budget films have withdrawn their big backing, cutting $12bn (£7.4bn) out of the $18bn available to the top studios.

Added to this, the plunge in DVD sales coupled with Hollywood's inability to make any real money from new digital technology, such as video-on-demand, means that as cash dries up, a greater proportion of the shrinking resources is going into a tiny range of sci-fi, superhero and mystic titles. However, Hollywood has been making sweeping changes in order to try and stop the rot; MGM ousted its chief executive in August, Disney recently sacked its studio chief, and Universal Pictures earlier this month dismissed its joint chairmen following a string of box office flops.

As an avid film fan I wasn't pleased to hear the news but as you may have noticed from my film reference in the opening line of this blog - it's a quote from Casablanca - I'm a fan of classic black and white films and therefore, I may have to look back and not forward for some great (and as yet unseen by me) films in the near future.

Adidas V Puma

2009-10-20T04:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in business, as in life itself, a beautiful partnership can turn sour for a whole host of reasons. However, if you’re in this position at the moment remember that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, as this blog post illustrates.

One such split, in the sportswear market, seems to be finally going through reconciliation after over half a century as employees of bitter rivals Puma and Adidas came together last month to play a token football match in support of the Peace One Day organisation.

To cut a long story short, these two global sports brands were founded 60 years ago after the relationship between shoemaker brothers Adi and Rudi Dassler fell into dire straits. Amid claim and counter claim, the exact reasons for the fall-out are still ambiguous, although what is clear is that the rivalry that grew between the two companies since has literally split a town in two. According to a local journalist: “The split between the Dassler brothers was to Herzogenaurach [home-town of both companies] what the building of the Berlin Wall was for the German capital.”

It seems that at one point the rivalry between Puma and Adidas got so bad that not only did you have to avoid certain shops and pubs, depending on who you worked for, but you also couldn’t marry an employee of the rival company due to the strain it would put on relations at work and in the family. Extreme to say the least!

The result of the football match, which was played with mixed teams formed from employees of each company, is insignificant. The key point here is that with a football world cup less than twelve months away the two bloody rivals now seem to be burying the hatchet, slowly but surely. Yes, this was a PR stunt, but it could also signal a new convergence of the two companies in the name of profits, and it also proves that eventually the parties involved in most disputes do end up seeing the bright side in some shape and form.

Interview with Christine Ourmieres (KLM Air France)

2009-09-29T05:46:00.000-07:00

How is the current economic climate treating KLM Air France?

The answer is quite obvious, we published our yearly results recently and or results are very different from last year. The year was very different from the beginning to the end, and the first half was quite solid. I think of all the open markets the UK was one of the first to feel the influence of the changing economic conditions, followed by the rest of Europe, and this had an effect on our air traffic and our yield. We therefore decided to have a more organic route network and we are forecasting a significant reduction in head counts

Are you doing anything different here in the UK to the rest of the group?

When the recession hit here we acted immediately and didn’t wait for any other markets to start following suit before we took action. Our central structure has always been extremely interested in having a very strong relationship with the UK and Ireland because the establishment and flows of traffic coming from the UK is the most important flow of traffic in Europe. Being the point of origin in Europe for connecting traffic means we are always pushing to be more aggressive, to launch promotions, and use creative marketing campaigns.

The idea is that when you are in a crisis, in accordance with group strategy, you want to make sure that you are even closer to your corporate customers and even closer to the change in behaviour of consumer travellers. For instance, customers are now booking much later than previously, so we adapted to this change of behaviour. We are trying to be different in our marketing, by talking the same language as our customers and we have also decided to rapidly deploy changes in our products. For example, we have changed our premium economy products. Premium economy products were previously only used by UK airlines such as Virgin and British Airways but now Air France KLM has decided to move into this market because we think it’s definitely an answer to the current downturn. Premium economy will be a new product that both Air France and KLM will introduce from this winter.

Websites are now more important in the booking of fares so we have re-launched the KLM website. We are trying our best but it’s not always easy to follow changes because of the changes in behaviour.

Would it be fair to say that in the last in the last 5-10 years of economic growth before the recession we have seen significant growth in air travel and do you think that after the recession passenger numbers will bounce back?

That could be the case in the long-term. We are very much focussing on business travel as our core business and leisure as a priority because in the UK fifty per cent of our business is business travel and fifty per cent is leisure travel, in terms of turnover. When we have to build a product the more demanding segment is business travel, which is about exchanges. All the predictions on passenger growth are changing everyday so it’s always hard to know whether passenger numbers will bounce back. In May we had a celebration event in London for the London City to Nantes route, at which I was talking to real estate agents from Nantes (North West France). They were saying how on an average number, for every 20 UK citizens living there, 16 wanted to sell and 4 wanted to buy. The changes will affect air travel in terms of a reduction in the number of people taking leisure and mini-breaks.

Low cost airlines are feeling the pinch now and I recently interviewed an executive from BMI Baby who was adamant that the UK government was not doing enough to help the industry. Do you think that European governments could do more to help the industry?

It’s a difficult question because the airline industry is one that is easy for the government to tax, which for us is a shame. Our margins are quite low and yet we are the main contributors to the development of economies and at the same time we are easy victims for taxes, everywhere except in the Netherlands, where the government has decided to listen to the industry and go easier on taxes.

Have you seen a big drop in customer numbers at Cardiff International Airport?

We have been operating at the airport for a long-time so we are loyal to the airport, which is not something I think you can say about all airlines. We are not in Cardiff because it’s the fashion, we are in Cardiff because we believe in Cardiff. We have improved our operational reliability in the last few years and now performances are excellent. We feel that we need to work closely with the airport to develop an action plan that promotes the airport because lots of people are still travelling to Heathrow or Gatwick to fly. We have to rebuild the trust, we have to rebuild the knowledge, we have to invest in communication and we have to demonstrate to customers that it is more convenient to fly from regional airports. For example, Air France and KLM are now flying from 20 UK airports because we believe in regional airports.

What are the personal major challenges in you role and what drives you in your role?

In terms of drivers, firstly it’s figures because I have to achieve my targets. People in the airline industry share a common passion for service, and for improving the relationships with your customers. That passion drives forward my team and the Air France KLM group as a whole. Maintaining service levels isn’t easy when you have to cut costs, so we are trying to cut fixed costs, which we have been doing over last year but it’s not easy. You’re always trying to sell an inspirational service with aspirational fares.

Since this interview was conducted Christine Ourmieres headed off to New York to head up KLM Air France operations there.

Blog News

2009-09-29T02:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to my blog. As some of you already know I have been clocking up quite a few air-miles this summer attending and reviewing a milieu of music festivals around the world, as well as launching a new fashion, music and art magazine called Blown.

Consequently haven’t had the time to blog as often as I would have liked. The good news is that from now this blog will be updated weekly and will include new features to enhance your experience as a member of my audience. Not only will you be able to read exclusive interviews with industry heavyweights but you will also be able to listen to the interviews in audio with the click of a button. This week I will be kicking off these interviews with a focus on the current state of the airline market and Air France KLM’s close links with Cardiff International Airport, with Christine Ourmieres, UK Director of Air France KLM.

One of the Best Meerkating Agencies in the World?

2009-05-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

Next in my series of profiles on leading marketing agencies in the UK is VCCP. VCCP is the creative agency behind the insanely catchy Compare the Market.com's 'Compare the Meerkat' adverts, which have had many people, myself included, searching out and visiting the spoof website (www.comparethemeerkat.com) which allows you to literally compare the Meerkat: I ended up quickly comparing Bickerkat and Magickat - my personal favourite! So if your thinking about commissioning an agency to create a ridiculously addictive creative concept for consumers, please read on.

Most known for: Compare the Market.com's Compare the Meerkat spoof advertising and social media campaign.

Major clients: Compare the Market.com; O2; Texaco; Home Office; Food Standards Agency; Schools Food Trust; FSA; Muller Rice and Muller Corners; Air Lingus.

Key People: Adrian Coleman (Founding Partner); Michael Sugden (Managing Director); Dominic Stinton (Partner); Sarah Adamson (New Business and Marketing Manager); Buster Dover (New Business - Digital).

Staff Numbers: 146

Ownership and control: Part of the publicly owned Chime Communications group.

How to prepare for a meeting with them: Get tweeting (on twitter), these guys have produced the most successful ever social media campaign.

How to find them: Greencoat House, Francis Street, Victoria, London, SW1P 1DH; Phone: 0207 592 9331; Fax: 0207 592 7465; Website: http://www.vccp.com

Contact People: Sarah Adamson - New Business and Marketing Manager; sarah@vccp.com; 0207 592 7478.

Swines for Selling Scary Stories?

2009-05-01T07:59:00.001-07:00

The recent outbreak of swine flu is fast becoming a worrying prospect for businesses already wracked by the recession. The thought of losing staff through the illness - for whatever length of time - or even worse, closing part or all of the business, is a prospect that has business owners and managers throughout the country turning an unpleasant shade of green. Indeed, Mexico is today beginning a five-day shutdown of parts of its economy in a bid to slow the spread of swine flu. Non-essential government services will stop, while businesses like cinemas and restaurants will be shut. Could the UK follow suit over the next week?

However, it's worth looking at the facts for a moment and thinking about whether all is as it really seems. The BBC have an uncanny knack of dramatising events to the nth degree and have often been accused of misleading its audience in order to really 'sell' a story, as do most other mass media outlets. Lets be clear about this: just as doom and gloom about the recession is filling column inches, shifting newspapers and boosting audience figures, this outbreak really is music to the years of the media. I challenge you to pick up a copy of any daily national newspaper today and not find at least one page about the outbreak. And I guarantee that at least some, if not all newspapers, will get a gentle circulation lift from this wave of hysteria.

True, it is most definitely in the public interest to know what's going on, but what about Malaria, TB, Aids, etc? The recorded number of cases currently far outweighs those of swine flu, yet they're not seen as the potential global threats which the outbreak is being portrayed as, even though they are, depending on who you listen to. Also, what about the effects of polluting the environment on our atmosphere? Will the world come to an end in the next 50 years if the rate at which our atmosphere is disappearing continues to increase? A conclusive answer is unavailable but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, has said the UK is well prepared for the spread of swine flu. He added: "What we will see is many, many more cases, and inevitably some serious cases - but on the whole people make a good recovery from flu." Well in that case, it's a case of keeping calm and carrying on, so that's 80+ hour weeks for me and more writing, interviewing, editing and production deadlines than you can shake a stick at!

The Crown at the Celtic Manor

2009-04-27T04:40:00.000-07:00

On Friday I was lucky enough to visit the Celtic Manor Resort to sample the culinary delights being served up in their Fine Dining Restaurant, The Crown.

I am currently writing up a review of the restaurant which will appear in the forthcoming issue of Welsh Living magazine (www.welshliving.co.uk) But for the time being I have included in this post a copy of the menu.

Many thanks to Arnaldo Martins (Restaurant Manager) and the team for a great dining experience.

Cheap, green, reputation defending machine

2009-04-11T07:02:00.001-07:00

Earlier this week global US car giant General Motors, in partnership with Segway, introduced it's new hybrid Puma prototype. The thoroughly futuristic looking vehicle, which is powered by electricity, is a zaney attempt at a next generation car, and is basically a bubble on wheels designed for swift and nifty city centre travel.

Another recent new launch by India's TATA Motors has seen the introduction of the no frills Nano - you don't even get the cheapest of car radio's - which, according to TATA, will be bought en masse by India's rapidly growing middle class service workers. Bookings for the ultracheap car, which retails for 100,000 rupees ($2,050) plus tax and transport fees, opened Thursday across India.

What this reveals then is that the automotive industry is really changing on a global scale. Indeed, this week Prime Minister Gordon Brown told a newspaper he wanted the UK to be a world leader in producing electric cars, hybrid petrol-electric cars and lighter cars using less petrol. He said he'd also consider buying a fleet of electric cars for ministers to set an example.

And so it seems that the global recession has prompted the automotive industry to create new products which are cheap and green.

Like its new found rival TATA, GM had started investing in, and developing it's prototype well before the world 'stopped spinning' due to the onset of a global recession, but this was undoubtedly a blatant PR stunt if ever I saw one. You can just picture the scene. The GM MD, entrenched by the media, the public and the USgovernment, which it has had to beg for two government bailouts, desperately needed to deflect attention from the the company's problems and to stop the damage being done to it's now fragile reputation, so maybe this is how the launch came about. I think the conversation between the MD and the company's head of PR went something like this...

MD: I need some good news - now!
Head of PR: We could bring forward the launch of X. I mean, we've got a working prototype.
MD: How soon can we 'launch' it?
Head of PR: We could launch it the week before the Detroit car show.
MD: Perfect. Who said PR never pays!

Mother

2009-04-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

Below you will find the latest instalment of my series of light but succinct briefings on some of the world's most cutting edge modern media and marketing agencies on London agency Mother. Little known outside their industry, admirers say they are a force of creative revolutionaries who have pushed advertising to its limit and have been consistently the most daring, most original and most creative advertising agency in the world since they first opened.

Most known for: the best advertising Coca Cola has had for more than 30 years.

Major clients: Boots; Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola Schweppes - Fanta, Dr Pepper, Oasis), Unilever (PG Tips, Pot Noodle, ICBINB); Yellow Pages; Post Office; Diageo (Pimm's); Miller.

Key People: Matt Andrews (Strategy Director); Andrew Medd (Strategic Partner); Dylan Williams (Strategy Director); Robert Saville (Partner); Stef Calcraft (Founding Partner).

Staff Numbers: 125

Ownership and control: part of the indpendent network that also includes Mother New York and Madre Buenos Aires.

How to prepare for a meeting with them: put the kettle on in order to offer some warmth to the industry's coolest agency.

How to find them: Biscuit Building, 10 Redchurch Street; London, E2 7DD; Phone: 0207 012 1999; Fax: 0207 012 1989; Website: http://www.motherlondon.com

Contact People: Jessica Thornley - PR Manager; jessicat@motherlondon.com.

Marketing: it's a mad world!

2009-03-23T02:53:00.000-07:00

I hear the words 'cutting edge' mentioned very often in high-end business discussions. Another phrase which I seem to hear constantly at the moment is Mad Men. No, I haven't been watching too many Mad Max type action hero films, rather I'm talking about the outstanding - and dare I say it, 'cutting edge' - BBC TV series which takes a no holds barred look at the world of a 1960s New York advertising agency.

I can't stress enough how seminal these heavy drinking and smoking guys (this was a time when unlike now female professionals in the industry were rarer than hens teeth) were in shaping the modern advertising, marketing and media landscape; and indeed the models of mass consumption which our now global economy is based on. In short, agencies like the one featured in Mad Men didn't join the advertising game at the right time, essentially they created it.

Because I know that all of you, well at least some of you, enjoy my insights into the media industry as a magazine editor and publisher, I will be running a series of light but succinct briefings on some of the world's most cutting edge modern media and marketing agencies. I'm starting this menu of marketing masters with Fallon, the creative agency behind the now infamous Cadbury's Dairy Milk advert featuring a Gorilla playing drums to the Phil Collins song In The Air Tonight.

'But why Fallon Ed?', I hear you ask. Simple. In the current series of Mad Men, set in 1962, the agency desperately needs to work how to connect with the emerging youth market brought about by the coming of the first generation of 'teenagers' during the 1950s. With an ageing customer base Cadbury's also needed to connect to young people in a way it had never done before and (drum roll please) in stepped Fallon with one of the most memorable adverts ever.

The advert worked a treat. It was so good in fact that young people weren't just watching it. No, they were watching and posting comments to other people about it on You Tube, Bebo, Facebook and a whole host of other social networking sites and spreading the joy of a Glass and a Half Full Productions like chicken pox around a nursery. The result: Cadbury's sold a hell of a lot more chocolate and hooked a generation of customers that will drive profits for many, many years to come.

Agency: Fallon.

Most known for: Cadbury's Dairy Milk Gorilla Advert.

Major clients: Asda; BBC; Ben & Jerry’s; Budweiser; Cadbury; Eurostar; More Than; Old Speckled Hen; Orange; Skoda; Sony; Tate; Velvet; Ask.com; Cheestrings; Grazia; Powerade; Rock Corps.

Key People: Laurence Green (Chairman); Richard Flintham (Executive Creative Director); Juan Cabral (Creative Partner); Karina Wilsher (Managing Director).

Staff numbers: 175.

Size: small enough to care, big enough to matter.

Ownership and control: part of the Publicis groupe, which is itself part of the WPP Group - the world's largest marketing and advertising conglomerate.

How to prepare for a meeting with them: turn up the air conditioning - these creatives are seriously hot!

How to find them: Elsley Court, 20-22 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 8BE; Phone: 020 7494 9120; Fax: 020 7 494 9130; Website: http://www.fallon.co.uk

Contact People: New Business and Marketing - Rachel Emms: rachel.emms@fallon.co.uk; PR & Events - Joslyn Tinker: joslyn.tinker@fallon.co.uk

Oil giant's PR not so slick

2009-03-19T06:20:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well. I can't really say I was that surprised to hear the news yesterday that Royal Dutch Shell is to scale back its renewable energy business and focus purely on oil, gas and biofuels. According to the Times, chief executive Jeroen van der Veer said that Shell, the world's second-largest non-state-controlled oil company, was planning to drop all new investment in wind, solar and hydrogen energy.

The announcement has provoked a stinging backlash from environmental campaigners and it can only be described as a terrible PR move which will no doubt undo much of the good work that the company and the industry as a whole has done over recent years to change its image and build a better, more caring reputation.

Maybe the company will change its mind as and when the money that President Barack Obama has committed to developing renewable energy sources in the US starts to materialise - providing Shell can grab a piece of the action.

One certainty is the fact that Shell is walking a tightrope.

Market leaders in the energy industries have to lead the way in the quest for sustainable, non-polluting energy sources. However, as a global corporation Shell create and sustain thousands of jobs both directly and indirectly, and based on the assumption that they too are facing difficult times should they continue to keep pro-environmental policy at the forefront of their business strategy and risk going bust?

Two points to note here: firstly, it seems that the simple answer to that question is NO; secondly, during the current global downturn the conflicting forces of environmentalism and free market economics have placed Shell and other companies like them in a rather sticky situation.

Last Orders for Night-time Economy?

2009-03-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

With the start of each new week in 2009 we are seeing more and more signs of the fallout of the current recession. On Monday there was a stark warning from the boss of the UK's largest nightclub operator Luminar that half of the country's nightclubs could close in the next 18 months.

In an interview with the Times, Stephen Thomas, predicted that some 1350 nightclubs would close, and in terms of acquisitions the Luminar chief executive also stated that the company would be interested in fewer than eight of the country's existing clubs.

Like-for-like sales were down 6% in January and 2% in February and this is of course compared to 2008 which was also a very slow period for many operators.
Thomas highlighted one of the main reasons for sluggish trade being rising levels of unemployment amongst young people. "Unemployment is a big issue for us. With this recession, the difference is that younger people are being fired. People react by reducing debt and going out less." he said.

That said there is a ray of light cutting through this gloomy outlook for the industry. The recently proposed minimum price per unit of alcohol would see the cost benefits for consumers purchasing alcohol in supermarkets disappear, and unsurprisingly Thomas - a vocal critic of deep discounting on alcohol by supermarkets - said minimum pricing is "definitely the right thing to do".

So if you haven't been to your favourite nightclub for a while may I suggest you pop down there soon - after you have fueled up for the evening on your discounted supermarket alcohol, of course - before it's too late to enjoy either! Cheers!

Television Treats

2009-03-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a strange week for me. Mainly down to the fact that I have been forced to take the week off due to a very heavy bout of what my female friends called man flu or as my doctor described it, chickenpox. Now I'm not going to regale you with the details of my illness but I am going to give you an insight into my television viewing habits of the last few days.

This enforced recuperation gave me the opportunity to catchup with the two hottest television shows of the year. Mad Men and 24. Now if you're not into both of these spectacular televisual treats then I'm afraid to say you are not with the in-crowd! Both these shows are a testament to fine screen writing, great acting, fantastic casting and with Mad Men a great stylistic eye.

Now how, I hear you ask, do these shows have anything to do with the state of the business world today.... well let me enlighten you. Firstly, Mad Men is set in the New York City of the early 1960's, at the fictional Sterling Cooper Ad Agency, and the early sixties are back in a big way. For Kennedy read Obama and with regards to office style just look at the way skinny ties are very much back in for men. So why do I like it so much? Well because it is a style pre-cursor, particularly for men. Watch the show and marvel at the sartorial splendor as well as the great line in eyewear. Big thick chunky glasses are back in a big way, so if you want to be ahead of the office fashion crowd get out there and purchase a well tailored suit, a skinny tie, a crisp white shirt and finish it off with a pair of Mad Men style specs.

Now on to 24. The list as to why I love this series is far too long and complicated to go into on this blog but I'm going to highlight only one thing... Agent Renee Walker. Now I know what you're thinking and no it's not because of that! It is because she along with the new Madam President have been brought in to curb the power roles taken until now by men. It's good to see that the creators of 24 have now moved on and are placing women in positions of power. In previous series they were seen as trailblazers, particularly in their portrayal of a black President and now they continue by casting a woman as the US President. Are they again paving the way? If so, what are the odds of Hilary Clinton getting into the White House after Obamas two terms have been served?

So what conclusions can we bring from my weeks sojourn in front of the telly. Well let me tell you... the coolest people in the world are currently wearing Mad Men style glasses and have a slight resemblance to Annie Wersching who plays Agent Renee Walker in 24.

The Special One

2009-02-23T07:46:00.000-08:00

At the moment it seems that at every glance Wales is going football crazy. Despite the alleged domination of Welsh sport and culture by the oval shaped ball, underestimate the growing strength of football at your peril!

Cardiff City stormed to the FA Cup final at Wembleylast year - incidentally, Cardiff never appeared at The Millennium Stadium during the five years it hosted the FA Cup final, Football League Trophy final, and Football League Play-Off finals - and itseems they are going to get very close to promotion to the Premier League this year.

Swansea City are also 'mad for it' at the moment; they have an intriguing FA Cup fifth round replay away to Fulham tomorrow, which if they win will mean a neck-hair-tingling and eye-bulging home quarterfinal for them against the team regarded by many as the best club side in the world - Man Utd. United are also in action tomorrow evening against Italian giants Inter, who are now managed by a certain Jose Mourinho.The former Chelsea boss' new team are sitting pretty at the top ofSerie A, which highlights the fact that Mourinho's record as a football manager is based on consistently winning the top competitions and beating the best. That is why I decided to do a quick analysis of the 'special one' and below you'll find my take on Jose Mourinho's top ten rules of management:

1. Foster a siege mentality in your organisation - teams fight harderwhen their backs are against the wall

2. Psychoanalyse team members and give them what they need - whetherthat means a little pep talk, or a severe dressing down!

3. Put pressure on your self, not the team - take the flak if need bebut let the team work undisturbed

4. Take your time over making key decisions - if it's that important, why rush?

5. Create column inches - PR becomes more about the leader than the team itself

6. Align yourself with expensive and aspirational products - you oozeclass and sophistication

7. Look like a winner - Jose definitely has an unmistakable Italiansense of style

8. Continually put pressure on the opposition - never miss a chance towind-up competitors in order to distract them from the key issues

9. Always try and wear a smile - but don't be afraid to show your scary side

10. Know when to get in (and out) of an organisation - timing will always be crucial

Bounty Hunt

2009-02-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

The other night I settled down with a good bottle of red wine and Newsnight and one thing freaked me out.... my views on bank bonuses were being echoed by our old deputy prime minister "bruiser" Prescott! So in the spirit of poltical flip flopping I've decided that I'm happy with failing banks paying their staff exorbitant bonuses. I feel much better now... At least I'm not aligned with Prescott any more!

Finally (I know this is a particularly short blog!) I would like to give a special mention to the US authorities who are scrambling to find $50 billion (£35 billion) of assets connected to Allen Stanford, the Texan cricket impresario charged with fraud... If they are happy to give me a small percentage I'm sure I can find a few of my enterpreneurial colleagues and hunt him down... just a thought!

Twitter away!

2009-02-13T05:49:00.000-08:00

I am sorry to say that I have succumbed to yet another social networking trend and joined Twitter. It’s being dubbed ‘the new Facebook’ but I’m hoping it won’t be as addictive! Twitter is based on the Facebook concept of letting people know what you’re up to by regularly updating your status. Your friends can comment on your profile and you can receive and send updates via text using the TwitterMobile application. I’m still getting to grips with it at the moment but you can now send your tweets to EditorEd!

Right, back to business. This week, it’s been interesting to see that even though we are neck-deep in recession, doom and gloom, some companies are continuing to prosper. Orange has been forecast to be more profitable than Vodafone, O2 and T-Mobile by 2013. Although subscriber growth in the industry is gradually slowing down, it’s still proving to be hugely profitable for the main network providers who, within a few years, will be serving 82.1 million subscribers. My advice? Make the most of the growth and get in on the mobile phone rush while you can.

In my last few posts, I’ve been ranting about the huge bonuses that bankers and City workers are continuing to receive in spite of the economic climate. It now seems that the FSA (the Financial Services Authority) is getting in on the act too. The chief City regulator is to award its employees with bonuses and pay top-ups amounting to £33 million this year. The authority is also planning to raise the base salary by 3.3%, while one of its top officials allegedly earned £662,000 between 2007 and 2008. Oh, and in case he still felt strapped for cash, he got a bonus of £114,000 on top of that. The FSA defends this move by claiming that this newly-introduced reward strategy is designed to improve the performance of its employees. In a time when people are least likely to quit their jobs, why not cap their already ridiculous salaries and concentrate on sorting out the banking crisis, rather than worry if the poor things will be able to afford a holiday in the Caribbean this year? Rant over.

On a lighter note, what really made me chuckle today was news that the coffee shop giant, Starbucks, has developed a new way of tapping into the consumer market. They have spent the last 20 years creating a new product called Via, which is (wait for it) instant coffee! Starbucks plans to start selling Via, which tastes just like the coffee made by your friendly local barista, in its US stores next week. Yet another way to save money, I think: forget your regular boozy lunch and have a DIY Starbucks instead!

Post your comments below.

ATTENTION: WALES EXCLUSIVE!

2009-02-09T03:44:00.000-08:00

Enterprise would like to bring you exclusive news today that Chinese state trainmakers are looking to build the UK’s second final assembly plant which is expected to be located in South Wales.

The European arm of Chinese State Railway Equipment will be able to set up the assembly and testing plant in South Wales provided that CSR Nanjing Puzhen, a Chinese manufacturer, beats off strong competition from Canada’s Bombardier in a bid to win the £300 million order to build 200 carriages for diesel trains.

Whereas ministers believe that awarding the contract to Bombardier would increase UK manufacturing by creating around 1,800 jobs, the Chinese argue that their new plant would provide a much-needed boost for the UK economy.

Europe is the world’s largest market for passenger trains, so it is of no surprise that Asian manufacturers are looking to have their share. What makes the UK particularly attractive is that, unlike other European countries such as France, Germany and Switzerland, we are open to ordering trains outside our borders.

Grand Central, which runs trains between London and Sunderland, has placed an order for three new trains with China’s CSR Ziyang and the Japanese brand, Hitachi, has built high-speed trains that are due to start operating between London and Kent later this year.

Building a plant of this scale in South Wales would be a fantastic step in the right direction for the Welsh economy and would really put us on the map in terms of the international market. However, there is a deeper moral to this story. The one thing that could bring the UK out of this recession would be to look back to our history of manufacturing. The news that China, a nation renowned for creating products cheaply and efficiently, is bringing its manufacturing to the UK is ironic to say the least.

Thus begs the question: other than encouraging foreign investors to boost the UK economy, what can WE do to get out of the hole we’ve dug for ourselves? Post your comments below.

Keep calm and carry on

2009-02-09T02:39:00.000-08:00

As we wake up to the start of a brand new week, there is news that yet more snow is on its way. As a result of the terrible weather we experienced last week, 20% of the UK workforce was forced to stay at home. Schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf have already been closed in anticiption of more bad weather to come today. The snow has caused a massive loss in productivity and costed the UK economy an estimated £1 billion. It would seem that the novelty of a day off work and sprinkling table salt on the pavements has worn off rather quickly.

As I mentioned in my last post, the recession is rapidly becoming a depression but, in a time of such disaster and tales of woe, it’s almost amusing to hear the lengths that certain companies will go to in order to save money. The FT has filed a lawsuit against Blackstone, one of the world’s leading venture capital companies, in which they allege that a senior Blackstone executive sent a message to everyone at the company giving the login details to access FT online material (usually a pay-per-view service). I find it hilarious that the credit crunch has even pushed an organisation of such incredible international standing and wealth to count the pennies over the most trivial of expenses.

On the other hand, it’s good to see that the US Government is taking the lead on bankers’ pay. That these people are receiving hefty bonuses from taxpayers’ money on top of their already sky-high salaries is absurd in the times we are facing. The Obama administration is working to cap the salaries of the top executives of companies at $500,000 in an effort to decrease unnecessary spending and prevent further backlash from the public. Obama also capped the salaries of senior White House employees, showing that he is at least a man who practices what he preaches.

But enough doom and gloom. We’re all being worn down by talk of the recession, the depression, whatever you want to call it. It’s easy to forget the companies that are succeeding. Christian Dior recently announced its annual sales report for 2008 and it certainly was a bumper year for the luxury brand. The company made €17.9 billion last year, 4% up on sales in 2007, €5.4 billion of which was made in the final trimester of 2008. Christian Dior is reveling in its meteoric success and aims to develop its strategy for internal development and focus on creating emblematic haute couture designs to take the brand to the top of the global luxury market this year. I think we can all follow their example, no matter how small our business, by holding onto our ambitions and using them to drive ourselves and our businesses forward.

To have your say, post a comment below.

Snowed under

2009-02-05T04:09:00.000-08:00

Hello one and all! What a week it has been. The whole country has been hit by a Siberian snow drift that seems to be the hot topic of conversation. We Brits do love to talk about the weather. Anyway, I’ve been thinking how incredible the snow was in Stockholm when I went there last year. There were several feet of snow and everyone just carries on with their lives regardless, whereas here we get a couple of centimetres and the whole country grinds to a halt. Saying that, we have all enjoyed having a day off here and there so we can’t complain!

Now, I’ve never been a fan of banks, but the news this week that RBS have had to be rescued from disaster using £20 billion of taxpayers’ money yet are still paying out huge bonuses to their traders in the City is seriously taking the mickey. In my opinion, paying their top workers six-figure sums in a period of such uncertainty is beyond ridiculous and seems to be a kick in the face to all of those hardworking small business owners out there who still don’t get any bonuses and are struggling to keep themselves afloat. Six months ago, we were tentatively using the word ‘recession’ to describe the current economic downturn. Now, the word ‘depression’ is considered more appropriate. Is this a sign of things to come?

I was recently talking to Doug Richard, one of the original Dragons on the Dragons’ Den panel, about the economic climate. The last time I saw him was when he made a speech at the WESB (Wales Employment and Skills Board) conference at the Thistle Hotel in Cardiff. What really stood out in his speech is something that Sir Adrian Webb, the Chairman of WESB, also mentioned in his. Can you guys guess how much WAG spends on Further Education per day? If you know, do you think it’s money well spent? Post your answers and comments on my blog and check out my interview with Doug Richard in the next issue of Enterprise magazine.

New and Improved Blog

2009-01-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

WELCOME to the new and improved Enterprise magazine weekly blog with me, Ed Pereira, Editor-in-Chief. 2009 is going to be a huge year for us and through this blog and other significant developments which will follow throughout the year we want to offer even more, and get closer to the most important group of people for us - YOU, our readers.

Each Monday at 12pm, and throughout each week, we will be adding the latest entries to the blog, which is designed to contain up-to-date information about some of the key issues and events as we see them, plus the latest news about how developments at Enterprise and Pear Media (our parent company) can help your organisation. For anyone who is serious about business, enterprise and innovation hopefully these regular updates will form a healthy part of your media diet.

For those who haven't already heard the news, on Monday Gordon Brown announced that the he will be helping 500,000 people into work or work-based training, as the government attempts to stop unemployment increasing further. According to the prime minister employers will be given up to £2,500 for every person they train who has been unemployed for more than six months. This was followed on Wednesday by Business Secretary Peter Mandilson's announcement that the government is providing £20bn of loans to small and medium-sized firms to help them survive the downturn. Effectively, the state will insure banks against companies defaulting on loan payments, in return for a fee. Let's all hope this latest measure really does get small business bank lending moving again because this is a key part of what is needed to help get the economy moving again.

As ever, the devil with such positive sounding such announcements is in the detail. However, we think that this has to come as good news to businesses who are trying to stay afloat whilst dedicating resources to strengthening and developing their operations in harsh economic times. Good luck trying to get your hands on some of that cash!

Next, I'll talk briefly about Blown, a new magazine being published by us at Pear, which focuses on fashion, art, music, design, travel, performance art and literature. The production of Blown has been gathering pace for some time now under the direction of editor Ric Bower, and the first edition will be hitting the streets UK-wide towards the tail end of London Fashion Week. The magazine's branding has undergone some extensive developments recently under the direction of Autografik, our Brand Consultants, and the fresh visual and creative quality of the magazine is something certain to appeal to affluent, stylish and sophisticated cultural cognascenti. Check out the website to find out more: www.blownmag.com

Virgin Media have recently announced that they are now offering 50 Meg broadband Internet connections to subscribers - that's a super-fast connection if you weren't already sure - and as download speeds increase like this new media such as Podcasts, which is something that most people have heard of by now, will get easier to access in real-time speed. At the end of January we will be launching our own monthly Podcast containing informative audio interviews with some of the most prestigious business leaders in the UK. The Podcasts will make great background listening, or maybe something you want to listen to whilst eating your lunch. Whenever and wherever you listen to them, we hope they will give you vital

ideas and information that can help your business grow in 2009.

On an altogether different note, I recently had the pleasure of dining at Wales' only Russian restaurant, Swan Lake, in Newport. It's an absolutely blinding combination of high-quality authentic Russian food, outstanding presentation and great service, and I went for the Sibirsky Borsch, the wild boar for main course, then the obvious Swan Lake desert, all washed down with Russian Baltika Beer. If you haven't been already check out their website - www.swanlakenewport.com - and I may well see you there at some point soon.
Finally, if you would like to have your say on anything I have discussed hear please feel free to let us and the rest of our readers know what you think and post a comment below.

Ed.

2008 Ed Awards

2008-12-17T03:47:00.000-08:00

As the year draws to a close I've been left with one thought on my mind.... where did I spend most of my 2008? By tracing back my credit card receipts I can categorically tell you that it was mainly eating, drinking and traveling. So in honour of my misspent year I have launched my annual Ed Awards.

My 2008 awards are as follows:

Best Restaurant: Illtuds 216, in Llantwit Major. The restaurant, opened by chef-patron Georg Fuchs upon leaving the St Davids Hotel & Spa, has lived up to expectations every time I've visited. With a great front of house team Georg and his wife Einar have created a gem of a restaurant which mixes Austrian childhood influences with great local Welsh produce.

Best Mixologists: For those of you who know me, you will know that a Mojito is never far away from my hand. For the best mojitos indeed the best cocktails in town, head to BA Orient in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff. Now I'm aware that this place has been around a while but even after extensive research I have not found a place to match the quality of the cocktails! Their only downside stems from the waiting time when the place is busy.

Best after work drinking establishment: With its low cavernous ceiling and a great 2for1 cocktail deal Pica Pica very quickly found itself as the leading after work drinks venue. Great Tapas too.

Best Friday Night drinking venue: Has to be the Laguna Bar at the Park Plaza. Now I know that lately it's been filling up with a few undesirables but it still is in my mind the best place to start a Friday nights de-stress session. Big commendations goes to the staff, always friendly, always polite, always professional and never pushy.

Best country house boutique hotel: A very late comer to the list but well worth the award, The Grove in Narbeth blew me away for its location, its design ethos and the great nature of the owners. A fabulous place designed for a fabulous weekend away.

Best country Restaurant: The Polyn, in Carmarthenshire still rocks. You cannot beat its food ethics, the great welcome, the great ambience and the great bread!

Best European Club: Luzerna Club It's a sweaty, dungeon like club under a shopping arcade in Prague playing 70's,80's and 90's music on a large video screen to crazy Czech locals (no British lager tourists here!) but my God does it rock! The best place in town for that Eastern Bloc party experience. It's also very conveniently located in front of the SAS Radisson, an amazing Art Deco hotel (it's name belies its design status).

Best Airline: Bmi Baby

My fave airline by far this year, for a whole host of reasons but mainly for the fact that they have the best customer services of any of the low-cost airlines and the overall passenger experience beats its competitors hands down. Great destinations too!

Best Airport: Cardiff

Well what can I say? It really is the best for traveling experience. The car park is close. The queues are shorter than any other airport, the executive lounge rocks... and it's close to home!

Best Cardiff Club: Now I am fully aware this is going to cause an outrage... but my award goes to Oceana! Now I know what you're thinking.... but hear me out... it's all about having good non-pretentious fun... but when you've had enough you can always retreat to the VIP balcony and suites. Perfect for that Saturday night out with the lads.

I am fully aware that the above could cause some agitation amongst some of you, so please feel free to leave comments with your alternative choices to the above awards. More awards to follow....

2008-12-17T03:37:00.000-08:00

Well... here I am ready start blogging again after some time away. What can you the reader expect from my blog?... I'll be giving you an insight into the Welsh Publishing and Business scene as well as a window into the life of the editor of Enterprise and Welsh Living Magazine.