TRADE secretary Liam Fox appears to have got back in his box following his comments about British business being fat, lazy and too keen to play golf on a Friday afternoon.
The comments were pretty idiotic and ill-thought out.
For a man facing the Himalayan task of helping negotiate Britain’s trade position post Brexit, he probably thought he’d focus on a target close to home, rather than spend time on the challenging role he faces.
There are lazy people in every profession. In business, particularly if you run your own company, laziness is not recommended as you won’t be in business very long.
I’ve always thought that you can spend a lifetime in business and meet many people that you respect. If you are fortunate you will only come across the odd bad apple.
Bob Stott was one of the good guys in business.
The former chief executive of Morrisons died this week at the far too young age of 73.
I got to know Bob quite well during the supermarket group’s takeover of larger rival Safeway. He spent 30 years with the Bradford-based grocer and was a right hand man to Sir Ken Morrison and stepped up to become CEO post the Safeway deal when Sir Ken became chairman.
He was modest, charming and cared about people.
Where Sir Ken used to get frustrated and annoyed with the criticism of his company from the City during the takeover of Safeway, Bob couldn’t quite understand why analysts and journalists would be so vicious in their sniping at Morrisons.
Anyway, he and Sir Ken had the last laugh and proved the City wrong by successfully integrating its larger rival to create Britain’s fourth biggest supermarket chain.
Huddersfield-born Bob joined the board of the Rugby Football League as a non-executive director after he retired from Morrisons and loved his cricket.
He once told me his big claim to fame was a hat-trick against Pudsey St Lawrence in the Pudsey Cup. Although he immediately added:
“Mind you, as my wife reminds me, whenever I went in to bat, they put the kettle on!”
I remember at the time he told me: “My philosophy is if you don’t enjoy what you do in life, you try to find something else.”
Wise words from a wise and thoroughly decent gentleman.
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ANOTHER man who believes you should do the right thing in business is Gordon Black.
Gordon, whose family founded Peter Black, has just written a book about his 50 years in business called From Bags to Blenders: The Journey of a Yorkshire Businessman.
It tells the story of the family business started by his father, a Jewish immigrant who, witnessing the rise of the Nazis in his native Germany, moved to Britain in 1935 and set up his eponymous firm in 1947 selling shopping bags made from left-over military webbing.
It grew quickly to employ 3,000 people and turnover £300m, making slippers and toiletries and becoming a major supplier to Marks & Spencer and more recently Gordon has been involved in High Street TV, which sells everything from Zumba workouts to the Nutribullet blender.
I popped along to the offices of law firm Clarion in Leeds last week where Gordon was launching the book.
It was attended by friends, family and many former colleagues in business, including Garry Wilson and Darren Forshaw of Endless, who backed the management buyout of the business by Gordon and chief executive Stephen Lister in 2006.
They completed a successful sale of the business to Hong Kong conglomerate Li & Fung less than a year later, a deal that helped put Endless on the map.
Stephen Lister, who is still working with Li & Fung, was also at the event. I’m sure the Chinese investors have welcomed his down-to-earth Yorkshire common sense.
In the book Gordon takes issue with the “state of war” that exists in British retail culture today and in a question and answer session he made quite clear his distaste for the actions of modern-day tycoons like Sir Philip Green and Mike Ashley.
He takes issue with “flash in the pan, egotistical bosses” calling for a return to core business values that stress the team not the individual, steady and solid growth and giving something back to the community.
He reflects on the “virtuous circle” that Peter Black and other suppliers had in their dealings with Marks & Spencer under Marcus Sieff.
“M&S developed and maintained a long term relationship with their key suppliers based on mutual loyalty and integrity…this environment gave their major suppliers the confidence to invest in state-of-the-art production facilities which enabled them to manufacture the best products on the market,” he reflects in the book, wondering if more retailers today had this approach then they might avoid the problems many are facing.
Rather than letting things end on a negative note, I asked Gordon who he admires in today’s retail sector.
He said the likes of John Lewis and Next are great examples of retailers who are run well and still do things the right way.
It would be nice if more names could be added to that list.
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WITH no hangover and a spring in my step, I rose early last Saturday morning to head up to one of the most beautiful and unspoilt corners of Yorkshire.
Middleham, the county’s racehorse capital, is home to more than a dozen stables including Foulrice Park Racing owned by Colin and Ailsa Stirling and where trainer Patrick Holmes is based.
My company, COPA, had auctioned off a Race Horse Owner for a Day experience at the Lord’s Taverners Balloon Debate and successful bidder, William Whitaker, of historic family firm Whitakers Chocolates and his guests had chosen to visit the stables last Saturday followed by a trip to Catterick race course where two of the horses from the Foulrice yard were running.
Middleham is one of those places which looks good rain, snow or shine, but Saturday’s stunning sunny weather sprinkled an extra magic on the day.
After a bacon sandwich and cuppa and chat with the team at the yard, our guests were driven up to the gallops to watch the horses working out.
On the High Moor gallops, gazing over miles of glorious Yorkshire countryside, you feel like you are on top of the world.
More cracking views were on hand along with great food at the nearby Saddle Room where our guests stopped for lunch before Mark Bowman of Yorkshire-based executive car service wechauffeur.co.uk drove them to Catterick where they had owners and trainers passes and a chance to see behind the scenes at a thriving Yorkshire racecourse.
With the sun shining and pink champagne waiting in an ice bucket in the owners and trainers lounge, our guests enjoyed their afternoon and a trip to the parade ring to see Foulrice’s horse Munjally, which was running in the last race.
Never underestimate Yorkshire initiative. It turns out they had doubled their chances of success in the race, as property entrepreneur Phil Taylor, of Oakapple and the man behind the renowned Firecracker Ball, had a horse called Mango Chutney running too.
A quick exchange of text messages and Phil, who was otherwise engaged, said our guests should go up and collect the trophy should his horse triumph.
It did and they indeed went up to be presented with the winning trophy.
Whether I can arrange for everyone who joins us on our Race Horse Owner for a Day experience to go home a winner is a challenge.
But a chauffeur-driven visit to glorious Middleham, the welcome at Foulrice, lunch at the Saddle Room and a trip to one of Yorkshire’s buzzing race courses should certainly prove a day out that leaves everyone feeling like a winner.
Drop me a line if you fancy it.
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IT’S the big question you must answer if you are a politician and get interviewed by the website Mumsnet: What is your favourite biscuit?
The most recent interviewee was Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who answered in a way only he can.
Said Jezza: “I’m totally anti-sugar on health grounds, so eat very few biscuits. But if forced to accept one, it’s always a pleasure to have a shortbread.”
What a Hob Nob.
Other politicians interviewed by Mumsnet include David Cameron who likes oatcakes with butter and cheese, Ed Miliband (Jaffa Cake) and Nick Clegg (Rich Tea if dunked. Hob Nobs if not).
When I was doing my history A level we had a teacher, Mr Neville, who, when we studied European history, declared: “Now we will look at the rise of the Bourbon Monarchy. That is spelt Bourbon, as in biscuit.”
Some weeks later we had moved onto the Italian Risorgimento and Mr Neville informed us that a central figure in this was the nationalist Giuseppe Garibaldi.
“Is that Garibaldi, as in biscuit?” I asked him innocently.
“Don’t be clever Parkin,” he replied.
I ended up getting an E at A level and had to retake the exam at the local sixth form college.
But I never forgot Garibaldi.
Well it’s always going to be currant, innit.
Have a great weekend.
Always an enjoyable read on a Friday David. Thank you for sharing! I’m surprised no one likes Nice biscuits!