High Street Heroes


Book Description

WHEN BUSINESSMAN John Timpson started his retailing career in 1960, there were no supermarkets, no out-of-town shopping centres and not even a hint of internet shopping. The British high street was full of made-to-measure tailors and traditional grocers. Among the household names were Mac Fisheries, Dewhurst, John Collier and Timothy Whites & Taylors. In this enjoyable new book, Timpson shows how successive generations of forward-thinking shopkeepers and inspirational entrepreneurs have led the major retailers through a period of rapid change – people such as Ken Morrison, Ralph Halpern, Terence Conran and Anita Roddick, without whom our high streets would have looked very different. This unique survey – from a man who knows a few things about success in retail – paints a compelling, personal and vivid picture of how shops have changed over the last 100 years and reveals who Timpson thinks has had the biggest influence on the shape of shopping in the 'retail revolution' that we have witnessed since the 1970s.




Remembering the High Street


Book Description

A nostalgic trip down the British high street, remembering once famous names such as Woolworths, Athena and C&A and also featuring current favorites, including the ubiquitous Tesco and Marks & Spencer which started life as a penny market stall to become a retail giant that has had to adapt to survive. Full of fact boxes and quirky facts about much-loved shops and the people behind them just who was W.H. Smith and what did those famous initials stand for? A fascinating book which charts the rise and, in too many cases, fall of our favorite shops.There used to be butcher, baker, grocer, greengrocer, draper, Boots, ironmonger (hardware), pub, WH Smith, cafe, bank, Freeman Hardy and Willis, jeweler, Marks and Spencer, furniture shop, hotel, bookseller, off license, haberdasher, Woolworth's, confectioner, cobbler, tobacconist, electrical showroom, Burton's, gas showroom, ladies' fashions, gentlemen's outfitters, and more, and maybe a department store, and several versions of some. What do we have now? Pound shop, charity (thrift) shop, building society branch, betting shop, coffee shop, charity shop, shop boarded up, building society branch, sandwich shop, shop boarded up, kebab takeaway, charity shop, card shop, Indian takeaway, mobile phone shop - we exaggerate but make the point. So what has gone wrong - if it is wrong? The author discusses these and many other topics, and answers hundreds of burning questions. Whatever happened to the Home and Colonial, Timothy White's, Lipton's, the District Bank, the Fifty Shilling Tailor? Who were Jesse Boot, Montague Burton, W H Smith? How did the Co-op start? Whatever happened to all those things we used to buy in those shops in the high street - Balkan Sobranie, Caley Tray, Oxydol, Phillips Stick-a-soles, Icilma Cream, Mansion Polish, Mrs Peek's Puddings? Does any girl still dream of going to work in her Maidenform bra?




Problems in Marketing


Book Description

Fully revised and updated, Problems in Marketing includes over 50 new problems. This varied and challenging collection of problems has been written as a learning aid to any marketing textbook. The problems cover a wide range of marketing practice, each problem concentrating on a single concept or technique of marketing management. Problems begin with a full introduction to the concept followed by explicit instructions for solving them. This leads directly to a series of discussion questions to further enhance the application of each problem. Solutions are also available to lecturers by clicking on the companion website logo above.




Keys to Success


Book Description

John Timpson, Chairman of the eponymous British high street chain, knows a thing or two about running a successful business. Over many years he revolutionised how his firm worked, developing his philosophy of upside-down management, and has reaped the rewards – the Timpson group (which includes the Snappy Snaps and Max Spielmann chains). Timpson, whose weekly Daily Telegraph column and regular media appearances have made him a well-known business commentator, here shares his secrets. Full of actionable advice, Timpson’s Top Business Tips is a step-by- step MBA for business women and men who need results now. From encouraging flexible working, having a happy index and a great bonus scheme to the importance of checking the cash on hand every day and planning for disaster scenarios; from why you should never make decisions at meetings to the value of a mentor – even when you’re at the top – these are essential markers on your roadmap to business success, whatever business you’re in.




Ask John


Book Description

John Timpson CBE is one of the UK's most successful businessmen. He is Chairman of the eponymous high street cobblers, key cutters, engravers and watch repairers, with more than 1,300 branches throughout the UK and Ireland and a turnover of £180m. John is hugely admired across the business world for the 'Upside Down Management' techniques that put the growth of the business in the hands of its employees – or of John's colleagues, as they are called. John's Daily Telegraph column, 'Ask John', has been dispensing straight-talking, no-nonsense business advice for more than five years. This book collects and expands the very best from that column for the first time. From why low cost will never be a real substitute for proper customer service to the etiquette of employing interns, John's honest, common-sense business advice should be required reading for anyone running a business – whatever the size.




A Fashion Retailer’s Guide to Thriving in Turbulent Times


Book Description

By raising questions and providing scenarios for success, this book embraces fashion brand development in current turbulent retail environments. A brand must have an essence; it needs to respect a philosophy, abide by values and follow clear processes. A brand’s success and sustainability follow specific rules, nonetheless for fashion brands. But do fashion brand management rules apply in today’s turbulent times? Acknowledging and going beyond branding theory, this book challenges knowledge and practices that have been guiding fashion retail brands for many years. Co-written by an academic researcher and a retail consultant with 30 years of experience, this practical guide offers not a process that fashion brands must follow, but potential avenues for survival in today’s retail market and facing today’s customers. Professionals and students of fashion retailing and branding will appreciate the detailed case studies that illustrate revisited concepts and thought-provoking suggestions on how to make decisions for an uncertain future.




From Bags to Blenders


Book Description

This is a book about success and how to achieve it. While there are many books about eminent retailers, From Bags to Blenders tells the story from a different angle – from the point of view of a supplier. Gordon Black’s career at Peter Black spanned over 40 years. He led a team with his brother which built a substantial business with sales of approximately £300 million and 3,000 employees. His revealing book faces up to the difficulties of supplying retailers today, and contrasts that with the close and fruitful relationship the Blacks enjoyed in the 1980s and 1990s with their main customer, Marks & Spencer. This fascinating and amusing book explains why the biggest challenge in building a successful company is the development of a culture of teamwork and passion for the business while, at the same time, avoiding arrogance and taking advice from those with experience. In Gordon’s opinion, exiting a business is as big a challenge as building a business. He pinpoints the different options and the pitfalls to be avoided, and emphasises the need for first-class products: ‘You can have the most modern factories and the best systems, but, without the right product, you’re dead!’




Green is the New Black


Book Description

For girls who care about global warming, and next season's hot looks, Green is the New Black is a must-have accessory. Does our shopping addiction contribute to climate change? What's so special about organic cotton? Who are the real fashion victims behind the £3 jeans? From the truth about fast fashion to the best biodegradable shoes, from guilt-free spending sprees to the joys of swishing parties, Tamsin Blanchard is your guide to all things fairtrade and fabulous. She explains the principles of ethical fashion, from why it matters to how to do it. Offers tips for the aspiring green goddess: including how to knit your own scarf, seduction in eco-couture, the best places to shop for vintage sunglasses, and ethical bling. And includes fun facts and essential directories on every aspect of sustainable stylish living. With fashion secrets from celebrity friends, Green is the New Black is the chicest, greenest survival manual around. If you want to change the world, and your wardrobe, don't go shopping without it.