EP Business in Hospitality Issue 48 - January 2014

Issue 48 January 2014 £5.00
EPBusiness in Hospitality
The business
of Lucknam
A conversation with Harry Murray MBE

WELCOME
EPBusiness in Hospitality
Front cover
From left to right Harry Murray
Photography Nick Dawe
Editor
info@epmagazine.co.uk
EP, 26 Carnaby Street, London W1F 7DF UK
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alexander.crawley@archantdialogue.co.uk
Print
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Photography
Nick Dawe email@nickdawe.co.uk
© 2014 EP magazine is owned by Chess
Executive Ltd. Every effort is made to ensure
the accuracy of the information contained in
the publication.
Reproduction or use of this material without
permission of Chess Executive Ltd is prohibited.
The opinions expressed herein are not
necessarily those of the editor/publisher.
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@En_Passant_
Spreading
our wings
The editorial team are four months
into our new remits and what an
amazing journey it has already
been. There are so many great
stories, opportunities and debating
topics. No one could ever doubt just
how vibrant the industry is. As we
look ahead, one of our objectives is
to broaden the breadth of features
and issues that we cover, to ask new
questions and look at businesses
that we have not done in the past.
We believe this issue will show the
first signs of this change.
We talk to three leading female
entrepreneurs, from Amelia Harvey
of The Collective Diary, to Donna
Ida Thornton, the creator of Donna
Ida denim boutiques, and Emma
Little of ExecSpace. All are market leaders in their own fields. We also listen to
Jason Oakley, Commercial Director at Metro Bank, about their new banking
concept, which brings a culture of hospitality into their world.
Returning to the industry, we met with Harry Murray MBE, Chairman of
Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa and recipient of The AA Lifetime Achievement
Award 2013-2014. Harry discusses his goal of making Lucknam Park the best
country house hotel in the land. We talked to the founders of Creativevents,
Adrian and Ian Willson, about their growth and recent JV with MITIE PLC.
Along with our regular features, we are also pleased to welcome Graeme
Smith, Partner at Zolfo Cooper. Graeme discusses the latest report published
by Zolfo Cooper on the fastest growing independent foodservice providers and
its implications for the sector. The findings are both surprising and interesting.
We also seek to discuss interesting questions such as why, as modern
communications become faster and faster, is there a desire for more personal
contact and old-fashioned values? We look at the expansion of UK business into
Ireland and why the likes of JD Wetherspoon are planning to open 30 pubs in the
Republic. And we discuss the return to the fore of the English afternoon tea.
How has it evolved?
The evolution of EP has certainly picked up pace and, as we emerge from the
recession, the stories for 2014 are too.
JAZ NOTAY
Editor
MEET THE TEAM
CHRIS SHEPPARDSON SARA STEWART NICK SHEPPARDSON NICOLE THOMPSON MIRIAM STALEY ARLENE MCCAFFREY LINN VISLIE
EP | January 14 | 3

“Afternoon tea for most
is synonymous with
decadence and a decent
portion of indulgence”
ANYONE FOR TEA? P26
REGULARS.
40 Entrepreneurs leading the way
Champion in the chiller: we speak to Amelia Harvey and
Mike Hodgson, directors, The Dairy Collective
OPINION.
11 The Enterprise Investment Scheme
By Peter Davies, WMT Accountants
18 Zero-hours contracts
By Adam Taylor, Joelson Wilson LLP
31 The changing face of foodservice
By Graeme Smith, Zolfo Cooper Corporate Finance
36 Social video 101
By Ben Hayes, BORN SOCIAL
43 Technical Determination and Expansion for 2014
By Mike Day, CEO, IndiCater
50 The old ways … still in vogue
By Chris Sheppardson, EP magazine
BUSINESS.
6 The British Banking Revolution
Jason Oakley, Metro Bank’s Commercial Director
8 UK Hospitality Confidence Monitor
A quarterly survey of business opinion in the
hospitality industry
13 Never a dull moment
Adrian and Ian Willson, founders and directors
of Creativevents
16 UK business in Ireland
A discussion of trade links between the UK and Ireland
and the opportunities for investors in hospitality on both
sides of the Irish Sea
4 | January 14 | EP

CONTENTS
20 A better kind of different
Peter Davies, COO, Harris & Hoole
25 Checking On
George Craig and Terry Edwards, founders, Check On
28 From Denmark with love
Rasmus Bo Bojesen, Founder, Oialla
34 A grand revival
Jeremy Robson, owner-operator, The Great Northern Hotel
37 Employing the best
Talking about diversity with Andy Kemp, group sales
director, 3663
38 Against the odds
Emma Little, founder, ExecSpace
44 A tall order
Stefan Cordiner, co-founder, Lime&Tonic
48 Jeans genie
Donna Ida, founder, IDA Jeans
PEOPLE.
22 The business of Lucknam
Harry Murray MBE, Chairman, Lucknam Park
MANAGEMENT.
10 Master of my own destiny
By Oliver Brown, Fleming’s
32 Making the right impression
By Carla Cringle, Fizz Pop Bang
47 Think before you lead
By Miriam Staley, founder, Make Waves
SPECIAL FEATURE
26 Anyone for tea?
EP explores the tea revival occurring across London
EP | January 14 | 5

Metro Bank sees itself
as different from
traditional banks
through its “unique
customer-focused
retail business model, reinventing the
rules of retail banking, making every
effort to offer simpler and more
convenient banking”. With stores
operating longer hours, seven days a
week, Metro Bank’s customer service
can rival any good hospitality
establishment. The bank’s strategy is
about creating colour and experience.
As you enter a store you are welcomed
by a customer service representative,
who shakes your hand and takes you
to a seating area. They even have
lollipops for children and water
and biscuits for dogs.
Metro Bank was founded by an
American, Vernon Hill, who is also
the Chairman. Vernon knows and
understands retail banking. He
founded American bank Commerce
Bancorp (known as Commerce Bank)
in 1973, which he sold for $8.5 billion
in 2007. Prior to Commerce Bank,
Vernon worked with McDonald’s,
sourcing and developing new sites.
Commerce Bank has won numerous
retail banking awards and Vernon has
been credited with revolutionising
American Banking. Can he repeat the
same success with Metro Bank in the
UK? Vernon certainly feels “the
appetite for a new bank in the UK is
far greater than that in America”.
5 March 2010 was the day that
Metro Bank PLC was granted its
licence by the FSA. Four months later,
on 29 July, Metro Bank opened its first
store in Holborn. Since then the
business has grown to 22 stores, with
plans to increase to 24 by the end of
2013 and 200 by 2020. By mid-2013,
Metro Bank had 200,000 customers,
including 15,000 business accounts
and 850 employees. Transactions at
the Holborn store have reached
40,000 a month, which annualised
are equivalent to a mature bank
in the US. The UK appetite is
certainly there!
So what are the factors that have
contributed to Metro Bank’s success?
Jason believes it’s the bank’s
“relationship-led approach, face-toface
contact, direct line into your
branch and our commitment to
customer service all the way through
to the end, not just the front end- and
longer-term committed finance. When
customers require significant
investment, you need continuity of
funding; you need a longer-term
THE BRITISH
BANKING
REVOLUTION
Metro Bank is the first new high street bank in over
100 years and is the new patron of British banking.
However, with losses of around £100 million to date,
is it really changing the market? JAZ NOTAY met with
Metro Bank’s Commercial Director, JASON OAKLEY
6 |January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
horizon to get the return on your
investment. We see ourselves as
the entrepreneur’s bank and our
customers have built up their business
from inception, but are still very much
the decision-makers and what they
want from their bank is someone with
the same level of decision-making,
proactivity and responsiveness.”
Jason says he “spends a significant
part of his week with customers as it is
a core part of our model to spend time
with the entrepreneurs and really
understand their objectives and their
business and build a joint approach.
It makes such a difference and
customers really like that intimacy.”
Timing of entry into the UK market
has also contributed to Metro Bank’s
successes. The British public had lost
faith in the traditional banks due to
a series of scandals, PPI, derivative
mis-selling, government bailouts
and money laundering. But since
there were so few players, and all
have been tarnished, Metro Bank was
almost seen as a breath of fresh air.
“Our model is a clean model; we
offer loans, make deposits and
traditional banking services. Some
of our competitors, in their desire to
broaden their offering, have gone into
pensions, investments, life cover, etc.
and this has its own set of issues. We
have a simple range of products and
we don’t have any product sales
targets – it’s all service led. What you
tend to find is if you offer great
service, customers trust you and
you build a good relationship. You
look after your customers and they
will keep banking with you.” Metro
Bank has no desire to diversify into
offering products such as pensions,
insurance and investment funds,
due to the risk associated with
misalignment of customer
interests and the bank.
Seeing an opportunity to offer
more traditional services the company
“The appetite for
a new bank in the
UK is far greater
than in America”
has begun offering Safety Deposit
boxes – the uptake for which has been
phenomenal, with almost all boxes
having been sold already. While HSBC
have disbanded their Asian business
unit and diverted customers back
into normal portfolios, Metro Bank is
about to launch their Asian business
unit for Indian, Pakistani and
Bangladeshi customers. They want to
get closer to the community and add
value. In July, the bank acquired SME
Invoice Finance, a provider of
alternative forms of finance and
working capital to small and mediumsized
businesses. SME was a “great
cultural fit”, and has meant the bank is
able to offer an enhanced proposition
to their SME customers by providing
additional services such as asset
finance and debt finance.
Customer service is a key part of
Metro Bank’s strategic proposition.
This commences in the recruitment
process, where the selection criteria
requires all potential employees to be
genuinely customer orientated and
have a real desire to want to help
customers. Every experience is seen
as an opportunity to enhance the
relationship. “There are training
programmes to foster and nurture
customer service, which is important
for every employee. It’s about
providing excellent customer service
externally as well as internally. I’ve
worked in this industry for over 30
years, and this is the most positive
culture I have experienced. I know a
lot of banks talk about being customer
orientated, but it’s in our DNA. We
want to provide a retail-led experience
and we measure ourselves against
the likes of John Lewis and Apple, we
don’t measure ourselves against the
likes of other banks, as they are not
sufficiently challenging enough for the
service experience. We want to be the
best in the industry for service, not
just banking.”
What have been the biggest
challenges to break into the British
market? “You need to get to a certain
size and scale to get visibility. We can
relate to entrepreneurs because four
years ago we didn’t exist and had the
same growing pains when building
our business from scratch. What’s
really encouraging is the level of brand
awareness – we are getting a lot of
customers through word of mouth.
There’s a level of momentum and
growth, which gives us a real sense
of confidence.”
Many growing businesses tend
to suffer due to insufficient resources,
funds, manpower, etc. or they do not
have the infrastructure in place to
cope. Metro Bank have taken steps
to avoid this risk by rolling out in
phases – slower at the beginning
and accelerating over time.
“It is a geared model, as the first
stores have become profitable and
that allows increased investment.”
Store openings have been
concentrated in London and the
South East, as the store network
supports each other, which
facilitates the growth.
The Metro Bank concept is new
and refreshing, but it comes at a
cost. The bank has reported losses
of £100 million in the three years to
July 2013. So when does the bank
envisage making a profit and bringing
value to its shareholders? “Our
growth is ahead of plan and there
is an appetite to continue to support
the brand and its growth.”
With aggressive expansion plans,
can Metro Bank continue to provide
customers an unrivalled service and
give shareholders a lucrative return
on their investment? Only time will
tell, but it will no doubt be an
interesting journey. •
EP | January 14 | 7

UK Hospitality
Confidence
The UK Hospitality Confidence Monitor
is a quarterly survey for businesses to
report their experience of the market
and their outlook for the future.
Commentary
This survey continued to show the
optimistic trend first seen in the Q2
survey. The most upbeat responses
were in regard to increasing like-for-like
turnover (3.9 compared with Q3 3.7)
and looking to expand your business
(4.0, which is the same as Q3).
Gross margins continued to improve
(3.5 compared with Q3 3.3), as did spend
per customer (3.3 compared with Q3 3.1),
Supplementary
Questions
Are you seeing clear signs of the long
promised recovery?
Yes 83%
No 17%
In your experience, are banks more
willing to lend to businesses than a
year ago?
Yes 76%
No 24%
Should the government be doing more
to address the continued squeeze on
living standards (e.g. the recent 10%
increase in energy bills) or should it
leave well alone?
Do more 69%
Leave alone 31%
which tentatively suggests that customers
are at last prepared to spend a little more
each visit.
This view is reinforced by cost pressures
easing slightly (3.2 compared with Q3
2.8). This survey question has usually
drawn the most negative responses and
so for even this to become mildly positive
is good news.
Are you seeing clear signs of the longpromised
recovery?
Eighty-three percent of respondents said
that they saw signs of the recovery, but
many were guarded in their optimism.
One wrote:
“Things feel better, but there are so
many unknowns that haven’t been sorted
out economically. One hopes it’s not a
mirage.” Another commented:
“Still early to believe that it is recovering.
The short-term forecasts for Q1 2014 are
still soft. Issues such as the shutdown in
the US have not helped long-term
confidence. This may just be a blip.”
And a couple of caveats were made on
this general optimism. One commented
that while the recovery was real it was
somewhat concentrated: “mainly in the
south and south east of England”, while
another noted that: “October hasn’t
performed well.”
Should the government be doing more
to address the continued squeeze on
living standards (e.g. the recent 10%
increase in energy bills) or should it
leave well alone?
Sixty-nine percent of respondents did
think that the government should do
more to address living standards.
However, there was some nervousness
about politicians getting involved in
energy prices, other than to reduce
the burden of green taxes. One
respondent commented:
“We are a free market economy and
chose to privatise utilities two decades ago.”
And another agreed with the idea of
the government helping hard-pressed
consumers on energy prices, “but not
a price freeze”.
Several comments felt that the
burden of taxation, both energy
related and elsewhere, needed
to be reduced:
“Green energy taxes should not
be pursued any further. The nuclear
option provides us with energy security.
There’s growing concern also with the
transfer of costs to the private sector
through increased S106 contributions,
CIL and EMRO’s [Construction and
licensing taxes] among others.”
Another wrote succinctly: “Reduce
Taxes, Reduce Rates.”
In your experience, are banks more
willing to lend to businesses than a
year ago?
Seventy-six percent of respondents
agreed that bank finance was easier to
obtain, but there were dissenting voices,
including one respondent who wrote:
“You are joking surely.”
And finally one respondent talked
about the strength of the Central London
hotel market: “Demand in London
continues to be very buoyant. The
predictions of a post Olympic slump in
demand have proved to be incorrect and
the increase in supply in Central London
has not impacted on overall revpar.” •
8 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
Core business trends and opinion
from hospitality leaders during
the fourth quarter of 2013
Monitor Q3
THE SURVEY RESULTS BY QUESTION
Respondents were asked to respond to questions as to their current trading conditions and future
prospects and these were collated in numerical form, with very good results/outlook=5, good=4, the
same/average=3, poor=2 and very poor=1. The collated average results to each question are given below,
with any result above 3 being positive and under 3 negative.
Current trading conditions
Future prospects
3.7
Q4 2013
VS Q3 2013
3.8
Q4 2013
VS Q4 2012
3.2
PASSING ON COST
TO CUSTOMERS
4.0
LOOKING TO EXPAND
NEXT QUARTER
1) How does business performance in Q4 2013
compare with:
a) the last quarter, Q3 2013? 3.7 (previous 3.7)
b) the same time last year, Q4 2012? 3.8
(previous 3.8)
2) How is your like-for-like turnover performing?
3.9 (previous 3.7)
3) How is your spend per customer? 3.3 (previous 3.1)
4) How is your gross profit margin? 3.5 (previous 3.3)
5) How are staffing levels? 3.3 (previous 3.1)
6) Are you more optimistic than three months ago?
3.6 (previous 3.9)
7) Are you looking to expand your business in the
next quarter? 4.0 (previous 4.0)
8) To what extent are you able to pass on cost
increases to your customers? 3.2 (previous 2.8)
9) Future staffing levels? 3.8 (previous 3.5)
EP | January 14 | 9

MANAGEMENT
In 1997, the Worshipful Company
of Innholders with the Savoy
Educational Trust launched
the Master Innholders
Scholarship programme to aid
the development of hotel managers.
Those who are lucky enough to be
awarded a scholarship are then invited
to join the alumni, which are known as
the St Julian Scholars. There are now
approximately 200 scholars.
One becomes a St Julian Scholar once
one graduates from the programme and
the alumni has become a leading, though
specialised, network of many great role
models. Enormous credit is due to both
the Worshipful Company of Innholders
and the Savoy Educational Trust for their
continued commitment, as well as the
Master Innholders Charitable Trust and
the Rocco Forte Foundation.
The goal of the scholarships is to grow
and open our doors far wider and attract
an increasing number to go through the
programme. The commitment to
developing the talent that sits within
our ranks is as strong as ever and the
question is: how can we open our doors
and encourage those with the talent to
go through the programme?
What does the programme offer?
The programmes are built round short
courses developed with three of the
leading management schools: Cranfield
University, Cornell University and Ecole
hôtelière de Lausanne. Once a scholar
joins the St Julian Scholars alumni, the
support does not stop there as there is a
mentoring scheme in place whereby a
scholar is paired with a Master Innholder,
who will provide guidance and advice.
As we seek to broaden our horizons,
maybe one of the drawbacks is that we
are seen as a club and there is nothing
wrong with that – but we would like to
ensure that we are inclusive and
encouraging the talent of tomorrow.
We want to give back. We want to support
the principle of continuous professional
development and we would like to
actively engage to increase our support
to those that are interested.
If I look at how it has benefited me,
it is hard to say where I would be now if
I had not received a scholarship. Without
giving away too many secrets, Cranfield
made me look at myself as a person as
well as a hotel manager, ensured that
Master
of my own
destiny
OLIVER BROWN tells EP about the St Julian
Scholarship programme, including how
it developed his own career
I understood how I was perceived and
enabled me to act and improve.
Being the son of a successful and
well-known hotel manager had its
advantages at the start of my career; it
helped to open doors for me at the Ritz,
then the Dorchester, Blooms Townhouse
(my first hotel management role) and
then the Colonnade in Maida Vale. It was
at this time in my career I realised that
I did not have a mentor to rely on for
advice and that I needed some proper
management training and the
scholarships were introduced to me.
It was the scholarships and then the
alumni that kick-started my development,
giving me the professional development
I had been lacking, but also introducing
me to a network that until then I had not
been a part of.
After a few years on the Committee
I am now the Chairman of the alumni
and I am excited to take over an alumni
that is flourishing. Networking and
continued personal development is
at the heart of what we do.
We want to build both the scholarship
and the alumni. We are all passionate
and committed to the industry and
we are working to expand our reach. •
10 | January 14 | EP

PETER DAVIES OPINION
The Enterprise
Investment Scheme
… providing very tax-efficient funding
The UK economy continues to show positive
signs of recovery, however traditional bank
lending is lagging behind fast-paced commercial
activity. In this difficult market, hospitality
operators are taking advantage of the Enterprise
Investment Scheme (EIS) to raise funds and
attract investment. As much as 12 percent of all EIS
funding is thought to have been secured by the sector.
What is EIS?
EIS is a government-sponsored scheme providing
generous tax reliefs for investors making equity
investments in small and medium-sized companies.
Tax relief
Income tax relief is available to investors at a rate of 30
percent offset against income tax liabilities. While there
is no minimum investment amount the maximum
annual allowance is £1 million. If an investor qualifies
for income tax relief, future gains on the shares are tax
free. Capital gains tax deferral on existing gains can also
be available if funds are reinvested into the EIS.
“As much as 12% of all EIS
funding [has] been secured
by the hospitality sector”
Qualifying for EIS
To qualify for EIS the company must either be carrying
on a qualifying trade or be preparing to do so. Some
trades or activities don’t qualify, but the operation of
restaurants, bars, pubs or hotels can, potentially. The
main rules and restrictions are:
• The company must be unquoted and the shares
must be issued for genuine commercial purposes.
• The company’s gross assets must not exceed
£15 million prior to any EIS shares issued and
£16 million thereafter.
• The company cannot employ more than 250 people
and no more than £5 million of funding can be raised
by the company per year.
• The EIS company cannot be a subsidiary of another
company and should not have any subsidiary that
undertakes non-qualifying activities.
How EIS can work for you – a case study
A London-based restaurant used EIS for start-up
funding. The concern has been so successful that
a further round of funding is being considered to establish
a second outlet and prepare for a franchise model.
Using equity finance has strengthened the balance
sheet and eliminated interest costs.
The success of the original venture has been
such that in the second funding round shares in
the company will be issued at a premium so that
the proprietors will have to dilute less of their equity.
The rules regarding the EIS regime are strict
and advice should be sought before any funding
is arranged.
Your investor
Your investor must meet the following key conditions
to be able to claim EIS tax relief:
• They must not be connected with the company.
• They must hold shares for at least three years.
• They must not be an employee or director of the
company (with the exception of business ‘Angels’,
who may be appointed to the board of directors
after investment).
• They cannot own more than 30 percent of
the shares or loan capital of the company.
• They must not have more than 30 percent
voting control.
• There are strict rules attached to investors and their
associates, for example the investor’s family members
cannot be named as a business partner.
• The shares issued must be paid in full and correctly
recorded in the share register of the company.
A carefully considered ‘no brainer’
The potential tax subsidies associated with EIS are
very attractive to potential investors. The prospect
of making tax-free gains on future disposals mean
the right investment opportunity is far more attractive
than other securities-based investments, subject to
the requisite due diligence and forward planning.
The investment decision in the ‘right’ EIS company
should be a ‘no brainer’, but of course there will be no
substitute for due diligence enquiries into the company.
For wealthy investors, what’s not to like about
EIS? For the company, the attraction of using
equity finance, the cost of which does not impact
profitability, is clear. •
Peter Davies is the Employment Tax Director & Head of Hospitality Services for WMT Accountants
EP | January 14 | 11

inside
luxury
LIFESTYLE unplugged is a new and
distinctly different lifestyle magazine to
showcase the very best of the UK’s luxury
hotel and hospitality industry. With high
production values and a wide distribution,
this magazine is set to break the mould
– a magazine by the industry for the industry.
With an eye-catching, lavish design
and high-quality editorial content
LIFESTYLE unplugged will highlight the
great features and operations from
the hospitality industry and take a
positive message to a wide audience.
It will look to promote the many exceptional
people and build a meaningful story.
Interested and would like to discuss
how to be involved? Please contact
Linn Vislie on linn.vislie@epmagazine.co.uk
LIFESTYLEunplugged
A BESPOKE MAGAZINE FOR DISCERNING READERS

BUSINESS
SIX YEARS AGO, EP PUBLISHED A FEATURE ON TWO BROTHERS, ADRIAN AND IAN WILLSON,
WHO FOUNDED AND BUILT CREATIVEVENTS. AT THE TIME, THEY HAD JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED
AS ONE OF THE FAST TRACK 100 COMPANIES FOR A SECOND YEAR RUNNING AND THEY
SHARED THEIR AMBITIONS AND HOPES FOR THE FUTURE. SO, WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Never a dull
moment
EP | January 14 | 13

Fast forward six years and
Creativevents has come
a long way. They were one
of the lead caterers at the
2012 London Olympic
Games; they have broken into new
markets with the launch of Creative
Taste into the culture and heritage
sector; and MITIE plc acquired a
majority stake of the business.
The company has been, and is still,
on a journey of growing success.
We met in their café at The Dulwich
Picture Gallery, a recent addition to their
cultural and heritage portfolio, where
Adrian and Ian talked candidly about how
both they and the business have evolved.
I asked Adrian how far he felt Creativevents
had come since its first pop-up
Champagne and Seafood Bar in 1997:
“We have evolved beyond all
recognition, although we still retain the
same principles. We have succeeded in
creating a company that is fresh, forward
thinking and not frightened to challenge
the norm.”
In the six years since EP last
interviewed them they have built a
business that is a competitive force in
three markets:
• Exhibitions, where they cater at ExCel,
Olympia and Earls Court, Glow in
Bluewater, Old Billingsgate and 5
at Farnborough.
• Cultural and heritage sites at
Brooklands Motor Museum, The
National Army Museum, Dulwich
Picture Gallery and a recent win at
the Royal Parks, Greenwich.
• Outdoor events, concerts and festivals,
including RHS Chelsea and Hampton
Court Flower Shows, Live Nations
Concerts at the Olympic Park, Magic
Summertime Festival and Winter
Wonderland in Hyde Park.
Adrian speaks with pride as he notes:
“One day we can be delivering a fine
dining experience or a canapé reception
at a heritage site, the next we could be
wearing wellington boots working
behind a bar at a festival, the next
providing pop-up Victorian tea rooms for
the Ideal Home Show or a Guinness Bar
for the International Boat Show, and the
next providing artist catering, guest areas
and VIP hospitality for Jay Z and Justin
Timberlake in concert at the Olympic
Park. The variety of venues and events
we work at is staggering and the business
just keeps growing year on year – so we
must be doing something well.”
Adrian Willson
Given that they started with a small
start-up backed by a loan in 1997, it is
almost a classic story to hear how Adrian
and Ian have built the business to become
one of only two independent companies,
and one of 11 catering companies in total,
to be awarded a Level 1 caterer for the
2012 Olympics.
During the Olympic Games
Creativevents delivered to more than
1.4 million people over the three-week
period. At the same time, on day two
of the Olympic Games, they signed
an agreement with MITIE plc, under
which MITIE acquired a majority
shareholding in the company. One
year on and they have built on their
extremely successful reputation and have
established a firm foothold in the culture
and heritage sector by winning two more
competitive tenders – Greenwich Park
and Dulwich Picture Gallery.
These new contracts are worth
an estimated £10.8 million in total.
Adrian says: “Creative Taste is one
of a few caterers in this market to have
grown from a highly successful retail
food and drink business. Not only are our
customers assured of delicious food and
engaging service, but the clients can also
enjoy consistently higher returns from
their commercial catering spaces. At
Brooklands, we have increased sales
by 272 percent since 2010.”
The Dulwich Picture Gallery café
contract announced in summer 2013
has already reported a significant
increase in public catering revenue
since its June relaunch, following
a complete refurbishment and the
introduction of a new pop-up café
to cope with the extra demand.
“What Creative Taste is able to
do,” adds Ian, “is demonstrate an
understanding of what our customers
want to eat in surroundings that are
inviting and bespoke to the venue. In
general, a visitor to Brooklands Motor
Museum is very different to a visitor to
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, so why
expect them to eat the same kind of food
in the same kind of surroundings? This
philosophy runs throughout our entire
business, so whether you are at one of
our fixed catering outlets or at an
outdoor pop-up site, you will experience
something designed specifically for that
audience and occasion – something that
is very personal.
“We have huge plans for Greenwich
14 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
Park, which includes a complete internal
make-over so that the spaces are more
attractive. What we do very well is to use
retail expertise to identify these catering
opportunities. Then we maximise them
by developing the way food is presented
and delivered on site. We hope to achieve
a very healthy uplift in sales at Greenwich
by stimulating greater loyalty from
existing customers, while also proactively
generating new ones.”
Adrian smiles: “Our business life has
never been dull. Since the last time we
spoke, we have expanded the outdoor
events business with many new
contracts, including working with the
RHS on their Flower Shows, a six-year
contract to provide major cafés for
Farnborough International Air Show
and a now firmly established British
Food Village at Winter Wonderland in
Hyde Park, with a new site this Christmas
called the Apres Bar featuring street food
and festive drinks along with music
entertainment throughout the day.
“The real catalyst for change for us
came with the UK’s financial crisis. Up to
that point we had grown our business by
working in partnership with the banks.
The partnership did not change but, as
we all know, the rules of lending money
changed and it meant that we had
constraints on how much we could
borrow to grow our business.”
Ian interjected: “The marketplace
was very different and nothing could
be taken for granted. It was a strange
reality for us because at that time we
were really gaining traction in the
culture and heritage sector and were
in a position to compete for some major
contracts. We had to be careful how we
approached the borrowing requirements
with the bank where one or more
contracts were concerned.
“Let’s not forget we were still a very
successful business. We have a great
team and we wanted to see them grow
and they wanted to grow, so we had to
work out just how we could change this
new dynamic in a new environment.”
“We were advised to seek external
investment by our bank,” noted Adrian.
“So, never being the type to stick our
heads in the sand with the hope that
these new economic challenges would
get better sooner rather than later, we
looked at what our options were and
quickly pursued them.
“Our objectives were simply to ensure
that we had the backing and strength to
be competitive and grow, as well as
making sure that any company we
aligned with held the same ideals and
cultural values as we have. Having met
with some good companies over several
months we were then introduced to
Allister Richards from MITIE and we
soon realised that this was a partnership
well worth pursuing.
“From the first moment, the cultural
fit with Allister and with MITIE was
very good. They possessed the same
entrepreneurial spirit as we did and
they have some great talent within
the organisation.
“Since we signed the deal, MITIE have
been nothing but supportive and they
can’t do enough to help – it is a really
strong partnership. We wanted to
complete the deal before the Olympics
began, so we could just concentrate on
that, but of course, the two had to
coincide and it was pretty intense. We
were concluding the deal as we opened
at the Olympics.
“You will experience
something designed
specifically for
that audience
and occasion”
“To make matters more challenging,
on the very first day of the Olympics we
realised that the customers, buying patterns
were very different to our projections. The
percentage splits between hot and cold
were very different from our prior
experience, which meant that we had
insufficient stocks of some foods and too
much of others.”
“One of our great
strengths,” commented
Adrian, “is that we are at
our best under
pressure. At the end of
the first day, we had
an action plan. ExCel
was the secondbiggest
venue at the
Olympics and, with a
year of planning
under our belt, it
wasn’t easy to just
change course and
still arrive on
time for the
next day, but we pulled it off without
anyone else noticing from outside of our
company. Our team was exceptional –
they worked throughout the night. It was
quite an intense few days, but the results
speak for themselves.”
The obvious question to ask was are
they as hungry to succeed today as they
were? Has the deal with MITIE
dampened their hunger or enthusiasm?
Adrian laughed. “You know us far
better than that. We love this business
and the deal with MITIE has given us
financial security, but critically it has
also set in place a platform for growth.
If anything, we are hungrier than ever
because we feel so much more confident
in delivering on our promises with MITIE
standing beside us. All that has really
happened is that the company has
entered a new phase of development.
“MITIE has encouraged us to flourish
and to go out and innovate. We can now
look at new opportunities and the results
are already there for all to see. We are
enjoying business as much as ever. When
we started together we were relatively
young and inexperienced, but we have
worked extremely hard to build this
business. Over the last six years, we have
built up an incredible team, we have
faced many challenges and we have
found the solutions together. You may
write about Adrian and Ian, but that is
not the true picture – it really is a story
about the whole team, past and present,
who have worked so hard to get us to
where we are today.”
Ian adds: “One of the reasons we are
still hungry is that we want to see how
far this team of ours can go. We have come
a long way, but we have the capacity to
listen, learn, adapt, compete and grow.
In many ways, just as the business is
entering a new stage of development, so
are we – the team – and there are no
boundaries in our minds as to
what we can achieve.”
A great secret to the success
of this company shines
through in the relaxed
openness and sincerity of
Adrian and Ian. There is no
false pretence – these
brothers are genuine,
straightforward and very
loyal. You might say a reflection
of their Yorkshire heritage,
but also great attributes of
genuine entrepreneurs
that live their
business. •

The Irish
connection
Relations between Ireland
and the United Kingdom
are probably at their best
compared with any period
in the past. For anyone
with even a cursory knowledge of
historical relations between the two
islands, it is fair to say that the last 20
years have arguably been the most
WELDON MATHER DISCUSSES THE TRADE LINKS BETWEEN
THE UK AND IRELAND AND THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR
INVESTORS IN HOSPITALITY ON BOTH SIDES OF IRISH SEA
prosperous for both sides. At the start
of the recession, it was stated that Britain
did too much trade with Ireland and that
there was a need to look at the new
emerging nations. As we come out of
recession, five years on, the trading
relationship is still as strong as ever.
Few things change too much and it is
an important relationship and picture
to understand.
on the UK market for exports.
Tourism
Tourism is Ireland’s largest indigenous
industry, contributing almost four
percent of GNP and employing more than
200,000 people in every community on
the island. Overseas tourism business
accounts for 59 percent (approximately
Northern Ireland. Brands have had a
presence on the island, including THF,
Hilton, Marriott and Premier Inn, among
several others. Since the well-documented
effects of the recession in Ireland, many
of the flags have high tailed it out of the
Emerald Isle, leaving a trail of unbranded
properties, some in receivership
€3.5 billion) of all tourism revenue and (administration) and teetering on the
is critical to future growth. The Irish edge of liquidation and/or closure. Even
dependence on the UK market cannot Ritz Carlton has departed after the hotel
be overstated and is hugely valuable to
the tourism and hospitality industry.
Close air and sea links, the same
language and similar legal frameworks,
coupled with strong tourism links,
reinforces the symbiotic relationship
between the two islands. The London-
Dublin air route carries circa 1.5 million
passengers per year and is one of busiest
in Europe. While the number of UK
visitors to Ireland has halved in the last
10 years, it is still the largest overseas
market, delivering more than 50 percent
of the approximate 6.5 million visitors to
the ROI in 2012.
Exports
According to the British/Ireland
Chamber, Ireland is Britain’s fifth-largest
export partner. British businesses have
invested heavily in Ireland and the shared
cultural, language and legal system links
have ensured that the intra-island trade
space will continue to grow exponentially.
• A third of all Irish imports come from
Britain, or €19 billion worth of goods
in 2010.
• The top five British exports to Ireland in
2011 were: energy, electronics,
machinery, pharmaceuticals and
plastics (source: CSO, OECD).
• Britain’s largest export to Ireland in
2011 was fuel, worth an estimated
£3.1/€3.6 billion.
• Ireland is the UK’s largest export market
in sectors such as food and drink (UK
Trade and Investment) and two-way
trade stands at €1bn per week. Irish
food and drink producers rely heavily
Hotels
The hotel landscape in Ireland is still
dominated by smaller owner-operated
properties, although this trend is
changing. The industry has taken an
absolute hammering since 2008 and
RevPAR dropped by 33 percent over 18
months. There are around 850 hotels in
the ROI and approximately 130 in
16 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
company was liquidated. So much for
cast iron management agreements.
Hotel-related debt stands at circa €2.9bn,
which is clearly unsustainable.
Fundamentally, many hotels in Ireland
have solid trading businesses and it was
the only debt associated with the loans
(not the ability to trade) that forced a
change in ownership. This has created
opportunities for indigenous management
companies (Dalata & Tifco) to asset
manage circa 50 properties for banks,
while the hotels are prepared for sale.
Indeed, there has been a flood of sales
in 2013, and Savills expects total hotel
salesto exceed €300m in 2013 with more
than 30 properties forecasted to sell.
Investors in these distressed properties
are mostly international and are mainly
cash buyers or institutional buyers, such
as Blackstone and Patron Capital.
Private-equity buyers are also in the mix,
including Chinese and American
individuals. Examples include Red
Carnation’s purchase of Ashford Castle
and Palladian’s purchase of Sheen Falls
Lodge in Kerry.
Private buyers sometimes require
asset management companies to
represent them and recently it was
announced that Michels and Taylor
(M&T)were advising Swiss Fund BSQ,
which bought Citywest, Ireland’s largest
hotel, with 774 bedrooms for around
€38k per key. M&T expect to take on the
running of this hotel and the timing is
fortuitous, given M&T’s recent
Temple Bar, Dublin, Ireland
appointment to market and manage 25
hotels owned by RBS (Ulster Bank).
This represents a significant shift in
the ROI hotel sector, but also presents
opportunities for other asset
management companies. Of course,
BDL/Redefine are already in Ireland
managing 17 properties on behalf of
the now departed Bank of Scotland
(Ireland) and Lloyds.
This points to an overlap of expertise
between the UK and Ireland and the
arrival of non-domestic management
companies will bring significant
economies of scale to these operations,
not to mention access to large UK
marketing databases and a much wider
target audience. How successful these
these joint ventures will be will be
remains to be seen, however it does
represent a significant change in
direction for bank-controlled distressed
hotels (of which there are about 200).
Some hoteliers are in for a rude
awakening when the above players
arrive to check in and play hard ball.
“A third of all Irish
imports come
from Britain, or
€19 billion worth
of goods”
Pubs
The licensed sector is also going
through a period of change and pubrelated
debt is around €2.2bn. There are
approximately 4,000 pubs in the ROI,
nearly all privately owned, but nearly one
per week is closing (26 per week in the
UK). With a population of only 4.58
million in ROI (6.9 million all island) there
are too many pubs and the off-trade
(supermarkets) are selling often below
cost, thus further eroding sales. Diageo
and Heineken operate a duopoly on
draught beer distribution, which many of
the UK brewers would love to break up, as
there are rich pickings (profitable pubs) to
be snapped up in larger cities.
Recent moves by JD Wetherspoons
and Greene King have alarmed the
domestic trade as scouts have been
looking for suitable pubs to buy. JDW
has nine pubs in NI, but the ROI market
is looking frothy again now that property
values have collapsed and are more
realistic – they are planning to open over
30 pubs south of the border. Again the
trading businesses are good in urban
areas, but level of debt associated with
the property is unsustainable. Imagine
the aforementioned companies licking
their lips at the chance to not only get a
foothold in Ireland, but also
to supply new products in an untapped
(excuse the pun) market, where
beverage cost of sales are north of 30
percent partly because of the duopoly’s
stranglehold on the market.
Heavily indebted Irish pubs are
vulnerable and banks would be more
than happy to take a haircut on their
loans if the quantum of euros or sterling
is right. Expect to see more foreclosures
on profitable pubs as JDW and GK seek
out pubs on high streets with floorplates
in excess of 4,000 sq ft (of which there
are plenty) and parking spaces.
Interestingly, when news of the UK
companies’ interest broke, a Facebook
campaign named “feckoffwetherspoons”
(yes, seriously!) went viral with 2,395
likes at the time of writing! While
some are clearly exercised by this
development the dye has been cast
and capitalism, not nationalism, will be
the ultimate arbiter. But caveat emptor
when picking out sites as certain local
sensitivities have to be understood by
any new owner, particularly where
alcohol is served.
Opportunities
If you are interested in getting into
Ireland a word of warning: do your
research. Despite the legendary and
genuinely warm Irish welcome for all
visitors, cultural sensitivities must be
understood in light of over 800 years of
shared history between the two islands.
It’s fair to say that the vast majority of
the population have embraced the
much improved relations between the
UK and Ireland, but despite the recession
and six successive slash and burn
budgets, the Irish spirit is indomitable
and can be a force of nature for good or
ill – it just depends on what the proposition
is. If the promise of well run, clean and
good value hotels and pubs is delivered,
then it won’t matter who or what
company is delivering it. Price and
service are the new currency in hospitality
and Ireland is no different in embracing
this new reality. Just remember that the
Irish still expect pub table service and
that ice and lemon is mandatory in all
spirit drinks! •
EP | January 14 | 17

ADAM TAYLOR OPINION
Zero-hours contracts
What are the issues for the hospitality industry?
In the last few months zero-hours contracts
have become a major political issue, with
politicians lining up to criticise allegedly
unscrupulous employers. But stepping
back from all the political hot air, what
are the real issues?
On one hand, zero-hours contracts have many
positives: they can be used by businesses to deal with
high demand during busy periods, but ensure that
employers aren’t left with excess staff in the quieter
times. They can also provide helpful flexibility for
students, retirees and other workers who wish to
work from time to time, without the commitment
of a full-time job.
On the other hand, due to the economic downturn
many workers are being employed under zero-hours
contracts because they are unable to find permanent
work. Estimates vary, but there
may now be more than a million
workers on zero-hours contracts
in the UK, and a significant
number of these are engaged
in the hospitality sector.
The government’s view
One of the key issues that has
stirred up political debate is that
employers often require workers on zero-hours contracts
to be available for work at all times, but not take
employment elsewhere while simultaneously retaining
the flexibility to reduce those workers’ hours. The use of
such exclusivity clauses is one of the key reasons behind
Business Secretary, Vince Cable, recently announcing a
consultation on zero-hours contracts by the Department
for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS).
What is a zero-hours contract?
Despite all the debate, there is actually no formal legal
definition of what amounts to a zero-hours contract
and no specific regulation that applies to their use.
Usually, a zero-hours contract means a contract of
employment under which an employee has no defined
hours and receives payment only for the hours they
work. Such contracts don’t oblige the employer to
provide any work to the individual. In industries such as
hospitality and retail, this flexibility is a huge advantage
where the requirement for staff can be unpredictable
and vary significantly throughout the year.
“Such contracts don’t
oblige the employer
to provide any work
to the individual”
Key issues for employers
Given the intense focus on zero-hours contracts by
politicians and the media it is important that employers
take care that they are not tripped up by legislation that
applies to zero-hours workers.
Every contract will be different and should be carefully
checked to ensure that it is appropriate. However, the
following issues are some of those most frequently
encountered by employers in the hospitality sector:
• Employees or workers? Employers should consider
the employment status of zero-hours workers from the
beginning. Employees benefit from more employment
rights than workers (e.g. unfair dismissal rights and
statutory redundancy payments). If an individual is not
obliged to accept work, this may mean that there isn’t
the necessary “mutuality of obligation” between the
parties. However, if the
employer retains a strong
element of control over the
individual then they are
more likely to be an employee.
It is important to remember
that courts and tribunals
will look at both the written
contract and how it has been
performed in practice.
• Holiday. It can be an administrative challenge for
employers to calculate the statutory holiday pay for
zero-hours workers due to their unpredictable hours.
For irregular workers, holiday pay is calculated by
taking an average of all the amounts paid over the
previous 12 working weeks (any weeks when the worker
received no pay cannot be used in this calculation).
• Pensions/auto-enrolment. Employers now have
to automatically enrol workers whose earnings reach
a certain level into a company pension scheme. This
can be difficult in regards to zero-hours workers where
their earnings may fluctuate above and below this
threshold. Employers will need to monitor their
workers’ earnings carefully and ensure they have
contractual permission to make deductions if they
continue to do so after earnings drop beneath
the threshold.
• Discrimination There is no special discrimination
protection for zero-hours workers, but they might be
covered by legislation protecting part-time workers. •
Adam Taylor is a solicitor specialising in Employment Law at Joelson Wilson LLP
18 | January 14 | EP

By all accounts, the
hospitality sector in
the UK is only going one
way – up. This statement
is based on more than
just hopeful conjecture – industry
research, such as The Q3 2013 Hospitality
Hiring Report, predicts 20 percent job
growth and The Market Research findings
show the services sector in the UK is
growing at the fastest rate since 1997.
With such positive trends and
development of new initiatives, it is
perhaps no surprise that companies
not traditionally linked to the sector
can see the commercial advantage of
branching out.
One company to seize on just
such an opportunity was Tesco, who,
in early 2012, invested in a chain of
coffee houses in partnership with
The Tolley siblings – Nick, Andrew
and Laura. The Tolleys are well
established on the UK coffee shop
market with Taylor Street Baristas,
which has been trading successfully
since 2006. Not content with the nine
locations already up and running in
London and Brighton, the intrepid
trio were looking to develop another
coffee concept offering high-quality,
ethically sourced coffee in a unique
artisan surrounding. As with many
entrepreneurs and new businesses,
there were stumbling blocks to
overcome before the initiative
could be launched, not least of
which was access to start-up capital.
The Tolleys knew they had a great
concept and there was a space in the
market for the idea, but cash and
resources were the first issue. “Looking
for an investment partner, we could
see the natural link between a retail
company like Tesco and a high street
coffee company with a quality offering,
so we approached them with the idea
and gave a presentation on what we
wanted to achieve.”
There is no question that the coffee
market in the UK is well-populated and
competitive, but Peter believes the
everyday offering on the high street was
still lacking a real quality option, a place
where the coffee is as important as the
atmosphere, and where customers are
served by knowledgeable, friendly,
passionate and efficient staff.
“Tesco have been a really great
partner throughout. The investment
they made is non-controlling, meaning
we, as the executive team, are free to run
the business as we see fit without having
to make decisions by committee. The
core knowledge and advice based on
experience that Tesco can share about
A better
kind of
different
THE FIRST HARRIS & HOOLE VENUE BEGAN TRADING IN
AMERSHAM, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE IN 2012. SINCE THEN,
THE COMPANY HAS GROWN TO 23 SITES, WITH PLANS FOR
ANOTHER 10 IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WITH SUCH VORACIOUS
AMBITION FOR RAPID GROWTH AND A LOYAL CUSTOMER
BASE, IN TANDEM WITH INVESTMENT BY TESCO, IT’S A
CONCEPT THAT HAS ATTRACTED GREAT INTEREST.
ARLENE MCCAFFREY MET PETER DAVIES, COO, TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT THE JOURNEY AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
logistics, operating a business
on the high street, adapting the
offering dependent on location and
neighbourhood is invaluable. We
have big plans for Harris & Hoole, while
simultaneously Tesco are on a journey
of making better use of their properties,
with a unique offering to attract and
retain customers. It’s a more perfect
match than people have possibly given
credence to.”
While Peter is plainly happy with the
way in which the two entities are working
together to achieve success, not everyone
has been so impressed by the
“The business is
one of the first in
the coffee house
market to design
and introduce
a mobile app”
partnership. There have been comments
on social media from members of the
general public and negative reports
from news outlets that the company
is misleading the public with its “family
business” image, given the fact that 49
percent is owned by a conglomerate the
size of Tesco. Peter says those within the
business have taken the denigration
in their stride.
“Actually, I’m not sure it hasn’t
helped us attract custom through
the door – people will come in for the
first visit out of curiosity. It’s up to the
team to make sure they come back again
having enjoyed the experience and the
product. So far they have been doing
exactly that.”
The ethos of the company is relatively
straightforward: to provide the
British high street with excellent
quality speciality coffee. By Peter’s
definition this means “fantastic tasting,
professionally crafted, speciality
grade and directly sourced coffee
in a comfortable and welcoming
atmosphere”. Given the plethora of
chains and independent operators
20 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
already operating in the sector, it was
never going to be easy to set Harris &
Hoole apart. All the same, the concept
seems to have hit the mark with
their customers.
“We are really pushing the boat
out when it comes to turning walk-in
customers into Harris & Hoole devotees.
We want people to come back time and
again because they enjoy what we’re
offering. It’s important to stay ahead
of the curve in this sector, so we have
proactively been looking at ways to
make the customer experience unique
and welcoming at every turn.”
The word “chain”, when used in
reference to coffee houses, can conjure
up an image of identical menu offerings,
instantly recognisable take-away cup
design and venues indistinguishable
from each other in terms of furniture,
layout and employee uniforms. This
visual, combined with speculation that
the agreement with Tesco includes a
clause demanding that a venue be
opened in each Tesco Superstore is,
for Peter, the antithesis of what
Harris & Hoole is all about.
NICK DAWE
“Each shop is unique to its location.
Yes we have opened in some Tesco
stores, but each of those came about
after careful consideration about what
worked in that particular situation.
It doesn’t mean we’ll open in every
superstore or that we’re in any way
obliged to. It’s important for us to
stay true to our ideals. What works
on Cannon Street would be out of place
in Crowborough, and workers in Canary
Wharf are looking for something
different to residents in Uxbridge.
So we adapt our venues and what
we offer accordingly.
“All employees in the business, from
barista to store managers, are given
extensive training in coffee, including
trips abroad to meet the suppliers. It’s
important that everyone knows what
they’re doing and importantly why they’re
doing it. Extraction time for brewing, the
temperature of the coffee, the weight of
the basket – it all matters. Added to that
we have given our team freedom to
express themselves. They are encouraged
to come up with new combinations,
tastes and flavours. In the end this is
feel-good for our employees, but also
good commercial sense. The baristas
working for us are some of the best
in the UK – we’d be foolish not to use
their expertise.”
Peter is confident that critics of the
venture have, for the most part, been
silenced by the excellent service, quality
of product and loyalty schemes on offer.
The business is one of the first in the
coffee house market to design and
introduce a mobile app for customers,
which recognises the individual’s
preferred order, frequency of visit, store
locator and more.
“In the not too distant future
customers will also be able to pre-order
their coffee from home or from the train
platform as they arrive to work, so when
they enter the shop they can bypass the
queue and go straight to the collection
point. It’s all about making it easier and
more accessible for the customer.”
Peter’s career has included time at
director level in both Millie’s Cookies
and McDonald’s, so in theory his
background, combined with the Tolleys’
inherent love of all things coffee, mean
the team in charge of driving the
company forward are well placed to
make their mark on the sector. With the
backup and support of a multinational
brand like Tesco, this start-up has
real potential to grow into something
very special, perhaps even setting the
bar for what a successful partnership
between two very different entities
looks like. •
EP | January 14 | 21

PEOPLE
The business of
Lucknam
Lucknam Park is a beautiful manor house deep in the Wiltshire countryside.
A timeless British classic. SARA STEWART met with HARRY MURRAY MBE, Chairman
of Lucknam Park, to talk about how he has led the hotel’s evolution to
become one of the UK’s leading operations PHOTOGRAPHS: Nick Dawe
On occasion, you come
across a partnership
so natural it is as though
it was fated to be.
Lucknam Park and
Chairman Harry Murray MBE is one such
example. It is easy to be superficial and
note their many accolades, but it is
important to understand both their
stories and how the partnership came
together. Great hotels are often run by
hoteliers with their own great stories.
Harry is one of three sons, is father to
three sons and proud grandfather to ten
grandchildren – nine of which are boys.
Harry was headhunted by the Greek
business owner of Lucknam Park from
his role as managing director at the Cape
Sun Intercontinental. He had moved to
South Africa with his wife and family
after many years running the Imperial
in Torquay. During his tenure at the
Imperial, the hotel prospered and thrived
just as the Majestic in Harrogate had
when he managed that. Harry’s
reputation was already secure before he
accepted the challenge of Lucknam Park.
Lucknam Park was built in 1720 and
has been owned by six families. It first
belonged to a Bristolian merchant who
traded in wool. One such transaction
resulted in him buying tobacco, a highly
profitable sale, which afforded him the
purchase of Lucknam. Decades after the
wool merchant and subsequent owner
families, Lucknam was bought and
turned into a hotel in 1987. Sporting four
Black Stars, 42 bedrooms and beautiful
acreage, when presented with the option
to take on Lucknam Park in 1997, Harry
stated his vision was “to be the best hotel
of its kind in the country” and to that end
Harry set about moulding the business
and its development.
“Lucknam Park’s
highly motivated
and skilled team
are passionate about
quality standards”
The rooms and public areas were
all refurbished. All the work was in
keeping with the old building and
centres around a delightful courtyard.
Lucknam is traditional both in its decor
and quintessentially British service
and attention to detail.
In 2008, a magnificent spa and
brasserie were added. The brasserie
complemented the main restaurant that
now boasts a Michelin star, but before
the brasserie was built, guests would look
for something a little lighter for lunch
and, although there was an agreement
with the local pub, the feeling was that
the hotel was missing a trick by not
catering fully for the needs of their
customers. Today, the brasserie is fully
utilised by guests staying at Lucknam
and by the members of the spa and
general public.
So how does it all work together? For
Harry, there is a simple answer to this
question and indeed one he has been
asked on many occasions – the staff
all have to work as a team, each feeling
that their job is important and having
a leader who listens to their comments,
from the young housekeeper to the head
chef and general manager.
It is also imperative that the guests are
listened to. There are endless pointers
and indications of improvements that
can be gleaned from a conversation
with guests and, above all, service is key.
The staff at Lucknam Park all have their
own copy of ‘The Vision’ and ‘Mission
Statement’, contained on a small card
and carried by every single member of
the household.
The Vision – to develop Lucknam Park
as the best country house hotel and spa
in Britain.
The Mission Statement – Lucknam
Park’s highly motivated and skilled team
are passionate about quality standards
and service excellence and consistently
aim to exceed customer expectations
with continuous improvements.
EP | January 14 | 23

PEOPLE
Harry recalls his time managing the
Imperial in Torquay and how a successful
establishment affects the whole
neighbourhood. He knew the local Rolls
Royce dealership down the road and
thought that his guests would love to be
driven around in a Rolls Royce provided
by the hotel, so the local dealership
would park their cars outside the hotel,
the guests enjoyed the luxury and the
dealership owner enjoyed the increase
in sales!
Adapting the environment to the
need is essential in developing a hotel
business. At Lucknam the introduction
of the spa and brasserie, although
modern additions to an ancient ‘old
lady’, are built in keeping with the
original building, which has benefitted
from a 10 percent increase in occupancy
since it was built. This has added to the
local community, with memberships
being offered, thereby producing more
income and pampered locals.
Weddings too are a great affair, with
exclusive occupancy being offered
over a Friday and Saturday night for the
wedding party, walled gardens, blankets
of lavender and even a turreted smoking
house with under-floor heating to be
certain that all are catered for.
The further addition of the equestrian
centre lends itself to the countryside and
is well used by guests and locals alike
– events, hacking and even an all-weather
arena add to the depth of the experience
and business drive of the hotel.
Lucknam Park is like the Rolls Royces
that were parked outside the Imperial all
those years ago – the business is well
oiled, runs smoothly and with the right
grade of petrol poured into it, generates
great performance and looks to run for
many miles yet.
Lucknam Park (a member of Relais
& Châteaux and Pride of Britain) is now
the proud owner of five AA Red Stars
and a Michelin star and its service and
attention to detail, attended by every
member of the team, is exemplary. Prior
to his appointment as Chairman in 2010
Lucknam Park was awarded “AA Hotel of
the Year” and the “Cateys Independent
Hotel of the Year” – Harry’s vision had
become a reality. Claire Randall, who
succeeded Harry as MD, continues the
vision, but I am assured that she does
this in her own manner. During the past
year Claire has added a cookery school
and a well-being centre to enhance
Lucknam Park’s public offering.
Harry’s latest award, the AA’s
Ultimate Lifetime Achievement
Award 2013-2014, recognises a lifetime
commitment to the industry delivering
the highest quality of service and
standards. Alongside these recognitions,
will Harry ever feel that he has achieved
his goal of Lucknam being the best
country house hotel? Something tells
me that he will always feel there is
something that could be improved or
tweaked – a little more oil in the engine
and a polish of the dashboard. •
“Adapting the
environment
to the need is
essential in
developing
a hotel business”
24 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
NICK DAWE
Set up by a talented young
chef and a model/pop star,
this events business also
does pop-up restaurants.
EP went to discover more.
“We were friends that really grew closer
through our love of food”, noted George
Craig, while they told their unconventional
start up story.
Terry Edwards is the more traditionally
trained member of the team, working
first as a chef for Paul Heathcote before
coming to London to work at Le Gavroche
for Michel Roux and then for Mark Hix,
becoming the Head Chef within Hix’s
events team.
George, by contrast, has modelled
Checking
for Burberry among others and in 2003
founded his own band One Night
Only, which can boast a top ten UK
single Just for tonight, as well as
on
multiple albums and tours.
Terry and George have known one
another since Terry went on tour with
the band five years ago and gradually the THE PRESENT MARKET HAS CREATED
two became close. “We became proper
friends as Terry took me out to the best
AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THERE IS A
restaurants and we just talked food,” CONSTANT INFLUX OF NEW BUSINESS
commented George.
There is something about this
TEAMS COMING THROUGH, FULL OF ENTHUSIASM, WHICH
duo which is clearly capturing the
BRINGS A SMILE TO THE FACE AND ADDS SOMETHING NEW.
imagination. Though they have only
been established for a relatively short ONE SUCH BUSINESS, BASED IN SHOREDITCH, IS CHECK ON
time they have already been featured in
both Vogue and a two-page spread in The
Times. Part of the charm, it is easy to see,
is that they’re both having fun and
enjoying the challenge.
“Yes, things are going really well. We
have run a few private dinners for some
major celebrities. We are working on a
cookery book with a well-known agent
and we are talking about some TV work,”
stated Terry. “We have not used anyone
to help us on PR and sales, we are just
doing it ourselves using contacts that
we have. Most of our work is coming
through recommendation and we have
some momentum with us. We have done
quite a bit with the fashion brands.
“I love working for myself. We are
having fun and I think our enjoyment and
people come to us. We are different, but
you need to be in this business. You need
to stand out from the crowd and we let
our personality come across.
“We have hosted events at such diverse
venues as The Sanderson Hotel to private
houses and even some pubs. We even
won a cook off against one of the leading
London culinary legends – that was a
highlight. You just never know what is
going to happen. At the moment it does
not feel like hard work because so much
is happening and it is a journey that we
are on and one we are really enjoying.”
It is refreshing to see the enthusiasm
and clear sense of enjoyment that Terry
and George radiate. They will face greater
the business, George has just completed
his third album and you can see that he
will, at some point, have to make a hard
choice between music and food. The test
for this duo will come as they face such
moments and how they pull through, but
for now, they are enjoying their time and
they are bringing a smile and no little
flair and skill to their work.
It will be interesting to revisit Check
On after their first year of trading and
after they have experienced the different
seasons and fluctuations that come with
a year running events and pop-ups. But
do not bet against them being successful.
They have had a far better start than most,
they stand out from the crowd and their
friendship is just showing and rubbing off challenges in the time ahead and they food is clearly up there with the best
as we seem to be getting more and more have some difficult choices. As they build – this may be a story worth following. •
EP | January 14 | 25

If the never-ending march of
coffee shop chains across our
nation’s high streets has not
escaped your notice, you could
well be forgiven for thinking that
our rich tea heritage is on the wane. Yet
despite our love of a latte, it would
appear that we are loyally committed
to a cuppa, with evidence of a tea revival
brewing across the land. Because, of
course, tea is not just a drink. It’s a
wonderful, magical mystery to any
visitors who arrive on our shores.
Personally, whenever we have
foreign friends staying, an outing for a
traditional afternoon tea is always high
on the itinerary. I love the confusion that
inevitably ensues, with mistaken beliefs
that a ‘cream tea’ is a cup of tea into
which cream is poured and the need to
explain the subtle differences between
‘high tea’ and a classic ‘afternoon tea’.
The frowns soon give way to smiles,
however, when the experience begins.
Because afternoon tea most definitely is
an experience, in whatever form it takes.
Widely credited as the brainchild of
Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford,
this tradition first appeared in the 1830s
to ease the hunger pangs that afflicted
the bellies of the upper classes between
lunch and dinner.
Now, it is more an excuse to enjoy a
refreshing brew and some yummy treats,
and plays a significant contributing factor
in making the UK the largest consumer of
tea – at nearly two-and-a-half kilos per
person, per year – in the world.
It is curious, however, that a drink
invented more than 5,000 years ago that
became a mid-afternoon snack in the
1800s should still be so popular today,
and indeed is becoming an increasingly
fashionable trend.
Whether it’s a desire to take time out
from the hustle and bustle of modern
day living or whether this resurgence
is a nod towards the recent spate of
thoroughly British, iconic celebrations
from the Diamond Jubilee to the Royal
Wedding and recent christening,
everyone seems to want a little slice
of this particular pie. Or, more fittingly,
this cake – particularly if it’s a Victoria
sandwich laden with cream and
fresh raspberries.
At a recent discussion forum with Ewan
Venters, CEO of Fortnum & Mason, he
spoke about the principle of relevance,
ensuring that, as a brand, they are
providing products and experiences that
remain relevant to their customer base.
Fortnum and Mason are one of the many
establishments riding the afternoon tea
wave. Last summer’s hit offering the
‘Hamperling’ – which took the afternoon
tea experience from their Piccadilly base
and made tea for two available via the
Serpentine Pavilion – provided an alfresco
alternative for those wanting to gulp some
fresh air down with their tea.
The new Fortnum and Mason store
opening in November at St Pancras
would not be complete without its allimportant
tea salon. Sticking closely to
old-style convention, the relevance they
seek here – like The Ritz, Dorchester,
Claridges and other achingly British
venues – is one of timeless tradition.
A taste of the glory days, classically
embodied by a crustless cucumber
sandwich and the safety and security
of a warm scone, smeared with jam
and clotted cream.
Brown’s Tea-Tox
Anyone
for tea?
MIRIAM STALEY
explores the resurgence
of a quintessentially British
tradition: the afternoon tea
Traditional afternoon
tea at The Dorchester
26 | January 14 | EP

SPECIAL FEATURE
Yet afternoon tea is appealing to a
wider audience than those seeking the
quaint charm of a stereotypically British
experience. Themed afternoon teas are
finding appeal to a discerning audience,
who are looking for something surreal
with their sandwiches and who are more
interested in quirky than quaint.
“Afternoon tea for
most is synonymous
with decadence
and a decent portion
of indulgence”
The Sanderson Hotel’s ‘Mad Hatter’s
Afternoon Tea’ is unapologetically
eccentric and you certainly won’t find
an egg and cress sarnie here. This is an
immersive experience fusing one of our
most successful literary works, Lewis
Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, with a
real-life expression of the tradition it
immortalised. An unashamedly British
affair for a modern guest.
The world of adult entertainment has
also got in on the act, creating something
relevant for their particular audience. Held
on the first Saturday of the month at The
Paradise in Kensal Green, this is cabaret
with a cuppa. Burlesque over a brew. Like
an effortless dance duo, ‘Afternoon Tease’
partners the refined sophistication of our
favourite afternoon activity with
something a little saucier to create the
ultimate afternoon revue. I can’t imagine
what the seventh Duchess of Bedford
would make of this particular twist …
While afternoon tea for most is
synonymous with decadence and a
decent portion of indulgence on the side,
maintaining relevance in a society where
food fads and fashions rise and fall faster
than a cheese soufflé has also created an
interesting niche.
The Met Bar at the Metropolitan Hotel
jumped on this trend with their
‘Afternoon De-Light’ tea (now ‘Brit Rocks
and Tea Pots’), which featured a healthy
dose of … healthy. No-bread sandwiches,
low-fat crème fraîche, flour substitutes,
olive oil and fruit purées replaced the
normal calorie-rich and cholesterolladen
fare.
The ‘Tea-Tox’ offering at Brown’s
Hotel takes the health properties of tea
to a new level, with a menu that lists
spelt, xylitol, rye, yoghurt and fruit
among its principal ingredients. And no
cream. Definitely no cream. This is nice
without the naughty and the ‘bespoke
jogging tour’ option is the sugar-free
icing on the gluten-free cake.
In addition, thanks to the Oxo Tower,
it is now possible to indulge in the
ultimate oxymoron – an afternoon tea
without tea. Their ‘Not Afternoon Tea’,
with nary a teapot in sight, takes the
concept of our 3pm treat and instead
pairs cocktails with a tasting plate of
decadent desserts. Although, as this
isn’t a total antithesis to the original,
maybe they should have just called
it ‘Afternoon’.
So, in whatever way you choose to
enjoy it, and however it is most relevant
for you, I believe that the words of Ray
Davies’ song will be ringing true for
many years to come. •
Sanderson’s Mad Hatter
inspired afternoon tea
Have a cuppa tea
Ray Davies
“Whatever the situation, whatever the race or creed
Tea knows no segregation, no class nor pedigree
It knows no motivations, no sector organisation
It knows no one religion nor political belief
Have a cuppa tea, have a cuppa tea
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, Rosie Lee.”
EP | January 14 | 27

From Denmark
RASMUS BO BOJESEN, A LEADING DANISH CHEF, HAS A PASSION FOR CHOCOLATE. AS
RASMUS DEVELOPS HIS OIALLA CHOCOLATE BRAND, HE SPOKE TO EP ABOUT HIS LOVE
FOR CHOCOLATE, HOW HE DEVELOPED HIS CRAFT AND HOW HIS STORY AFFECTED
A SMALL COMMUNITY IN BOLIVIA
NICK DAWE
Rasmus is one of life’s
natural enthusiasts
– he speaks in a way that
is engaging because his
care and love is so
evident. As with all the leading culinary
exponents, he is engrossed in his craft.
He has an eye for the smallest detail and
he is involved in every aspect of
producing chocolate. It is easy to imagine
him speaking, enthusiastically about
chocolate from morning till night.
“It is 30 years since I ‘fell into the
chocolate pot’, thanks to the legendary
Monsieur Bernachon,” explains Rasmus.
“My life took me along winding roads
through hotels and restaurant kitchens
in Denmark, Japan, and France, via the
family Troigros to Lyon, straight
into the back room of one of the
most prestigious Chocolatiers
– Monsieur Bernachon – whose
family still runs the chocolate
shop in Lyon today.”
As Rasmus talks it is clear
that he really has enjoyed the
journey his career has taken
him on. It may not have
always been easy, but it
has always been rich in
experience and of
interest. His eyes are
so full of life that they
almost speak before
he does. As he talks
it is also clear that he
possesses the same
qualities that many of
the great chefs do – an
understanding and
respect for others
in his profession,
a respect for food
and the natural
products he uses,
and a desire to
excel. Rasmus
is still on his
journey and there are still miles to travel.
“I really felt that I had been granted
access to a sacred place. Suddenly I stood
in front of Bernachon, who had a handful
of cocoa beans in his big, rough hands,
while he told me about the bean varieties,
acidity, origin, sorting, roasting, grinding,
rolling and heating. For months I worked
hard as a sorcerer’s apprentice. I began
by sorting the beans – for two months
– before I was gradually allowed to help
Bernachon with more and more tasks.
“At first I thought it was unbelievable
that I, as a trained chef and with several
years’ experience from fine dining, was
being made to sit and sort beans.
Gradually it dawned on me that
Bernachon wanted me to understand
every aspect of the careful and
precise process that is involved
in making chocolate.
“I learned how big a role each and
every bean and its quality has on the
finished product. Like the grapes in the
bountiful vineyards, cocoa beans are
also dependent on nature’s bounty. The
beans were no better than the variety,
soil, climate, rain or sun, and the care
they had received. It was possible to see
and feel this in the beans as I sorted them
by colour and size.
“After nature had done its part, it was
our turn to unfold the chocolate flavour
through roasting, milling and conching,
and finally making paper-thin coating
chocolate and truffle paste.
“This world of chocolate was completely
new to me and very different from hectic
kitchens at the busy restaurants, where
there was shouting and screaming,
improvisation and sweating, almost like
military training. I decided that I wanted
to have both. I would be both a talented
chef and chocolatier, and I would try to
combine the two kitchens – the savoury
and the sweet.
“Chocolate is basically a spice and
I think it’s wonderful that it is not just

BUSINESS
with love
sweet. So, ever since I started making
my own chocolate, I have tried mixing
it with flavours such as chilli, ginger,
star anise and other spices. I was also
challenged to create a small chocolate
for the restaurant Umami. The chocolate
contained miso, a fermented soy bean
paste, which is an essential condiment
in Japanese cuisine.”
While Rasmus may have led
chocolatiers with his creative mixes
before, he is now concentrating on
a back-to-basics approach through
“Oialla is an organic
chocolate … derived
only on wild Beniano
beans found in
the Amazon”
Oialla, his chocolate brand, which
celebrates the purity of the cacao bean.
Rising through the percentages of Oialla,
when one tastes the dark chocolate that
is 72% or 78% there is no residual taste
of acidity usually found in other brands.
There is just a rich taste that continues
even after the chocolate is finished.
“Akin to wines being related to
the variety of grape and the region
they come from, if
chocolate is made
properly, one
doesn’t discuss
the percentage
of cocoa to
describe its taste
– one describes
the bean and the
earth it comes from.”
So begins the story of Oialla
– the chocolate you can trace
from bean to bar.
Rasmus sitting
on yellow sacks
of beans for
his chocolate
“Oialla is an organic
chocolate that is derived only from wild
Beniano beans found in the Amazon
jungle. The beans come from trees
that date back to the Incas and have a
strong social meaning to the community.
Through the close partnership developed
with local communities in Bolivia to
work on Oialla, the Danish Foreign
Ministry has also invested in the country
– pledging to help with the education
and infrastructure of the village.
The harvesting of beans takes place
far away from the village of Baures on
islets most often several hours by boat
and miles of walking. After collecting
them in a method that promotes
sustainability for the area, the beans
are then fermented in handmade
palm leaf baskets. The fermentation
and processing of the cacao beans
is knowledge that has been passed
on by Oialla to the local community.
Cocoa
beans
About 3,000 people
live in Baures and
approximately 1,000 of
these are children under the age of 16.
There are currently three schools in
Baures. Two of the schools are primary
schools for children aged from eight to
14. The third school is a secondary school
that teaches children from the age of 14
to 18. Another secondary school is under
construction right now. Our hope is that
our active involvement helps this
community grow and prosper.”
One can only smile at Rasmus’
commitment to both Oialla and to
the Bolivian community in Baures. In so
many ways, this is a heartwarming story.
We turned our attention to his
aspirations:
“I would like to bring Oialla into the
UK and develop a base here. I am already
selling chocolate in Denmark, France,
Germany and in the US The UK is a
natural and important market to develop.
The Danes have always possessed a
strong relationship with the British and
I believe that my chocolate will be well
received and understood. The British
have become exceptional food
connoisseurs and I look forward to
working in this market.”
Will Oialla succeed in the UK? Time
will tell, but having found its way to the
kitchens of Noma, Daniel Boulud (NY)
and Vendôme (Cologne), one suspects it
will as the product is clearly exceptional
and the industry will warm to Rasmus’
approach. It will win hearts and minds. •
EP | January 14 | 29

GRAEME SMITH OPINION
The changing
face of foodservice
New research reveals a surprising number
of common themes among the top 20
Standing outside a local Apostrophe one
morning and looking around at Leon, Pret a
Manger, Eat, Subway and Crussh, I am taken
aback by the range of choice available. It is clear
the face of the foodservice industry has changed
fundamentally in recent years as consumers’
expectations have been heightened by the volume of
choice and the shift in consumer eating patterns. Eating
out through the day is a habit, not a trend, and it is not
one which has just concentrated in the City of London or
the South East. The recent launch of Trinity Kitchen in
Leeds demonstrates the value that retailers, landlords
and consumers alike now place on foodservice options
at every hour of the working or leisure day.
There is little doubt that branding has become a
more important element of the consumers’ outlook.
Whitbread’s acquisition of Coffee Nation in 2011
demonstrated that demand for the Costa seal in petrol
stations, supermarkets or corner shops truly resonates.
The investment market is catching up, as Tesco has
proven with their acquisition of Giraffe, while ECI
Partners have taken a minority stake in Rhubarb, the
venue and event specialist. The dining experience is
very appealing for a variety of stakeholders, whether it
is to secure additional footfall in a retail site, maximise
efficiencies from a contented workforce or deliver
options for an increasingly health-conscious public.
Higher customer expectations and the use of
innovative foodservice offerings to drive value for
landlords, retailers and employers were the catalyst for
the launch of the Zolfo Cooper Foodservice Growth
Report. This report identifies independent foodservice
operators in the UK with the fastest-growing profits.
What was striking from our research was that, despite
difficult economic times, the top 10 companies in
our list had average profit growth over the last three
years in excess of 20 percent, demonstrating the
The top five
Rank Company Three-year
profit CAGR* (%)
1 Concerto Group 65.3
2 Vacherin 58.1
3 Harbour & Jones 55.2
4 Peyton & Byrne 51.8
5 Unique Catering 48.7
& Management Services
*Note: Profit measured as earnings before interest tax and
depreciation with directors’ remuneration added back
vitality of independent operators in this sector.
What also became clear from our research is that while
something of a divergence between London and other
cities still exists, successful operators have significantly
raised the quality of their offering across the board.
Consumers are attracted by innovative, energetic brands
going the extra mile to enhance the customer experience.
While price is still an important attribute in decisionmaking,
quality and flexibility have become genuine
industry watch words.
A number of independent operators such as Harbour
& Jones and Peyton & Byrne have achieved success by
relentlessly focusing on quality and best-in-class service.
Clients view high quality foodservice as a differentiator
and if the operator can demonstrate added value they
can move away from having to compete solely on price.
The report also identified several other themes that
are supporting the development of the top 20 fastestgrowing
independent operators in the market:
• The majority of the top 10 firms focus on event and
B&I markets, and the most successful businesses, such
as Concerto Group, have developed their offering into
catering services
• The top 20 are predominately mid-market in scale,
with 50 percent turning over between £15 million and
£50 million
• The highest growth companies are led by passionate
people, many of whom have been running their
business for over 10 years.
While the B&I and events market have continued to
support growth through the recession, it is noticeable
that foodservice operators have continued to stretch
their offering to meet demands. Flexible operators such
as Vacherin and Lexington Catering have responded by
developing front-of-house services supporting a holistic
client service offering. How you are perceived as a
business is now very much about the service you deliver
at reception, the work canteen experience, and the core
product or service you deliver.
It is unsurprising that those foodservice businesses
that are consistently voted the ‘Best Companies to Work
For’ in industry polls are the ones that maintain excellent
levels of contract retention. Staff development has always
been an important element of the foodservice industry
and it is the fresh, innovative brands that recognise the
importance of investment in training that will continue
to flourish in 2014.
The sector is constantly evolving and is well placed to
enjoy continued success and growth. •
Graeme Smith is partner at Zolfo Cooper
EP | January 14 | 31

LET’S GET
EMOTIONAL...
Yes, we said the e-word in business – all
stiff upper-lipped Britons brace yourselves….
They say it takes less than
five seconds to create a
first impression and it’s no
different with culture. From
the moment you step into
an organisation you can start to ‘feel’ it
– the non-tangible signs and symbols you
pick up will give you clues about what it’s
like as a place to work. At first this will be
just outward facing stuff, the physical
environment, the types of people walking
around … but the more time you spend
there, the more you will get to
understand what it’s really like. Nowhere
is this first impression more important
than in the hospitality industry, where
your customers can feel it the moment
they walk in your door.
Many people think of a business
‘culture’ as a fluffy, emotional subject
that is best left to the ‘tea and sympathy’
types, but they couldn’t be more wrong.
Culture is about passion, trust, respect
and empowerment, and it allows you
to create an ongoing, enduring,
psychological contact with your
employees and, as a result, your
customers. We know that if you get
this right and align your brand with your
people, your business productivity will
soar (by as much as four times!) and your
customer needs are 53 percent more
likely to be met (MacLoed, 2009).
Employees with an emotional
connection to your company will
not only want to achieve success
for themselves, but crucially will
strive for success for your business.
Your cultural values must be authentic
Cultural values should reflect what
you are like as a place to work. Many
companies spend lots of money
developing grand values and plastering
them over their office walls, only to find
that they make little difference day to
day and are no help in differentiating
them from the competition.
Think about your brand and your
personality, the way you wish to be
seen to do business, the DNA of your
organisation. These are all good measures
of creating, empowering and successfully
adopting values in your business that
actually shape attitudes and behaviours.
The key to creating a successful set of
business values is to make sure they are
authentic and unique, so they genuinely
reflect who you are and the culture you
wish to live and breathe.
Make sure your culture runs through
everything and everyone
Culture is not something you can
control or enforce (even through a fancy
set of values/objectives) … you have to
encourage, guide and empower people
to live and breathe it. It’s so important
that your values run through every
facet of your organisation, not just the
marketing or HR departments. We spoke
to our friends at Fuller’s Brewery, who
are the perfect example of helping their
teams embody their customer service
ethos through their values and culture.
“Culture is about
passion, trust, respect
and empowerment,
and it allows you
to create an
ongoing, enduring,
psychological contact”
32 | January 14 | EP

MANAGEMENT
Dawn Browne, Fuller’s Group
Development Manager, told us how
fundamental it is to their business
success: “Every year we hold an event for
the people who work in our pubs, inns
and hotels. One person from each site
is nominated to join us for an engaging,
exciting, interactive experience where
they learn about a subject key to our
business. They then go back to their
venues and share the knowledge and
passion with their teams. For us it is
important not just to involve the
managers, but the team members
themselves, as they hold the key to
sharing the passion and helping their
colleagues really live and breathe what
is special about Fuller’s.”
Lead by example
‘Lead by example’ is undoubtedly an
over-used phrase, but nowhere is this
more relevant than when it comes to
your company culture. Your leaders
set the tone for the rest of the
organisation, so they need to embody
what you stand for and reward and
challenge others on that basis. Others
will take their cues of how to behave
from this.
Create purpose and passion
Finally, you need to create purpose and
passion at all levels, in every role, around
your cultural and organisation vision.
Ensure you make clear the importance of
each role and they can see their effect on
the success of the company. While some
businesses may question the effect and
effort required for this type of programme,
Fuller’s have a different view: “Our teams
are creative, passionate, fun people who
want to be involved and know how their
job contributes to what Fuller’s is trying
to achieve. Our people are absolutely
crucial to our success and, as such, we
want them to really feel part of the very
special spirit and team that is Fuller’s.”
If that isn’t enough to persuade you,
building a strong culture and engaging
your people to your brand and business
can reduce absence, increase
performance because your team work
harder, produce more efficient ways of
working, generate ideas to grow the
business, stop leavers and keeps hold
of your top talent (so you don’t have to
waste time and money recruiting new
ones) – something salaries and bonus
schemes can never do. Don’t delay
– it’s time to get emotional! •
Top Tips To Build
A Strong Authentic
Culture
1Do it! – too many companies think it isn’t
important. If your business is to reach its
real potential, it’s time to take action.
2Decide who you are – what is your brand
personality and values?
3Work out what is unique about YOUR
company culture – what makes it special
and different from your competitors?
4Bring the right people into the
organisation – make sure they have the
right attitude and mindset to live and breathe
your culture.
5Make sure it flows through everything
you do as a company, from recruitment
to decision-making – don’t just pay lip
service to it.
6Create purpose and passion – surprise
and excite your team.
7Lead by example.
EP | January 14 | 33

A grand revival
Spring 2013 saw the reopening of the Great Northern
Hotel in King’s Cross. Labelled as a luxury boutique
hotel, many were sceptical that the hotel would ever
take off. Add in JEREMY ROBSON, an unconventional
owner-operator with no prior experience in hotel
management, and the industry was eager for
a story. NICOLE THOMPSON went to find out more
34 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
Opened in 1854 and
originally designed by
architect Lewis Cubitt,
the Great Northern Hotel
was London’s first
railway hotel. It enjoyed the glamour
of being the first of its kind and drew in
wealthy travellers using the station at
King’s Cross. When the St. Pancras Hotel
opened directly opposite 20 years later,
it seemed that the Great Northern Hotel
was destined to fall away. Whatever status
the hotel had enjoyed before was eroded
with the arrival of this Gothic neighbour.
Later, the Great Northern Hotel’s
owners tried to gain occupancy by
refurbishing its interiors for budget
travellers, at which point the hotel lost
all credence. It was shut down 12 years
ago and was picked up from the real
estate market by RAM, an asset
management group, who gave it £42
million worth of love and restoration.
Jeremy Robson, the owner of RAM,
has now become the owner-operator
of the Great Northern Hotel. A former
banker, Jeremy has been interested in
architecture from an early age. He had
studied architecture for the first year of
university until a defining meeting with
his university professor, who strongly
suggested he change degrees. Jeremy
went on to qualify as a chartered
surveyor with Hilier Parker in 1992 after
graduating with a first class honours
degree in estate management in 1990.
Later, he moved to investment banking,
where he specialised in real estate
finance and eventually became Senior
Managing Director and Head of Principal
Finance at RBS, delivering a £330 million
net income return for the bank in his last
year. He established RAM in 2007 to
become more directly involved with
his property investments. Through the
group he owns other hotels in Scotland,
but the Great Northern Hotel was the
first property he decided to operate.
Despite having no prior experience in
operating hotels, Jeremy seems to be in
his element. “I love hotels because all my
interests intersect. There is an important
component of design, working with
people and being able to respect and
challenge convention. When I took on
the Great Northern Hotel, it was an
honour to take a part of London’s hotel
history that had failed for so long and
completely turn it around. Alongside my
management team, we asked ourselves
what we were trying to achieve and then
worked out the most efficient way to do
it. At the beginning, many in the industry
felt that my vision of converting GNH
into a luxury boutique hotel was unwise.
They were strongly suggesting I take
the budget hotel route and not try and
compete against the Renaissance St.
Pancras. I feel that I’ve got a good sense
of trends and saw an opportunity
to create something truly special
with the Great Northern Hotel.”
Jeremy went on with his vision and
surrounded himself with a management
team that supported this view. Running
through the list of names working
alongside him we encounter some
experienced industry players.
“I don’t have a general manager.
Anthony Thwaites, who was the GM with
Malmaison for 16 years, is my rooms’
director. There is an important split here
because I believe that in most cases,
hoteliers are not good restaurateurs.
Scott Sapot, former Director of the Ivy
members club, is my Food and Beverage
Director. Finally, I wanted to establish
a strong culinary presence in the area so
it was exciting to bring on Mark Sargeant
and Mike Denman (previous head chef
at Hix Soho) as my executive chef team.
I try to run the business with the guys
acting as entrepreneurs not heads of
department. If the hotel does well they
are rewarded accordingly.
“Following my instinct and staying
true to my vision has paid off. I’ve got
four business offers here: Kiosk, the GNH
bar, Plum + Spilt Milk and of course the
rooms. There is a design ethic and a brand
that runs all the way through and the
environments that we have created are
distinct. We focused on creating business
offers that were outward looking – most
hotels have ancillary uses that are used by
residents. Plum + Spilt Milk is 85 percent
non-resident, GNH Bar is 90 percent nonresident
and Kiosk is about the same. My
food and beverage spend is about 50
percent of my total revenue because I run
that department as a separate business.
We are able to offer unrivalled value to
the discerning customer.”
Attention to detail is apparent
throughout the hotel. The focus on the
transient customer’s comfort is evident
with sound-proofing to detract from the
noise levels of King’s Cross, international
power outlets to aid travellers and
comfortable chairs to sink into in all
the lounging areas. Each guest floor
has complimentary self-service pantries
where guests can indulge in freshly baked
cakes and a selection of sweets. References
to the hotel’s past as a railway hotel are
discreet and present in features that add
character and style to the rooms’ interiors.
“I’ve loved working as a hotel operator
and setting up GNH has proven to be a
rewarding challenge. I’m just focusing on
hotels and I can’t see myself changing for
the next 10 years or so. My family own the
hotels in Scotland and our plan is to grow
that portfolio to 20-25 and then go for an
IPO. Next plans for me are more boutique
hotels – I’ve got a property I’m considering
in the Caribbean and another in London.”
At the time of this interview, the Great
Northern Hotel had been operating for
19 weeks and had already made it on to
The Sunday Times Ultimate 100 British
Hotels. They were also shortlisted for the
European Hotel Design Awards for the
conversion of an existing hotel building.
Since then they have gone on to win the
Best Hotel Interior from the International
Hotel Awards, among other accolades.
It is clear that they have established
themselves as a competitive player in the
London hotel scene and a grand revival
has been completed. •
EP | January 14 | 35

BEN HAYES OPINION
Social Video 101
The changing landscape of communications promotes
video as a contender for the sharing of information
The social landscape is again shifting, but this
time it’s not the platforms we are using, but the
type of content we create. The social user has
mastered the photo and now seems set on
making the social video part of what they
create and consume. We’re not talking about
YouTube or Vimeo here. Now is the era of the Vine or
Instagram video, something created in the spur of the
moment, not polished and pressed, but a real product
of an experience.
Now, if you haven’t looked into either Vine or
Instagram then we would thoroughly recommend you
do. They are going to do to video what Twitter’s 140-
character limit did to blogging. Users and brands are
suddenly being forced to get creative to generate
compelling content. Where Vine
– with 40 million users – allows
you to create a six-second video,
Instagram – with 150 million
users – promotes a longer and
customised 15-second video that
allows users to take advantage of
13 different filters.
The decision for the user is a
tricky one: should I create videos
on Vine or produce similar content on an app that I’m
already using for my photos (Instagram)? The jury is still
out. The latest figures show Vine as the fastest-growing
app of 2013, however Instagram’s ready user base have
adopted video almost as rapidly.
But what of the marketer? Video can be a much richer
form of content. Time limits on videos aside, when
approached properly a brand can communicate
something in six seconds that can add huge value to
their brand. But using both platforms can split resources,
so which platform should be your focus? Clearly the
extra footage that Instagram provides, and the ability
to edit, would suggest that Instagram is the marketer’s
best bet.
If you look at the five most popular brands on
Instagram (based on data collected by Nitrogram) they
all possess a community of 1 million plus. The very same
brands on Vine average a few hundred thousand
“Hopefully your
content provokes
some form of
emotional response”
followers and some brands, such as the NBA, have
seemingly abandoned Vine all together.
Given that Instagram offers longer videos to
communicate your message and a larger user base with
whom to communicate, the decision for the marketer
seems a simple one: Instagram is where you should be
placing your resource. At least for the time being.
With the platform now chosen, you need to decide
what to create and how your content needs to look ...
For us it starts with the basics: provide value to your
users. In the hospitality industry there are many ways
of doing this:
• Give people relevant information that they haven’t seen
before. The Lexington in New York has created in-room
and hotel tours to give the user additional content that
they otherwise could not get from
the hotel’s website.
• Educate users around one of
their interests. Food and
beverage departments from
Mayfair to 5th Avenue
have been experimenting
with stop-motion creations
that range from cocktail making
to creating the perfect canapé.
• Create more behind-the-scenes content that involves
your staff. We all know that this industry runs on the
quality of the experience and your staff form the basis
of this. The result will be a more personable and
approachable brand that users can actually
engage with.
• Entertain your audience! Remember that social media
is all about delivering content that adds value to the user
experience and hopefully your content provokes some
form of emotional response … nothing beats a good
old laugh.
As we move towards 2014 there is little doubt that video
content through apps will continue to evolve and
mature, just as photos have done in 2013. The benefits
will be felt most by those who create a plan for this early
and integrate it into their strategy right from the get-go.
As they say … lights, camera, action! •
Ben Hayes is Managing Director of BORN SOCIAL

BUSINESS
Employing the best
We met up with Andy Kemp, Group Sales Director, to discuss the importance
of diversity, both in his foodservice company 3663 and in society generally
Icouldn’t work for any organisation
that didn’t take diversity
seriously,” said Andy. “That’s why
we focus on recruiting the best
people for the organisation and
all diverse backgrounds are treated with
equal respect.” Recruiting and retaining
the best is vital for a foodservice company
as large as 3663, with 4,200 people, sales of
£1.7 billion and 45,000 deliveries being
made a week.
Asked to give concrete examples of how
3663 proactively encouraged diversity,
Andy mentioned a diverse board,
recognising success, flexible working,
internal communications and
benchmarking, as well as supporting
charities such as Springboard and
Hospitality Action that help those in need
within the industry without discriminating.
Diverse board
The 3663 board has three female board
members and Andy finds that having
a diverse board helps decision-making.
In his experience, a board must be
diverse and take the views of many
into account in order to be as truly
balanced as possible.
Unfortunately in too many
organisations diversity tends to be
a tick-box affair with no real buy-in by
management. Andy believes that it is
vital that the board proactively pushes
the diversity agenda as otherwise it won’t
permeate throughout the organisation,
but just remain a preserve of HR.
Recognising successful people from
diverse backgrounds
It is important to have role models
within the organisation who can show
that people can overcome barriers and
be successful. “Our people are at the
heart of our business and it is their
passion and commitment that drives
3663’s success. Finding the best people
and harnessing their talent is what will
sustain our success for the future.”
Flexible working
3663 tries to be as flexible as possible
in its working arrangements, subject
to the requirements of the individual
position. For instance, working parents
can chose a flexible or part-time working
arrangement. Alternatively, working
mothers may be able to work largely
from home. Each decision on flexible
working is decided between the
employee and their line manager
and is reviewed annually by HR
and the manager to check that it
is still appropriate.
Internal Communications
In order to ensure that the board is close
to the workforce and that the company
culture and policies, including diversity,
permeate through the organisation,
3663 has “Communications Champions”
at every site and they have regular
“In too many
organisations
diversity tends to
be a tick-box affair
with no real buy-in”
meetings with the board. These meetings
help ensure that the company’s
communications are not experiencing
blockages and the board’s intentions
are not being filtered out. In addition,
it allows the people who run the
organisation at each site have
real input into 3663’s decisionmaking
and as a result have a
sense of ownership.
Benchmarking
3663 believes in recruiting
and retaining the best talent,
irrespective of background,
and HR regularly
benchmarks 3663 against
the marketplace and its
competitors, always looking
for examples of best practice.
HR also carries out internal
surveys on diversity, ensuring
success is celebrated and
rewarded fairly and takes
diversity into account. Internal surveys
also measure employee satisfaction and,
indeed, part of Andy’s remuneration is
dependent on this.
Overall, 3663 has got much right with
its approach to diversity, but as Andy says:
“There are always ways we can improve,
which is why we use benchmarking and
undertake a lot of research to learn from
others in similar industries.”
Diversity in the community
Perhaps surprisingly, as Andy had a
traditional English upbringing in East
Anglia, it was only in his 20s that he
became fully aware of the impact of
the racial issues permeating throughout
society as a result of new immigration
policies and changing attitudes.
Andy has worked with disadvantaged
teenagers in Brixton and encouraged
them to look at hospitality as a career.
However, cultural attitudes and
perceptions of self worth can make it
difficult to persuade an alienated young
man that working hard for little immediate
reward is an attractive prospect. It is
Andy’s view that the main answer to
disadvantage is good schooling. Andy
finishes by emphasising: “educate,
educate, educate.” •

BUSINESS
IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT RECESSIONARY MARKETS CREATE EXCEPTIONAL ENTREPRENEURS
AND EMMA LITTLE’S STORY COULD WELL ILLUSTRATE THE POINT. SINCE 2008, SHE HAS
BUILT A £5M TURNOVER BUSINESS DESPITE INITIALLY HAVING NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE
INDUSTRY, NO CONTACTS AND NO CLIENTS
Against
the odds
When you meet
Emma, your first
impression is of
a very polite young
woman with an
easy charm. She does not impose herself;
she listens and talks softly in a Scottish
tone. However, this picture tells nothing
of the steely character and strong work
ethic that lies within. Emma is one of
those characters that you just know will
find success.
So where does Emma’s story begin?
“I worked at Vodaphone in customer
services. They wanted me to move south,
but I wanted to remain in Scotland, close
to my family and friends. They are
important to me. I love Edinburgh too,
so I decided to strike out alone.”
Emma started her career selling
vacuum cleaners door to door and
then she spent more than five years
with Vodafone UK as a Corporate Account
Manager, overseeing the relationship
with their largest customer, The Royal
Bank of Scotland. She was already on
the upward curve before she decided
to change tack.
“I just decided to be bold. I am not an
expert in anything, but I loved customers
and I knew that we struggled to find
venues when we needed them, so I
knew there must be an opportunity.”
Emma founded ExecSpace in 2008.
The company is a booking service for
business conferences and accommodation.
This is nothing new, but what makes this
story stand out is that Emma is not
a hospitality professional and had no
real knowledge of the sector or business
when she first founded the company.
In fact, one could say that the odds were
stacked against Emma when she began,
for who would have backed in 2008 (the
start of the downturn) a young lady with
no contacts and no experience? And yet
despite all that, Emma has built a very
successful business.
“When I first thought of the idea for
ExecSpace, I actually thought it was
unique,” laughs Emma. “I just didn’t
know that it was such an established
sector. Yes, I accept I had no contacts, but
what I did have was an understanding of
the customers. I used my naivety as an
advantage and built the business not
from an industry perspective, but from
the customers’ expectations and desires.
“It was a bit daunting at the start. 2008
was the start of the recession. I had no
contacts, no clients and no knowledge
– so I trawled the newspapers and called
25 clients every day. I just worked hard
until the door would open.”
As you listen to Emma, it is clear that
she has a strong work ethic, but the other
quality that strikes you is a real honest
streak. Emma is not one for false words.
She is straightforward, direct in a very
pleasant way and honest about herself.
It is not hard to understand why she
builds good relationships with clients
and retains them.
“You can always compete if you deliver
what the customer wants. We always ask
ourselves how can we improve? How can
we be the best we can be? We are open
and transparent. In 2008, our turnover
was £250k. 2013 will be £5m. We just
focus on exceeding our clients’
expectations of what we can deliver.
We work to retain our clients – you
have to in a market as tough as what
we’ve just been through. It is a superb
testing ground for us. We have built the
business in terms of adversity and we
know no different. A client that spent
£12,000 with us in 2008 this year
translated to £70,000.
“So many talk about customer
service but, in truth, few really deliver.
We monitor our service levels all the
time to make sure we are walking the
talk. Every one of our team is audited
with clients. The average score out of
10 in the last quarter’s audit was 9.7.
“We just focus on getting the basics
right. We are very sales driven. We are
a sales business, but this can still be done
in a way that engages. How often do you
hear complaints about working with a
client’s procurement team? We go
out of our way to make sure we work
closely, and I hope cleverly, with them,
so we maximise every single opportunity
we can.
“All I want to do is build this business,
so we become a market leader and we
remain true to the value that the
customer is king.”
As you reflect on Emma, you cannot
be anything but impressed. The most
lasting thought is that she has many
qualities, but she does the simple
things so very well. She does not try to
be anything but herself. She will go the
extra mile for clients and earns loyalty
in return – so simple, yet so effective.
Never underestimate how hard it is to
do the simple things really well. One
famous sports coach said: “To be
successful, you have to do 100 things
1 percent better than anyone else.”
Maybe this is also Emma’s mantra
– we will hear much more about her
as time moves on. •
NICK DAWE
38 | January 14 | EP

“All I want to
do is build this
business, so we
become a market
leader and we
remain true to
the value that the
customer is king”

What is so different
about this product
that has appeared
among the
cornucopia of
other options adorning the shelves of
the fridge in the local supermarket or
grocery store? Well, in simple terms, this
product claims to be the UK’s first truly
‘gourmet yoghurt’ – equally as apposite
eaten straight from the tub or served at
a dinner party.
Amelia Harvey and Michael Hodgson
met while working on the launch of
GÜ on to the UK market and are now
business partners in this new endeavour.
Having studied marketing at university,
Amelia has worked in a variety of roles,
predominantly in sales in such leading
brands as Kellogg’s and L'Oréal.
The storming success of GÜ led to its
eventual sale and integration. Somewhat
naturally this also led to the departure of
some of the senior team, including
Champion
in the chiller
Just when you thought there was no more room
in the chiller cabinet and you knew you could
name at least half a dozen yoghurt brands,
or the very least recognise the plethora of pots,
The Collective Dairy arrives on the scene
40 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
Amelia and Michael, for pastures new.
These new pastures came around
quickly, and were in the dairy section
and complimented fully the specialties
that Amelia had come to love in building
a business: branding and a strong
knowledge of the premium chilled
food market.
The Collective Dairy, with its slogan
of “All Dairy, No Bull” is a New Zealand
based company that had been in
business for approximately 18 months.
It was the brainchild of two very clever
chefs with a very simple quest: to create
an extraordinary yoghurt with an
unbeatable taste. Both had experienced
business success, were hard working and
were willing to publicly make the claim
that their “sheer determination to
achieve the unthinkable provided the
fuel, their passion provided the key and
their tenacity delivered the answer”. They
have achieved enormous success with
their gourmet yoghurt in its home
market and Australia. An overnight
sensation? Well, within just 10 months
their yoghurt was the best-selling
yoghurt in the New Zealand chiller
– “No Bull”, as they say at the Dairy!
Sitting one evening in a New Zealand
inspired restaurant in London, the two
aspiring and devoted chefs decided to
expand to the UK – after all, didn’t the
whole world deserve The Collective
experience? Amelia and Michael were
introduced and a joint venture was
signed in 2011. They had been an
inspiring team before, how hard could
it be again? “Damn hard,” Amelia will
tell you. However, they created a world
around the dairy theme and became
known as Head Bull and Head Cow!
Then they settled on a manufacturer
in the West Country who could deliver
the quality that they were looking for
to replicate the premium yoghurt they
had tasted from New Zealand.
When asked what drives them in such
a seemingly competitive market they will
answer: “Our drive is aimed at flavour,
quality, reliability and finesse – the
results are aimed at you, the customer.
“Our passion, The Collective, is all
about cutting through the cow pats to
provide the greatest dairy imaginable
– our promise to our customers is
simple … No Bull.”
The launch in the UK was fast and
went directly to the heart of the yoghurt
selling institutions – the UK supermarkets,
namely Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, along
with online supermarket leader Ocado.
Yoghurt is a mass market, but The
Collective Dairy have cleverly maintained
their premium position and product
by adhering to their cast iron business
principles.
What Amelia and Michael found was
that during the recession, people were
eating out less and spending less on
extravagances (hardly headline news!),
but what they were doing was spending
more on ‘treating in’ – the practice of
spending money on treats to have at
home – and premium foods and treats
were purchased at a greater rate than
previously. Despite the lengthening
recession, The Collective Dairy found
a great uptake in their new premium
yoghurt, which had the added advantage
and likeability factor of being made
in England.
So why the success? Why the following?
Not only do they produce premium
quality yoghurt, The Collective have
strengthened their marketing with a
quirky sense of humour associated with
their brand. Sweet Jane, a plain yoghurt
with a little English honey, is a simple
pleasure that can make your day an epic
one. It is mind-blowingly good and
the pink labelling cleverly ties in with
breast cancer charities – she is plain,
so one can make her not plain at home.
The other yoghurts feature a unique
double layering of an added fruit or
flavour, coupled with the gourmet
yoghurt. So we have in the line-up:
Zesty Luscious Lemon, Sumptuous
Russian Fudge and the award-winning
Passion Fruit.
There have also been special additions
every three to four months, such
as Mighty Mango, Bloody Orange,
Banoffee, Apple Spice, and White
Peach and Raspberry.
Who is the current contender for
the top spot? Think Romeo and Juliet,
think Posh and Becks, or Will and Kate
and then head to the chiller and try
Raspberry and Amaretto, a fantastic
tasting yoghurt that stimulates
childhood memories of a Bakewell tart.
It can even transform into a delicious
evening dessert with the addition of
fresh raspberries and crumbled
amoretti biscuits!
There are a few basic fundamentals
to this new business and its concepts:
• Customer interaction
• Customer communication
• Customer coupons for data collection
• Promotions and customer tastings to
encourage word-of-mouth feedback.
There are Collective Dairy workers
who monitor the communications and
make sure that responses are made to
all forms of customer communications,
whether letters, emails or Tweets. Social
media is extensively used to communicate,
engage, discuss and even to develop
ideas for the next feature flavour.
Watch out for the Christmas edition
– it’s Christmas Pudding.
Lots of time and effort goes into
events and attending shows where
extensive customer sampling can be
done. Customers are gifted Collective
Dairy cooler bags with free samples
and leaflets in exchange for their
contact details and a promise to
provide feedback – both good and bad
(although they receive little of the latter).
Amelia will gladly tell you that they even
encourage suggestions for new flavours,
so go on, take a few moments and dream
in yoghurt – what would you submit
as your special edition flavour?
You may be asking yourself why
‘The Collective’? The answer to this
question is pretty simple really – the
business and the beautiful, creamy,
seductive, No Bull yoghurt is the
“collective efforts of the people,
for the people”.•
EP | January 14 | 41

THE ART OF
NETWORKING
Building effective professional relationships
is a skill in itself. It takes much time, effort
and input, but if done well, it will stand the
test of time and generate results.
EP possesses a team of skilled industry
professionals that can work with teams
to coach and mentor on:
• How to network effectively
• Image and perception
• Meeting expectations
• Building relationships
• Hosting
Our approach is very much personalised to the
individual. As relationship selling is focused on
the one to one, so our approach is too.
If you would like to find out more, please
contact chris.sheppardson@epmagazine.co.uk
or call on 0207 025 1862
E Productions

MIKE DAY OPINION
Technical Determination
and Expansion for 2014
Extending the use of back-office management software
As 2013 draws to a close, now is a good
time for all companies to reflect on how their
businesses have performed over the past 12
months. It is the perfect time to consider the
next steps to take in order to re-focus their
efforts and extend their areas of technology
use to be sure of their ability to grow the business.
Customer focus and profitability are two critical
compatible elements within a service organisation and
technology should no longer be seen as a footnote in this
process, but instead should play a fundamental role in
any forward planning.
In the last year, the hospitality sector has continued
to embrace the use of technology to help manage and
support its businesses.
Outdated paper processes
“The impact that
technology is having
on the bottom line
is measurable
and significant”
have been replaced by ever
more innovative back-office
management systems and
new simple routines make
light work of essential
ordering, costing and margin
management activities. In
parallel, there has been a
marked increase in the use
of social media tools to
communicate instantly,
effectively and in a targeted manner with customers,
all of which harness and enhance customer loyalty.
The impact that technology is having on the bottom
line is measurable and significant. The flexibility to
access such powerful technical resources via a
multitude of mobile handheld devices with immediate
results must surely make active engagement with the
latest technology a top New Year resolution.
So what are hospitality professionals thinking about
when it comes to developing their use of technology?
At IndiCater, we focus purely on our Cloud solutions
and are privileged to talk to our client and customer
base about their plans and aspirations for companywide
solutions, as well as traditional back-office
management software. One of the prevalent themes
in these conversations is the development capability
of management software to enhance the customer
experience, something we are already witnessing
across all sectors, from providing pre-order catering
services at leisure and visitor attractions to patient
feeding within a hospital environment.
A new application, recently launched and already in
use with a major IndiCater client, allows hospital ward
staff to take meal orders from a patient’s bedside using
any mobile tablet device. With orders received directly
by the kitchens, not only does this result in an improved,
friendlier customer experience, it also leverages
significant reductions in wasted food production
– early predictions are in excess of 10 percent.
Similarly, in partnership with
one of the UK’s leading visitor
attractions, IndiCater have
developed the Virtual Deli tool
to help improve service point
queues at peak times, resulting
in higher rates of customer
satisfaction and, of course,
higher customer spend for
our client. Virtual Deli allows
customers to pre-order and
pre-pay for their items and
collect their order at a
designated time without the need for queuing.
In commercial catering, whether in-house or
contractor operated, we are working with caterers to
extend the use of back-office management software
beyond its traditional remit of streamlining internal
company processes by widening its functionality in
order to provide a direct interface with customers.
This will enable customers in contract catering
environments to use their PC or handheld device
to respond directly to customer surveys, access
pre-order/pre-pay applications, book and track
the provision of on-site hospitality services.
At IndiCater, we believe that 2014 will be the start
of a revolution in the use of back-office Cloud software.
It will be an exciting year! •
Mike Day is CEO of IndiCater Ltd.
EP | January 14 | 43

NICK DAWE
A
TALL order
“The guiding
mantra, our ‘why’,
at Lime&Tonic,
is to enrich people’s
lives through
unforgettable
experiences”
44 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
WHERE DO YOU GO FOR RECOMMENDATIONS ON ACTIVITIES OR EXPERIENCES IN YOUR CITY
OR WHEN YOU TRAVEL ABROAD? MANY OF US RELY ON FRIENDS, BUT A RISE IN REVIEW AND
RECOMMENDATION WEBSITES HAVE FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED HOW WE ANSWER THESE
QUESTIONS. THE “THINGS TO DO” SECTOR IS ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH €230BN
WORLDWIDE. LIME&TONIC ARE AIMING TO BECOME THE LEADING ONLINE PLATFORM FOR
MARKETING PREMIUM EXPERIENCES. WITH AMBITIOUS PLANS TO BE IN 50 CITIES BY THE
END OF 2016, NICOLE THOMPSON MET CO-FOUNDER STEFAN CORDINER TO LEARN MORE
The company started out
in 2011 offering special
activities in Prague and
has quickly expanded to
a range of more than 1,000
experiences across seven cities around
the world. These can include themed
afternoon teas, private group dinner
parties at unusual venues and a series
of different masterclasses. Lime&Tonic
launched in London in summer 2012
and this year saw the launch of their
digital concierge app.
“I was first approached with the idea in
2010 by my co-founder David O’Sullivan.
By this time I had already completed my
third start-up and was looking for my
next opportunity. Through my previous
ventures I had learned a lot about the
management of start-ups and had
developed a list of things I would never
repeat when forming a business. While
Lime&Tonic didn’t meet all the criteria at
first, the core concept was very appealing
and it was the first idea that I was willing
to make work.”
Stefan speaks with an air of quiet
confidence. The experiences leading
up to founding Lime&Tonic have shaped
the way the company is managed.
After obtaining a degree in management
specialising in hospitality operations,
he worked for a number of years in
hotels and restaurants in Sydney and
the London area, before moving to
Prague for love. It was here that Stefan
found his second love – he’s a committed
entrepreneur. In the space of 10 years
he has set up four ventures and been
involved in numerous other projects,
including one of the first online
company formation businesses,
a specialised accountancy consultancy
and an online residential real-estate
portal for investors in Central and
Eastern Europe. Alongside his different
ventures, Stefan also established the
Czech Angel Investor Network (which
was part of the European business angels
network) and developed contacts that
have become fundamental to the
Lime&Tonic business today.
“After successfully launching in Prague,
the next city we chose was Sydney, where
I’m from. It was important for us to
expand into cities where we already
had contacts. Looking back,” Stefan says,
laughing, “Sydney was probably not the
best choice as the second city. The time
difference meant Dave and I weren’t
sleeping for the first few months!
“Each city we have picked afterwards
has been with the help of our contacts.
Not only did the business angels become
part of our user base, they would also
help source contracts for our following
locations and usually help out as well.
“The guiding mantra, our ‘why’, at
Lime&Tonic, is to enrich people’s lives
through unforgettable experiences.
This is the first company that I have
been involved in where everybody
really, really stands by the company’s
values. Not only do our team members
believe in our concept, but the
merchants are happy, we have a lot
of engagement from the customers
purchasing the experiences and a very
supportive group of investors. We share
the feedback that we receive from our
customers during company meetings.
One of our experiences in Dubai has
become very popular for engagements
– it has witnessed four successful
proposals already.
“Over three years we have delivered
over 85,000 paid consumers to the
restaurants of our 250-plus premium/
five-star merchants, delivering
€2.4 million in sales. We have more
than 1,100 experiences across our
seven cities.”
So how does London compare to
other cities?
“London has been a tricky city, but
we’ve learned from experience that this is
due to the size of the market available in
large cities. The consumer base tends to
be more fickle because they have more
options or already established
competition. Metrics in London, such as
average spend per head, are lower than
smaller cities, yet cost of acquisition per
consumer is much higher. We still
consider it to be an important base and
have managed to create well-respected
partnerships so far – we just expect our
growth period to be less steep here than
smaller cities where we have managed
to dominate the market.”
After hearing Stefan speak so
passionately about Lime&Tonic, I ask the
inevitable question: what is the exit plan?
“When going through our first round
of funding we were asked to put a plan
together by our investors. Our marketing
platform gets more powerful as our user
database grows and, as we expand into
different countries, we become more
relevant to consumer-facing businesses,
like credit-card companies, who may be
searching for a concierge solution for their
gold and platinum cardholders. Ideally we
would be taken over by a company that
matches our desire to keep on enriching
the lives of our user base through the
provision of unique experiences.”
Vienna and Istanbul are set to launch
as official cities in 2014. They will also be
focusing on the US market and looking at
“secondary cities” such as Las Vegas,
Austin and Seattle, where their
competitors, Sosh and YPlan, aren’t
present. Lime&Tonic will also be starting
their next round of fundraising in America
after finding the London market quite
sluggish while looking for funds.
With hopes of establishing a database
of 10,000 experiences in 50 cities by 2016,
it will be interesting to track Lime&Tonic
as they expand. •
EP | January 14 | 45

READY TO SERVE
WHERE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE COUNTS
Chess Partnership possesses one of the
most experienced recruitment teams to have
operated in the industry. The team believe
in the importance of:
• Industry knowledge
• Personal relationships
• Adding value through expertise
• Working to solutions
• Real care for our clients
• Inclusiveness
If you want professional advice and
support of the highest order, then the
team at Chess is ready to serve
www.chess-partnership.com

MANAGEMENT
Miriam Staley,
encourages us
to think beyond
conventions when
it comes to the way we lead
Think before
YOU LEAD
When engineers
from electronics
brand Haier went
to the Chinese
countryside to fix
broken washing machines, they discovered
something surprising. Farmers were
using their product to wash vegetables!
Rather than following the same line of
thinking as their competitors, who had
also discovered this intriguing use for their
machines, and simply marvelling at the
so-called ‘ignorance’ and ‘stupidity’ of
the rural farmers, Haier did something
different. Very different.
They developed their thinking about
their business and produced a model
of machine with a specific ‘vegetable
washing’ cycle, which became a hugely
successful item, cementing Haier’s
position as a stand-out leader in
that marketplace.
Leadership isn’t just what you see on
the surface, the actions or even the words.
Leadership is everything that has had to
take place to get to that point. And that
includes leadership thinking.
Increasingly, elasticity and adaptability
of thought as much as critical, strategic
and creative thinking is becoming a
necessary characteristic for a leadership
population in any industry.
Albert Einstein said: “The problems
that exist in the world today can’t be solved
by the same level of thinking that created
them.” If, as leaders, we are committed to
taking this challenge to heart, then that
means making some significant changes
to the way we process information, seek
solutions and then ultimately make the
decisions that drive us and our
organisations forward.
In this environment of fast-paced
change, information overload and extreme
busyness, it is difficult to find or create the
necessary space and time required to focus
on our thinking as a distinct first step of
any decision-making process. It is even
harder to truly stretch our thinking beyond
the confines of convention, further than
what we believe we already know and away
from the vicious jaws of flawed reasoning
to which it is all too easy to fall prey.
We are all at the mercy of the cognitive
biases that lurk in the dark alleyways of
our minds, but these can be particularly
dangerous in a context of leadership, where
the need for innovation and adaptability
is essential to ensure a bright – and
profitable – future.
You may have been brought up with an
appreciation of the value of the old adage
‘think before you speak’, but a new mantra
for modern-day business could well be
‘think before you lead’. And to this end, an
open mind and the willingness to question
everything is a great starting point.
Challenging the underlying assumptions
that are at the root of all our thinking is a
great way to unlock new potential and
creative solutions. The frame of
unconscious rules and constraints that
surround all our problems and form our
worldview might well keep everything
safely in its place, but also precludes the
option for a bigger window of opportunity
or, better yet, a doorway into an as yet
unimagined future.
A franchise holder for a company that
supplied vehicle cleaning and maintenance
products was struck one day by the
realisation that because the company
name was Autosmart and the product
instructions referenced cars and trucks,
he had never thought outside the
boundaries that those parameters had
created in his mind.
As soon as he broke that frame, he also
broke into new markets, with the discovery
that not only did their soap formula keep
boats and yachts spotlessly clean, but also
that their particular brand of polish was
perfect for a high gloss finish on both
pianos and – perhaps in the greatest leap
of lateral thought – marble gravestones!
While our inherent biases can
sometimes enable us to comply with
social norms and keep us from extreme
danger, when it comes to leadership
thinking they are rarely our friends.
Whether it’s an innate tendency to search
for things that confirm our beliefs while
discounting those options that don’t, or
a bias towards solutions that create the
smallest degree of change and maintain
an accepted status quo, we must seek to
understand and then think beyond what
quickly becomes the brain’s equivalent of
a boa constrictor wrapping itself around
our maximum thought potential. If we
don’t it would be a bit like continually
trying to drive a car with the handbrake on.
When we adopt an expansive approach
to the way we think, the results speak for
themselves. And there’s nothing stopping
you from starting now.
If Haier can invent a washing machine
with a cycle for farmers’ vegetables and car
polish can make a gravestone shine, then
just think about what you could do. •

EP aims to discover other great entrepreneurs
and businesses that have a connection to
hospitality. DONNA IDA, self-confessed jeans
obsessive and now London’s leading jeans
aficionado, is one such example. SARA STEWART
talked to Donna about her story
Jeans
genie
Donna arrived in London
from her home in Sydney,
Australia after deciding
that there was more to
do here. She started out
in marketing as an executive in corporate
hospitality, a role she quickly fell in to, and
discovered she had a great love of pleasing
her clients and providing them with all
their needs. Detail and execution became
Donna’s bywords and she aimed to provide
the best service she could. Hospitality, in
all its guises, requires this level of attention
and Donna delivered with great style.
It was therefore a shock to both her
and her management team that,
following a shopping trip into the West
End, she discovered that her second love,
jeans, were not well catered for, despite
being readily available in every
department store. She jumped at the
opportunity to fill this gap in the market
and provide both the selection and the
service that she sought.
With backing from private investment
and her thoughts of the greatest collection
of designer denim swirling in her mind’s
eye, she set up her first Donna Ida
boutique and states that it provided
“a good edit from the department store
offering”, and so the IDA Jean was created.
IDA Jean is, of course, a woman. She
is “classy, cool, edgy, stylish and
sophisticated”, and is “a lady who drinks
her gin out of a teacup”. The IDA Jean is
also well-tailored and comes in many
finishes, including denim.
What Donna discovered was that,
despite a plethora of jeans in every
department store, boutique and high
street chain, there were no jeans “for real
women”. The IDA Jean is high-waisted
denim that comes in many colours and
finishes, and Donna’s claim to fame is
that she has had only one customer that
she could not find a good fit for.
48 | January 14 | EP

BUSINESS
The IDA Jean has become synonymous
with good fit and tailoring, good choice
and a great colour selection. Donna has
listened to her customers, provided
exemplary service and has a fantastic
level of customer empathy. The IDA
shopper is catered for from initial enquiry
to purchase follow up, she provides a
personal service and customers can
even book in to the ‘Denim Clinic’ for
a personal fitting experience, viewing
themselves from a pedestal flanked by
three full-length mirrors to see their jeans
from every angle.
Donna has developed this service
to provide an online appointment
tool, where would-be purchasers
can send in their measurements
and requirements from the
online fitting service or can take
the online tutorial that provides
a quick lesson on how to shop
for different body shapes.
They can also see the jeans
on a virtual model before
coming into the boutique
to try them on.
IDA Jeans are defined
by their names: Ivy, Jeanie,
Frenchy, Martha and Mabel
are all available in a variety
of colours, shapes and sizes.
The jeans selection also
changes with the seasons,
fashions and fads.
Donna feels that she has
listened to what customers want
and has set about delivering not
just a boutique that caters for the
average woman, but a sanctuary of
welcome smiles, jeans styled on
women’s names and a claim that every
woman can come in, browse and walk
out with a great fitting pair of jeans.
The IDA Jean has been developed out
of a desire to provide a service that is truly
all-encompassing. Donna’s experience in
providing a full service to her corporate
hospitality clients grounded her vision
and provided a framework for her to
offer a complete service and a depth
of understanding that allows her to
listen to what her customers want.
When questioned on the change
from corporate hospitality to denim,
Donna is quick to point out that she
merely spotted a gap in the market,
where there was a plethora of choice,
but no one had really listened or looked
at what was needed so that jeans could
be worn by all women, no matter what
age, shape or style. Donna explains that
she is inspired by women who know what
a waist is and that she found more and
more women were looking for highwaisted
jeans that give shape and “hold
you in!” She draws her inspiration from
quintessential British elegance and
a degree of sophistication with a great
deal of selection thrown in.
There are now four Donna Ida
boutiques open and she has a
flourishing online presence. She
tweets with her customers and uses
social media to continually stay in
touch with what the IDA woman is
looking for in her jeans. The boutiques
have stayed true to their base desire to
offer what is wanted and now provide a
selection of accessories to complement
the jeans purchase, along with a large
collection of the latest and most
sought-after denim brands.
“Customers can
even book in to the
‘Denim Clinic’ for
a personal fitting
experience”
When asked what the future
looks like, Donna points towards
“achievement and success” as her
driving forces. She has a desire to see
IDA Jeans in every country, “with a few
exceptions”, and to continue to improve
her customer service experience both in
store and online.
Her greatest achievements to date
include having turned away only one
woman that she did not have jeans to
fit, her online ‘find your perfect jeans’
and a video demonstrating how to
shop for that perfect pair of jeans.
Donna has a growing number of repeat
customers, which she prides herself on,
and sends jeans orders around the
world to customers who cannot get into
London – this she uses as her business
barometer to measure her business and
service levels.
When asked to describe herself as
a pair of IDA Jeans, Donna smiles and
states simply: “A pair of cropped,
leather, skinnies.” •
EP | January 14 | 49

CHRIS SHEPPARDSON OPINION
The old ways … still in vogue
As modern communications become faster and more open,
there appears to be a return to old-fashioned values
The last five years of recession have thrown
up many contradictions, many surprises and
seen many changes. However, the fact of the
matter is that things never change as much
as one assumes. Yes, there have been new
developments, but the basics remain the
same. The emphasis just changes with the times.
There are three key themes that jump out:
Old-fashioned ways are back in fashion
Yes, the recession has been long, brutal and tough
for every business. Many have tired of sales lines
and excuses for poor delivery.
Once again, people want to work
with those they trust and value. It
is as though we have returned to
the ways of the late ’80s, but with
the addition of modern comms.
The concept of community is
important again, as are gestures
that go beyond the norm – the
handwritten note being one.
Some are beginning to write
personalised letters once again
because such a simple gesture,
which takes a few minutes of care,
has such an impact on the receiver.
But the core point is that the importance
of relationships has returned.
Openness and inclusiveness
People want an open, inclusive approach where people
talk as colleagues. There is a weariness of awards and
‘elite’ clubs. Awards have their place, but there are so
many today that they begin to lose their value and
become seen as ‘rewards’ for those in the ‘club’. In a
tough time, people value informal, accessible networks
where they can learn and build new friendships.
Time is a scarce resource
The average executive today reads six times more
than their counterpart would have done ten years
ago. Emails will be read from 6 or 7am until 10pm.
The result is that the mind tires and becomes saturated.
This has three effects:
• The obvious one is that people do not hear all
the messages. It used to be said that you had to tell
or show a person something three times for them to
hear it once. Today it is seven times. More importantly,
people tire of the written word. They do not want to
read another email or see another form.
• It is natural that the emerging
generations do not value
“In a tough time,
people value
informal, accessible
networks where they
can learn and build
new friendships”
the old networks in the
same way as previous
generations. Their time
is precious for relaxation
– so why network for the sake
of it? However, a supportive
community is important.
• As many of the emails are
internal, it is natural that they
become focused on internal
issues rather than observing
the external market
and influences.
So this all leads us to an environment where it
is hard for businesses to reach their audience and
where there is a reluctance to network. In fact, many
do not know how to network and shy away from it.
One can easily see the contradiction. The business
world is increasingly valuing old-style practices and
yet many do not possess the old skills.
Times may change, but much also remains
constant. It is reassuring that life never changes
that much. •
Chris Sheppardson is the Managing Director of Chess Partnership
50 | January 14 | EP