Moving On

Speciality Bites with

Paul Hargreaves

Chief executive of Cotswold Fayre

• Becoming a B Corp
• Top trend predictions for Christmas 2021
• Self-sacrifice: The importance of building a leadership legacy centred on others
• Undercover Boss
• Can/should bosses really be close friends with their staff?

After trips to Africa and Asia, I am now firmly back in Blighty with a bang.

We are now in the middle of the huge logistical exercise of moving Cotswold Fayre into new premises, from Oxfordshire to Reading. Last weekend we moved our entire stock seven miles down the road, and next weekend we have the joys of moving the office and all associated technology. I am now questioning the wisdom of having a holiday before the move – maybe I should have waited until afterwards!

Following my trip to Kenya, you may have read that we are in the process of raising money in order to irrigate an area of land in Kenya that, when fruitful, could produce 50% of the grain required to feed the children at the orphanage. This year due to the drought, there was no harvest at all.

One supplier, Salty Dog crisps, has very generously offered a free pallet of stock which we will sell at normal prices and give all the money to the project. And all our suppliers, except one, have been very happy to pay an extra £220 to attend the Cotswold Fayre supplier conference in September. This will raise at least another £1,500, so we are over halfway there. If you want to contribute, please let me know. We have set up a special account for donations.

After the summer holidays for some of you, it is suddenly the show season again – why do these things come round so quickly? Speciality & Fine Food Show even before the school holidays have finished and then later in the month, GLEE.

Talking of shows I was surprised to find out by accident that Food & Drink Expo has changed from a four day show to a three day show since we signed up. Naively I assumed there would be a 25% reduction in cost due to the change – but apparently not!

Imagine ordering a product, only to receive a smaller version and still being expected to pay for the bigger one? Is there any other business where this would happen? I don’t think so! Answers on a postcard, please!

During the move over the last weekend, I stayed at a B & B in order to be on-site very early the next morning and chanced upon a copy of the Daily Mail – not my usual choice of newspaper I can assure you. In there was a very detailed piece on the bank’s lending to SMEs. Despite the Government’s assurances (some might say lies) that the banks are lending money to small businesses, their lending is actually over 4% down on two years ago at the peak of the financial crisis. Has anyone actually managed to get a business loan recently?