There were a few raised eyebrows last week when I suggested that 2017 had been a quiet year for FB Chain. It is amazing to think that at this point last year we were just about to start the relocation to our new building, and as I write this, it feels like it’s been our home for years. At the beginning of each year I suggest that everyone keep a list of key achievements during the year – this helps when the boss says something stupid like it has been a 'quiet year' or when things are not going to plan, a quick reality check on what has been achieved that can help to lift the spirts.
This is me giving my colleague Thomas Wagner a small gift to mark the fact that he has worked for FB in Austria and Germany for over 25 years.
I get to do some great things as MD of FB Chain and I enjoy almost every element of my job but this month I had to do one of the hardest things in my 7 years in charge – tell the team that our colleague Amanda Ward had passed away just 3 month since she was diagnosed as having Motor Neurone Disease. She was well thought of by our customers and one of them gave me some good advice: “Draw strength and comfort from your memories”. So I thought this month I would share a few Amanda stories.
MD Peter Church asks the question: ‘Should we give customers what they want or only what they need?’
MD Peter Church reflects on what he’s learnt from FB Chain’s recent moving experience, and how others can avoid the potential headaches.
The end of the year is always a reflective time but with the recent completion of FB Chain’s new premises, MD Peter Church has been thinking about what has been achieved in the last few years.
As Team GB returns from Brazil and the dust on the Summer Olympics begins to settle, our MD Peter Church reflects on what businesses can learn from the greatest athletes on earth.
I am about to break a golden rule I was given as a young salesman: never discuss politics, religion or sex with customers. Before you get too excited, this blog isn’t about sex; it’s about the importance of taking up a clear position and sticking to it.
As a purchaser of steel I have always paid attention to news about the UK and global steel markets. We are competing with many international chain companies and supplying a number of companies that want us to be globally competitive; we also have a good level of export sales. But with steel making up a significant part of our cost, it is important that our purchasing does not put us at too much of a disadvantage. A few years ago we unsuccessfully attempted to buy from Tata Steel; in the end we could not agree on something that worked commercially.
When I was young all my friends’ parents worked in Letchworth Garden City – and almost all of them for just four companies. My father worked for the same company for 40 years before he retired. These days people are more mobile and have the potential to change jobs regularly so building staff loyalty is a challenge for many businesses.
