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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?

It was comforting to find out this morning that garden gnomes have been allowed back into the Chelsea Garden Show for the first time in 100 years

Good to know that discrimination of dimensionally-challenged mythical creatures has ended!  On a slightly more serious note, we have now had two sunny weekends, and I smelt the unfamiliar smell of barbeques drifting across my garden for the second time this year over the weekend.  I really hope that this is the start of a warmer summer – the garden centres and farm shops of the UK need it – and so do our drinks suppliers, although our biscuit and cake suppliers may not agree.  Sales of the latter two products are better in colder weather!

OK – let’s talk about trade shows.  We seem to be being bombarded by companies calling us at present to ask us to exhibit at food and drink trade shows of which there are more and more.  These events cost a fortune and we will be doing at least four this year, possibly 5 at a total cost of over £80k, a not insignificant amount of money.  We will always do some trade shows, but could some of this money be spent in alternative ways to drive business?  If only there was an easy answer to that question!  It is clear that a broad approach to marketing spend will be of benefit in this sector, which is still lagging in terms of a 21st century approach.  There are still a small % of customers investing in social media and other forms of digital marketing.  A few years ago, I was hoping to be able to dispense with our paper catalogue and just produce a digital version.  This now looks like a forlorn hope, as some of our customers don’t’ even have a “work” e-mail address still!  My 78 year old dad is more advanced.  And there is no danger of insulting anyone here as they won’t be reading this!

So, back to trade shows – we will probably always have to do some, but should be spending more on digital and less on trade shows as time goes on, BUT there is no substitute for meeting and greeting as long as the punters keep travelling to London or Birmingham to visit these events.  In terms of environmental friendliness it is probably greener to gather everyone together in one place rather than all the costs associated with my sales team of 7 travelling through the countryside albeit in their very fuel-efficient vehicles!  Any thoughts on all this appreciated.

Have a good week.