It is a slogan coined by or for Dawn Primarolo, UK Minister for Public Health, who used it to welcome the commitment of major UK retailers to work with her Food Code of Good Practice. She said retailers provided neither a scapegoat or a panacea for people's unhealthy lifestyles; people are ultimately responsible for their own health. But retailers who helped to shape people's minds and tastes would help shift the commercial landscape; to one where children saw fruit at eye level and not candy bars, for example. She sees that major retailers are headed for the same destination, albeit perhaps not travelling on the same path. She clearly likes the progress that she sees in the major corporates' initiatives. What is the big deal: No-one likes to say they are selling stuff that is bad for you! But setting aside any cynicism, her fundamental point is correct. Influencing shopping baskets creates and reinforces behaviour. What the major stores do today will impact what everyone does tomorrow.
True in part to my New Year resolution, I held a business meeting in an independent coffee shop today just next door to a Starbucks. The cafe was presented well and four staff were busy preparing for the lunchtime rush, at 11am. As my guests were late, I had a half hour overview of footfall on the street outside and in the restaurant. Six customers. Barely enough to form the queue in Starbucks or Pret-a-Manger just down the road. Plus one Italian girl who dropped off her CV. Some people stopped to look at the posters in the window and moved on. The owners seemed quite happy. When I left just after 1215, they were doing brisk trade. However, I have the impression that the business is not working hard enough. It could easily have managed 120 customers between 11 and 12, instead of 12. This is lost profit as the fixed overheads and staff costs are already in place. The owners are clearly busy - perhaps too busy to take time to look at the potential that their cafe has. What shou...
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