What's going to collapse next...

[Castlevania]

I like the fact that he’s more than happy to use frozen ingredients in his recipes. 

[spunko]

This is already turning slightly vitriolic, which I suppose is par for the course.

The trouble is that he’s never, of course, been a businessman. Dyslexic and having left school aged 16, it was his talent for cooking and communication which made him rich. But his hubristic approach to the restaurant business only appears to have diminished his wealth.

In a moment of candour he once said that he had ‘f****d up’ around 40 per cent of his business ventures. He added: ‘There is often a disadvantage to getting in first. In the future, I might spend a bit more time getting in second and getting it right.’

Particularly as it seems that everything aside from the TV shows and books has been a disaster.

Oh yes, a £150m personal net worth disaster - right-o. In my experience, some of the very best business people are shit at school and leave early. And show me any successful businessman that hasn't been bankrupt (or close to it) at some point, I doubt you will find one. I find Jamie Oliver slightly annoying and false on TV, but at least he's given the whip a good crack. The Flavour Shaker was utter shite in terms of practicality, but there was a point in the early 2000s where it was on every housewife's wishlist. His image could sell anything, so he'd have been an idiot not to capitalise on that.

I suspect the problem in time will be revealed to be private equity sharks, but by then the MSM will not be interested in outing their city boy mates. Scum.

Edited May 21, 2019 by spunko

[dgul]

British Steel.

I can't help think that lots of people have been stitched up here.

[dgul]

11 hours ago, spunko said:

This is already turning slightly vitriolic, which I suppose is par for the course.

The trouble is that he’s never, of course, been a businessman. Dyslexic and having left school aged 16, it was his talent for cooking and communication which made him rich. But his hubristic approach to the restaurant business only appears to have diminished his wealth.

In a moment of candour he once said that he had ‘f****d up’ around 40 per cent of his business ventures. He added: ‘There is often a disadvantage to getting in first. In the future, I might spend a bit more time getting in second and getting it right.’

Particularly as it seems that everything aside from the TV shows and books has been a disaster.

Oh yes, a £150m personal net worth disaster - right-o. In my experience, some of the very best business people are shit at school and leave early. And show me any successful businessman that hasn't been bankrupt (or close to it) at some point, I doubt you will find one. I find Jamie Oliver slightly annoying and false on TV, but at least he's given the whip a good crack. The Flavour Shaker was utter shite in terms of practicality, but there was a point in the early 2000s where it was on every housewife's wishlist. His image could sell anything, so he'd have been an idiot not to capitalise on that.

I suspect the problem in time will be revealed to be private equity sharks, but by then the MSM will not be interested in outing their city boy mates. Scum.

JO is a TV chef with a brand.

Everything non-TV chef is just people paying him to use his brand.

It could be argued that he's not done sufficient due-diligence re. who he lets use his brand, but I'd presume that he's been advised that his brand has a finite shelf life anyway, and he's made enough money along the way (to brand dilution) to make it very much worthwhile.

[dgul]

13 hours ago, MrXxx said:

But with such an approach he has demystified cooking and so encouraged a lot of people to have a go, rather than their usual default I.e. processed or takeaways.

99% of it is food porn.  Sure, I might watch some porn and think 'oh, I could use that later', but 99% of the purpose of any porn is to satisfy without effort (as it were).  I'd imagine that 99% of watchers/readers don't actually try more than 1%ish of the recipes they watch/read about, and even then the most common result will be 'interesting, but don't try to do that again'.

[spunko]

20 minutes ago, dgul said:

JO is a TV chef with a brand.

Everything non-TV chef is just people paying him to use his brand.

It could be argued that he's not done sufficient due-diligence re. who he lets use his brand, but I'd presume that he's been advised that his brand has a finite shelf life anyway, and he's made enough money along the way (to brand dilution) to make it very much worthwhile.

Yes, but that's my point. He's whored out his image rights to companies to use, I don't see anything wrong with that. If people genuinely thought that all Jamie's Italian restaurants were overseen and run by him then they're idiots.

[spygirl]

1 hour ago, dgul said:

99% of it is food porn.  Sure, I might watch some porn and think 'oh, I could use that later', but 99% of the purpose of any porn is to satisfy without effort (as it were).  I'd imagine that 99% of watchers/readers don't actually try more than 1%ish of the recipes they watch/read about, and even then the most common result will be 'interesting, but don't try to do that again'.

Im OK with normal porn and just have chips n beer.

 

[spygirl]

Assuming they are correct - and the DM does tend to get some things nailed

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7057365/Banks-food-supplier-pursue-Jamie-Oliver-personally-debts.html

Revealed: Jamie Oliver's restaurant empire lost £29million in one year - £5m more than it made in an entire DECADE - as banks 'plan to go after TV chef personally for millions in debts'

Personal guarantees .. maybe the bit about being dyslexic is true then.

Im not sure ow you manage to lose so much.

I guess they had  management and finance leaching off the business.

 

 

[spygirl]

[MrXxx]

21 hours ago, dgul said:

99% of it is food porn.  Sure, I might watch some porn and think 'oh, I could use that later', but 99% of the purpose of any porn is to satisfy without effort (as it were).  I'd imagine that 99% of watchers/readers don't actually try more than 1%ish of the recipes they watch/read about, and even then the most common result will be 'interesting, but don't try to do that again'.

Ah, there you go, like real porn, some give up after the first attempt, yet the rest of us practice until we have achieved perfection ;-)

[sancho panza]

IWill I be burned at the stake for placing M&S in here?

Demographic is slowly dying and for anyone for whom price is an issue,they're not that cheap.Much like Waitrose a place for those on inflation proof incomes.

Edited May 23, 2019 by sancho panza

[Ash4781b]

Thread crossover as the Sainsbury’s thread is in the main forum . I’ve had some odd experiences of Sainsbury’s recently. I went to Aldi and there were two Sainsbury’s employees shopping there.Then in Sainsbury’s store it was quiet but manic at the reduced isle.  they’ve been sending everyone I know ‘money off’ vouchers for months. Then a visit today I scanned an item that came up restricted and the lady said ‘I can’t sell you this item’. I then said there’s a price on the back and it was on the shelf to which she said it didn’t have a code we can’t sell it yet. 

I do like the Sainsbury’s offer but their prices - ouch!

[MrXxx]

9 hours ago, sancho panza said:

IWill I be burned at the stake for placing M&S in here?

Demographic is slowly dying and for anyone for whom price is an issue,they're not that cheap.Much like Waitrose a place for those on inflation proof incomes.

As you post immediately followed mine did you mean S&M but put M&S by mistake? ;-)

[Bedrag Justesen]

12 hours ago, sancho panza said:

Demographic is slowly dying and for anyone for whom price is an issue,they're not that cheap.Much like Waitrose a place for those on inflation proof incomes.

M&S deli pies.

When £4 each I leave them where they are.

When £6 for 2 I buy 4.

Same with M&S crisps.

When £1.80 each bag I leave them where they are.

When £3 for 2 bags I buy 6.  

Same principle with clothing.

Pop upstairs when visiting food to look at jackets, coats etc, try them on noting size.

Find one I like costing £170.

Wait for Sparks preview sale 70% off, maybe 50% off, then order online to click & collect.

Everyone I mention this to does the same.

M&S have their pricing wrong right across their business.

 

Waitrose can be great value.

Wait for Waitrose money off vouchers eg spend £40 save £8 at till.

Shop for reductions, maybe get to £40 with a beer or two, or wine, or deli items.

Pay them £32, pick up a free Daily Telegraph or whatever, and a free coffee. 

[sancho panza]

3 hours ago, Ash4781b said:

Thread crossover as the Sainsbury’s thread is in the main forum . I’ve had some odd experiences of Sainsbury’s recently. I went to Aldi and there were two Sainsbury’s employees shopping there.Then in Sainsbury’s store it was quiet but manic at the reduced isle.  they’ve been sending everyone I know ‘money off’ vouchers for months. Then a visit today I scanned an item that came up restricted and the lady said ‘I can’t sell you this item’. I then said there’s a price on the back and it was on the shelf to which she said it didn’t have a code we can’t sell it yet. 

I do like the Sainsbury’s offer but their prices - ouch!

The shares are the lowest since 1988 when .................................

[Harley]

Tescos at it again?  Yorkshire Tea.  The larger pack is more expensive per 100g than the smaller one!  OK, the smaller one is on offer and maybe it's the manufacturer but bottom line is the same.  Need a maths degree to shop in that place.  Mispriced or misleading chicken kiev price too.  And Aldi, really have jacked up prices over the last few months. And Greggs, no longer cheap and cheerful!  It's getting tough out there!

Edited May 23, 2019 by Harley

[Bedrag Justesen]

20 hours ago, Harley said:

And Greggs, no longer cheap and cheerful!  It's getting tough out there!

Pound Bakery ate Greggs lunch here.

Massive queue at lunchtimes.

[One percent]

On 21/05/2019 at 13:28, kibuc said:

Not much appreciation for JO in this thread, but I will always admire him for his fight to make school dinners at least resemble real food.

I remember watching his shows back in Poland, seeing primary-aged kids being served pizza with fries and gagging at carrots. I thought it was made up, it had to be. Then I moved across the Channel and I saw that it wasn't. Frightening stuff, and he used his celeb status to do something about it.

Don't know too much about his enterpreneurial skills.

I remember at school when each and every school had its own cook. The meals were very good. Especially for the price. I would look forward to dinner. 👍

by the time my kids got there, it was all centrally “prepared “. Expensive and so dire, they refused to eat it. I sent them with a pack out.

Then, the nutrition nazis started checking the pack out boxes. Mind, I wasn’t sending mine in with crap but still 

[Van Lady]

39 minutes ago, One percent said:

I remember at school when each and every school had its own cook. The meals were very good. Especially for the price. I would look forward to dinner. 👍

by the time my kids got there, it was all centrally “prepared “. Expensive and so dire, they refused to eat it. I sent them with a pack out.

Then, the nutrition nazis started checking the pack out boxes. Mind, I wasn’t sending mine in with crap but still 

Same here. School dinners were just like a home meal when I attended until 1974. My kids were born 1993/1994 and at their primary school they still had a cook and dinners were decent. When they went to a larger secondary school aged 12 they couldn’t eat the muck served up and elected for packed lunch for four days and money to buy something of choice in town on a Friday.

Thankfully I didn’t have to put up with the checking of my kids packed lunch around here!

[Castlevania]

1 hour ago, One percent said:

I remember at school when each and every school had its own cook. The meals were very good. Especially for the price. I would look forward to dinner. 👍

by the time my kids got there, it was all centrally “prepared “. Expensive and so dire, they refused to eat it. I sent them with a pack out.

Then, the nutrition nazis started checking the pack out boxes. Mind, I wasn’t sending mine in with crap but still 

My school moved from a beautiful but dilapidated old building that had outgrown it’s purpose (half the lessons were taught in portakabins) to one of those wonderful PFI funded schools that Blair/Brown promoted. The cafeteria went from having cooks who every day made a variety of home cooked dishes including an excellent selection of puddings to simply reheating whatever the company who were given the catering contract desired.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Castlevania

[sancho panza]

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2019/05/mothercare-losses-widen-87-3m/

Mothercare has reported a loss before tax of £87.3 million for the 53 weeks to March 30.

The British retailer said sales have plunged thanks to last year’s restructuring resulting in reduced consumer confidence.

Mothercare said it had completed restructuring ahead of schedule, reducing its UK store portfolio from 134 stores to 79

 

Great Wolf St piece on how Bricks and Mortar dies one customer at a time.

 

https://wolfstreet.com/2019/05/24/heres-how-i-think-e-commerce-is-wiping-out-brick-mortar/

'Here is another example. I swim in the San Francisco Bay and need something to keep my goggles from fogging up. Once you figure out what gets you through your open-water swim without your goggles fogging up, you stick to it. Some people use baby shampoo. Others spit into their goggles. Others buy specialized products. There are lots of choices. I have one that works for me, and I’m sticking to it.

So last week, I drove to my nearest sporting goods store. It’s a good distance away; the store in my part of town closed years ago. The store carried two types, the one I buy, and the one by a big-name company that I tried but didn’t like. When I got to the store, I found out they don’t carry my brand anymore. They only carry the big-company brand. I’d wasted time and gasoline. Once back home, I ordered it online directly from the manufacturer in the US. It arrived via USPS in my mailbox today. And this was likely the last thing I’ll ever try to buy at a brick-and-mortar sporting goods store. I’m not the only one:'

[spygirl]

14 hours ago, sancho panza said:

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2019/05/mothercare-losses-widen-87-3m/

Mothercare has reported a loss before tax of £87.3 million for the 53 weeks to March 30.

The British retailer said sales have plunged thanks to last year’s restructuring resulting in reduced consumer confidence.

Mothercare said it had completed restructuring ahead of schedule, reducing its UK store portfolio from 134 stores to 79

 

Great Wolf St piece on how Bricks and Mortar dies one customer at a time.

 

https://wolfstreet.com/2019/05/24/heres-how-i-think-e-commerce-is-wiping-out-brick-mortar/

'Here is another example. I swim in the San Francisco Bay and need something to keep my goggles from fogging up. Once you figure out what gets you through your open-water swim without your goggles fogging up, you stick to it. Some people use baby shampoo. Others spit into their goggles. Others buy specialized products. There are lots of choices. I have one that works for me, and I’m sticking to it.

So last week, I drove to my nearest sporting goods store. It’s a good distance away; the store in my part of town closed years ago. The store carried two types, the one I buy, and the one by a big-name company that I tried but didn’t like. When I got to the store, I found out they don’t carry my brand anymore. They only carry the big-company brand. I’d wasted time and gasoline. Once back home, I ordered it online directly from the manufacturer in the US. It arrived via USPS in my mailbox today. And this was likely the last thing I’ll ever try to buy at a brick-and-mortar sporting goods store. I’m not the only one:'

Not a big thinker.

Other than that, hes sound.

 

[Kurt Barlow]

Lendy (P2P property) have gone into administration. 

http://www.cityam.com/278146/uk-peer-peer-finance-company-lendy-collapses-amid

[The Idiocrat]

2 hours ago, Kurt Barlow said:

Lendy (P2P property) have gone into administration. 

http://www.cityam.com/278146/uk-peer-peer-finance-company-lendy-collapses-amid

That article reads like it's from 2008!

Quote

The failure to do so means tens of millions of pounds of retail investors money could be lost.

Lendy has in excess of £160m in outstanding loans, and more than £90m is in default.

An update on Lendy's website said it had limited information for creditors as millions of pounds of loans are behind on repayments, but not yet classed as non-performing.

[dgul]

3 hours ago, Kurt Barlow said:

Lendy (P2P property) have gone into administration. 

http://www.cityam.com/278146/uk-peer-peer-finance-company-lendy-collapses-amid

That is interesting.

I think all their loans are backed by property, and they've got the usual documentation showing how secure their business is (or, that investors will get their money back).  I'd imagine that the publicity of people losing money will have a seriously detrimental effect on other P2P lenders.