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Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Off to Lunch…
We planned to talk about our ambitions for this newsletter in today’s edition, but it’s difficult to start this week without mentioning what’s going on in the Middle East. Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend has everyone holding their breath on what could happen next, as political leaders from across the globe urge restraint.
Anyone running a business will, this morning, be contemplating the impact any further escalation could have on global populations, economies and supply chains. The best will be pulling out their risk plans, looking at where they could be vulnerable and how to mitigate against the impact for their staff and their operations.
This is a slightly strange backdrop against which to talk about the evolution of this newsletter. But we want to make sure we are reflecting the challenges you are facing, whether they be easy to talk about or not.
I was eight months into my tenure as editor of Business Leader when we heard the company was being sold. Just a few months later, we were informed that Graham Ruddick was coming in as editor-in-chief to lead the publication on its new mission to be the voice of the UK’s high-growth businesses.
He immediately showed that he meant – no pun intended – business. With his well-respected Off to Lunch newsletter and podcast, and stellar reputation in the business world, he began making changes to the way we did things and moulding Business Leader into a publication ready to take on some of the best in the world.
Graham has achieved amazing things with Off to Lunch and to entrust me with taking it forward is an absolute honour. And while we will continue to build on his original vision, we don’t want to stand still. We want to try new things, while keeping the focus on you and helping you grow your business.
We’d love to hear your feedback and thoughts on what you’d like to see in this newsletter as it hits your inbox every morning. Are there topics you’d like to see us cover, people you’d like to hear from or features you think we should add? Email josh.dornbrack@businessleader.co.uk with your thoughts and comments.
Podcast…
The latest episode of our Business Leader podcast looks at how a business can survive for 250 years and still be controlled by the same family. Rankin Brothers & Sons was founded in 1774 and is celebrating its 250th birthday in 2024. It has seen the creation of the United States of America, two World Wars and the Covid-19 crisis. Jim Rankin is the sixth generation of the family to lead the business, which supplies corks and caps for beer, wine and spirits, but initially he didn’t want to be part of it…
You can listen to the episode on Substack here, Spotify here and Apple here
Other stories that matter…
The glimmer of hope that The Body Shop can keep trading here seems to be getting a little brighter, reports The Times. Last week, there was talk of a restructuring that could force landlords to agree to lower store rents. Today, the beauty chain’s administrators are looking to retain £66 million in tax benefits to be reallocated to creditors. You can read our piece about what went wrong at the retailer here. And more on the latest developments here
The insurance bill for the warm-but-rain-soaked year that was 2023 has been calculated by the Association of British Insurers. Damage from high-profile storms (such as Babet and Debi), burst pipes and flooding led to a 36 percent jump in weather-related claims compared with 2022. You can read more here
FTSE 250 automotive distributor Inchcape has announced the sale of its UK arm to US giant Group 1 Automotive. Employing over 3,600 people, the pricetag is said to be around £346 million. You can read City AM’s coverage here
Across the pond, CNN has penned a feature on why so many people are forced into working past the age of retirement. It is also a stark reminder of the ageism that permeates many organisations, which could use the silver generation’s experience to their advantage. You can read it here
The FT has an opinion piece from serial author, broadcaster and parish councillor Margaret Heffernan who says that executives could learn a thing or two from the low form of local government. Read it here
And finally…
I’ve written about my feelings towards the South African rugby team before on this platform, so when I got the chance to read Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’s autobiography, I was rather excited. I appreciate the Springboks may not be your team, nor rugby your sport, but this book is packed with lessons from the mind of one of sports’ greatest strategists and people managers. He touches on transparency, conviction, accountability and what it takes to coach a World Cup-winning team.
You can read our review here
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