16-17_GF.qxp_Grid 01/11/2022 10:37 Page 2
OVER THE
COUNTER
BY DAVID ROBERTSON OF JP POZZI, ELGIN AND BUCKIE.
Get Your
Head Up!
The shout “Get your head up!” echoed round an emptyish playing field as I watched my 14-year-old godson play centre half for Caley Thistle under 16s. Having been involved in football as player (not great), assistant manager (OK), chairman (more my strength) for many, many years it was interesting to see the Pep effect! Even on this blustery morning it was all about split centre backs, playing from the back, keeping the ball moving and yes, knowing what was around you, rather than looking down at the ball - just what us retailers need to do in this World Cup Christmas! Right: David Robertson (front far right) in his Bonnie Earl player days. Left: Prepare for World Cup fever! Below: The Art File’s Christmas FSDU is in all three of David’s shops.
Football is a huge part of my life as it was my dad’s. He lived his life around football, work and family and I am not sure in what order! The reason I start with this is that shout on Saturday morning - Get your head up has never been more important for us as business owners. We simply have to be aware of everything around us. In the last few weeks we have all felt the burden of poor decisions made by others that will affect all our lives and businesses. Whether it be increased interest rates on our bank/business loans or mortgages, confusion over PAYE and corporation tax or just that feeling of a heavy fog hanging over us it has not been an easy time. 16
PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
It feels like you can’t get your head up at all. It feels like you are concentrating so hard on controlling the ball (business) yet in reality you can’t control any of the things mentioned. It doesn’t matter how good that first touch is, things keep getting away from us. As I write this Liz Truss has just resigned as PM and the price of the $Dollar has rallied a little. This matters of course as most of the stock we buy will have been priced in $dollars and with prices already rising steeply we can’t afford to see this trend continue. You knew that though, in the same way that we know that this Christmas will be more challenging than even the last few. Certainty and consistency are the two key words which allow us to do anything in life and sadly neither of those apply right now. With customers’ rent/mortgages increasing and every sector passing on higher prices everyone is getting squeezed. No one is exempt from this and even people who don’t usually worry are thinking about it as we are bombarded by every news source. There will of course be some type of Christmas lift/rush but we are without doubt in unprecedented territory. Normally at this this time it is a case of work, work, work
with Strictly Come Dancing the only true distraction, but this year we also have another major knock out event with the football World Cup just a matter of weeks away. The slogan for this year’s World Cup is One World One Home and this perhaps is appropriate as it feels like the whole world is in this mess. It is of course easy to focus on the negative. It is easy to discuss the issues we all face, but this month I think it is important to focus on what we are doing that is positive and the things in our industry that will set us apart.