Speaking at the recent Arena Face to Face lunch Baxter Storey’s Alastair Storey made the case not to cut back on staff training and development as times get tougher.
"I believe the next two years to three years will be a lot harder. There’s always a temptation to make cuts and trim training, but if you’re serious about using fresh food you need to keep training all the time."
You can see our exclusive Arena video for a taste of the networking event and a glimpse of Storey in action.
The caterer was expertly quizzed by ITN journalist Alastair Storey on a number of areas, which I thought I’d jot down for your delectation.
Storey on:
Striking out on his own – "Granada liberated the business (Sutcliffe) and made us think of the economics but maybe went too far. I thought increasingly we were only paying lip service to service and training and that everything was geared up to make short term profit, so I launched Wilson Storey [with Keith Wilson in 2000]."
The opposition – "Let me tell you, the competition is well able to look after itself."
People – "As a hospitality company people are our prime asset. As an employer you’ve got to have responsibility, which we take as we want to be an employer of choice and for our employees to be part of our family."
On catering’s future – "I don’t think the market will change wildly but there will be more soft FM offered. There’s a bit of a feeling that you have to be careful not to lose your essence. That if you become a generalist you can lose the company’s soul. So there has to be something beyond simply the numbers...or you can lose something."
On selling up – "Stock answer: my father is 85 and still working. I’m 55 and have no desire not to keep working. I love the thrill of business."
BaxterStorey company profile>>
Don't cut back on training, Alastair Storey warns fellow bosses>>
