Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Retailer who transformed Selfridge's into a theatrical shopping experience, doubling its value, and later hired to revive Marks and Spencer.
On the island
Eight records
He's somebody that can run an audience with no problem. Just by with his presence, without saying a word, everybody goes mad.
Describing really very much the 1968 generation and ten years after what they end up doing. People that have thought of a certain ideal and and future and really vision of what they wanted to do, and then ended up doing something little bit more modest and but still searching for one thing in common, love.
Being Italian, you listen to all the English songs, you know, you grow up with it. But you don't really don't capture words... And it's only when I came to London, probably twenty years after, that I said, Oh, that's what they meant And it's fantastic.
The first time I heard this musician, which is probably now ten years ago, is just filled my curiosity, my desire to visit those lands, to listen to those musics.
Actually, this is a fantastic song because in the middle there it says uh there is a a small um what do you call line that says what makes people buying even they need absolutely nothing.
A small uh group of people that for so long have been playing in a Cuban bar and then all of a sudden discovered, and they've been there forever anyway.
This particular song reminds me of a moment that I will never forget in my life. And we were crossing the mountains between Iran and Turkmenistan. And it was six o'clock in the afternoon in this wonderful scenery, wonderful place, almost like a desert with full of hills.
BirimaFavourite
Just another ability to get the audience going like nobody else. Just everybody stand up, everybody dance, have a nice wonderful night.
In conversation
Presenter asks
2:20Do you think we care more these days about our homes than we ever did?
Well, my strong belief is that in the past two decades we've been attached to brands... But I really believe that the next decade will be about making sure that we don't only superficially wear these brands, but we also live those brands... And the inside, of course, is our house.
Presenter asks
11:48Do you recall a kind of burning ambition [in your early twenties] to make something big in your life?
No, I always played life for the day. Live today, don't worry about tomorrow. Just make the best out of today. And if I had some aspiration was to see the world
Presenter asks
13:56Was it easy to embrace the culture of British business, or was it something quite difficult and exclusive?
No, I think actually the opposite. I think that it is a very open culture and a culture that will embrace changes very fast.
The keepsakes
The book
La Première Gorgée de bière et autres plaisirs minuscules
Philippe Delerm
It's a book that uh a friend of my wife just uh gave her as a present very recently. And when I saw it I said, If this book was not written, it's the one I would like to write.
The luxury
I have to have a pair of sunglasses because my eyes unfortunately they they're very weak.
Presenter asks
How did you know [your concept for Selfridges] would convert into profit?
Because the temptation of buying is stronger than any other impulse... Even the classic customer is not in need of product anymore... And we need to convince them to get something new. and to throw away something old. And that's the secret. and you're not going to do that only through product... You have to do that by creating a place where people want to be
Presenter asks
21:08How big a decision was it to make that move [to Marks and Spencer]?
It was not an easy decision, as you can imagine. You work hard and you see something that is really taking shape and is successful and everybody recognizes. But you want a different challenge. You want a different way of doing business.
“First you need to attract the customer for something different than the product, for something that they really want to see, they desire, they want to be part of. And then they want a souvenir as they exit the store, and they want the souvenir in the shape of an object in a shopping bag.”
“eclecticism. That is the true British style. And he should be very proud about. Because being eclectic is probably the most difficult thing to do. But if you can achieve that, you should be very proud.”
“it's about facing the problem and this and making decision as the problem comes and not try to decide everything three years before something has to happen. And it's about to have that ability, that confidence to say, I'm taking the company this way and I will make decisions when I need to make those.”
“Changes the essence, changes exactly what you do, huh? Absolutely. And I think is we live and we learn and we build our life with changes. And what we think today is different than what we thought ten years ago and it's different than what we're thinking ten years from now. And we need to learn how to live with that.”