George MacDonald
12 comments By George MacDonald
Please feel free to fill us in, thanks.
Interesting, thanks. When were those?
Haha. Thanks Nelson. We try not to be too London-centric!
Thanks for letting us know Stuart. It seems to be fine on phones but, as you say, very low on desktop. We will check out whay it's happened so that we can avoid in future.
Thanks anon. We always specifiy when a retailer says a number is like-for-like. If they don't, we don't either.
We received this tribute from David Spitz, which I'm posting on his behalf.
"Having known Don McCarthy for over 40 years, worked with him for over 30 years and been his friend, mentor, partner, but most importantly a member of family, I face real raw sadness over his passing despite his amazing courage and will to fight the cancer which overcame him in the end.
"In doing this he beat all the odds against him and made sure that he was there for as long as he could be as the family and special man he was to all of his extended family.
"He was so proud of his children, wife, sisters and brother and was so happy to see his daughter married and his son develop in the fine young man that he is today.
"Don was a very special person. He worked with and cared for me always. His loyalty to me for over 40 years, to my family and to all those around him was representative of the man he was.
"Loyalty and trust can be lost at any time but with Don actions spoke louder than words, and the many people, organisations and friends of his can bear testimony to the generosity of the man in relation to his charitable giving and also to his time and advice which was there for anyone.
"I count myself blessed and lucky to have worked with him for so many years and together we faced the challenges of business many times, but always together and always watching each other’s back in every situation. Above everything else he was like a son to me in many ways and always there as my very special friend.
"It is as if I have lost a member of my family. I will always remember him with real love, affection and of the real and true individual that he was to me and all those around him.
"My heart goes out to all of his family – the business world has lost a true icon, a real gentleman, a special individual and I have lost someone who I will miss every day."
Haha, re my accent, it's Scottish by way of the North East and London.
A lot of people think it's West Country for some reason.Intereresting point Anon about the appeal of the queue in certain cirumstances - can definitely exert powerful marketing appeal. Dishoom a case in point.
Really interesting point about whether secondhand market has had an inpact. You're right - nursery equipment v prominent in online fora.
Thanks for pointing this out, and apologies for the error. The story has now been changed.
Hi Anon. I meant to put in something about this. Paula Nickolds said there 'may well be' some cannibalisation but her priority was to ensure John Lewis is shoppers' 'default retailer', however/wherever they want to shop.
Re your comment Anon, the CFO Mark Moran only joined last October. I wonder whether it's him that has discovered all this rather than is responsible for it? According to his board biog on Conviviality's corporate site he has experience of 'business restructurings and major refinancing' - likely to prove useful in the circumstances. Whether heads will roll, we'll see.
Commented on: 29 August 2024
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