If you happen to be a libertarian socialist, ex-miner or of a misogynistic nature, I would advise that you stop reading this column now.

If you happen to be a libertarian socialist, ex-miner or of a misogynistic nature, I would advise that you stop reading this column now.

It is the week after our most famous offspring of a grocer, Baroness Thatcher, was buried and, since my last article, the Barracuda team has taken one of her main supporters Norman Tebbit’s advice to “get on your bike”.

We’ve been working on the ground in Australia, New Zealand, China, Vietnam, Thailand, the Middle East, Russia, Central Europe, the Netherlands - and Bolton.

The world really is a small place and there are still opportunities out there for both retail companies and retailers, but - and this is where Tebbit was right - you have to go out and find them. We are currently in the process of building local teams for UK retailers doing just that, and starting international operations on three continents, all
of which are groundbreaking new ventures.

As Baroness Thatcher once said: “Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.” Having said that, following the news that Tesco is pulling out of the US by closing its Fresh & Easy venture there, it is clear that the Tesco board is not made of quite the same mettle as the Iron Lady (to be fair, they have shareholders who are probably as tough as her). “Defeat? I do not recognise the meaning of the word.”

Also, if you think that the UK retail scene is saturated, think again. I had talks this week with a foreign client
who is about to enter the UK as they still see an opportunity and a gap in the market for their fascia.

Finally, I want to share with you one final quote from Baroness Thatcher that resonates just as much now as when she originally made the comment: “One only gets to the top rung of the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly all sorts of powers, all sorts of abilities, which you thought never belonged to you suddenly become within your own possibility and you think, ‘Well, I’ll have a go, too’.”

Great advice from a great Briton.

  • Jamie Zuppinger, Co-founder and joint managing director, Barracuda Search