A business model that will stand the test of time is more important than a dash for the finish line

When I was kindly invited to write this column, I was told that I could write about anything I liked. So I’m going to do just that.

I read recently that the world will end. I guess I have always subliminally known that, but learning of our planet’s demise when our sun goes out in 3.5 billion years’ time brought the issue into greater focus.

And, with the moon slowly drifting away from the Earth, there is an increasing chance of being hit by a meteorite as gravitational pull is reduced, which means our planet might not even make it to 3.5 billion years old.

Now you might react in a number of ways to this startling news. The manic depressives among you may wonder what the point of it all is. If your reason for being was to procreate, but all life on Earth will come to an end, why get up in the morning?

Those of you who are hedonists will be inclined to party till you drop – hey, the world is going to end, live for now.

And buying shares in Ann Summers or Majestic Wine might be worth a punt if the latter group really go for it.

The solution-seekers among you have probably started thinking about colonising other planets already and I did hear a rumour that Tesco’s board recently considered an early and pre-emptive move to Mars.

But this is my considered reaction to the news. Firstly, it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive – life is about enjoying the journey. Rushing to get there often only leads to short-term satisfaction.

Secondly, it gives us at Waitrose another 3.5 billion years to perfect our business model and sustainably grow in synergy with the needs of all our stakeholders – the partners who own the business, our suppliers from whom we need long-term support, our customers who want great value and trust us to do the right things on their behalf, and the communities in which we trade.

We have enjoyed what we have described as a monastic expansion policy – growing as quickly as we can develop our people, which, with an emphasis on longevity of service, helps us better achieve consistently high standards.

As Terry Wogan would say: “Slow and steady wins the race.” And because the finishing line is now officially 3,500,002,008 AD, it is probably better to get it right than dash for growth or use cheap gimmicks that are unsustainable.

I wonder if Justin King is planning for another 14,000,008,032 consecutive quarters of growth at Sainsbury’s? I am lucky to work for a company that is interested in the long-term sustainability of the business and loving the journey. Are you?

Mark Price is managing director of Waitrose