Sir Philip Green Blows His Top At Shop Woes, Blames BBC For Recession
Seems that Topshop boss Philip Green is not so upbeat about retail anymore, despite harping on a few weeks back about how young people were too stupid to cut back on spending and were still buying his clothes by the bagfull. The greasy retail magnate was in fine form this morning on the Today show (BBC Radio 4) as he struck out at John Humphrys, getting all irate about how “the media in general have not helped” because they’ve selfishly decided to report the recession objectively rather than spinning a story that would sell more of his cheap polyester glad rags.
He even at one point started modeling himself as capitalist civic figure:
“The retail industry is the second largest employer in the UK. I think we all have a duty to try and run our businesses and protect our customers in the best possible way we can.”
How exactly do you protect your customers? By taking their money off them so they don’t lose it?
But it wasn’t long before even Green, forgetting his media bashing of minutes previous, was indulging in terminal gloom:
“We’ve come into, I think, probably something we won’t see in our lifetime again, a wave that has come, engulfed everybody, at speed, and now everybody is trying to reacte … to make sure their businesses stay in the best condition you can keep them in.”
Green went on to curse the gods of weather, who had only offered him one cold weekend so far to sell his flimsy coats, before turning his ire full force on the BBC in this interview ending exchange:
Green: “What do you think the BBC would be doing if they actually were a commercial station. How would they be running their business?”
Humphrys: “If we were a commercial station we’d be doing news… exactly what we’re doing now, which is telling people what other people are saying and trying to interpret the events in the best way we possibly can.”
Green: “How do you think you’d be attracting advertisers to your program?”
Humphrys: “God knows, I’m glad I’m not in that business.”
Green: “So you mean getting £3 billion of taxpayers money to run it is still a good idea?”
Well, Sir Green, possibly a better idea than the BBC taking your money and turning the Today program into some kaleidoscopic whirl of puff pieces about fashion and homewares, and Bill O’Reillyesque rants telling us how all this recession malarkey is just a bunch of codswallop made up by meddling journalists and depressives?
You can listen to the full interview here (kicks in just before the 8 minute mark).
Posted by Becky North in Hot Money | November 20, 2008 12:00PM |
November 20th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
even if the recession tsunami does hit, whales like green will stay afloat.
November 20th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
what is it with you guys and naked older men – first papa berlusconi, now this eye-searer
November 20th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Brrrrrrrr…
November 20th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Sir Philip Green is king of retail and I am sure when many smaller retail outlets go under he will come up smelling of roses.
My only critisism of his high street shops is you cannot hire a suit if you are going racing or for you mates wedding.
Also with so many image consciece youngsters Philip Green doesnt really hold any of the top end of the market.Maybe he will now have the chance in the current climate of economic woe to grab a bargain for himself on the high street before the equity market recovers.
November 21st, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Good to see the BBC’s most overrated interviewer get a smack. Becky you’ve got it all wrong.
Green didn’t blame the BBC for the recession.
He asked some pointed questions of his own, and pressed for a debate about the licence fee on another occasion. Hope they take him up on his offer.
“What do you think the BBC would be doing if they were a commercial station? How would they be running their businesses? Do you think getting £3 billion of taxpayers money is still a good idea?”
Mr Humphrys didn’t offer many answers, just platitudes and tried to bring the whole thing to an end.
This was a very successful businessman talking with someone who has no clue of what the real business man is going through. The BBC are immune to the pain that goes on in real peoples lives.
Humphrys did not seem to grasp what Sir Philip’s question was getting at, that is, if the BBC wasn’t cushioned, would it not also be having a sale on its advertising rates?
Conclusion: The smug, tax-bloated BBC wouldn’t stand a cat’s chance in hell of operating in a commercial environment, and John Humphrys knows it.
November 21st, 2008 at 5:42 pm
i just thought Sir Phil was pissed off because he was talking to someone who he couldn’t subjugate into a chain of command. not the biggest fan of humphry’s, but in this instance he was right to give the simple replies he did. phil is virtually saying “why can’t i buy you.”