As a member of the Forte hotel dynasty, Alex Polizzi knows all too well how difficult it is to succeed in business with family members all chipping in their opinions. So can she offer useful advice to small family shops which are perilously close to going under? Despite huge personal investments of both time and money, it seems poor business sense plus a liberal dose of family in-fighting are both taking their toll. Alex will have to play peacemaker as well as business advisor. As she says, “It’s not just profits, it’s relationships on the line.”
Her first SOS comes from Courtyard Bridalwear in Kettering. Run by Anne Preece and daughters Bethan and Rhiannon, the shop is crammed to the rafters with dresses, offering brides a staggering 150 styles to choose from. Their interaction with customers is excellent, but women simply aren’t buying – over 90% of their merchandise remains unsold, resulting in disastrous profit margins. Anne has remortgaged her house to try to keep the business afloat, and cannot afford to pay herself a wage.
At Least She’s More Sympathetic Than Mary Portas
With poor Anne ready to drop from exhaustion, and the tension between the two daughters rising by the day, it’s clear that Alex has an uphill struggle to get the women to establish a proper business relationship. When Anne announces “I think it’s immoral to show a girl a £1500 wedding dress when she can only afford £500” it’s certainly an admirable sentiment, but not a philosophy which readily boosts takings.
Like retail guru Mary Portas, Alex has an army of consultants and designers at her disposal, including her own mother. With the shop being compared to a dry cleaners rather than an enticing haven for discerning brides, it’s not long before the obligatory refitting and rebranding is under way.
Can Alex Polizzi Stop The Rot At Courtyard Bridalwear?
Unlike Mary, however, Alex doesn’t simply go charging in, recoil in horror at what a mess the place is, sneer at the clothes and promptly decide things will be done her way or else. Yes, there’s no doubt she borders on control freak, but she’s astute enough to realize that unless the ladies sort out their personal issues, then all the fancy fixtures and fittings in the world won’t save the business. “If you’re doing it for your daughters then they have to bloody pick up the slack” she declares with typical forthrightness.
So it’s a case of “tough love” from the no-nonsense Alex – there are no quick fixes, sort yourselves out because I can’t do it for you. Although this is a reality show, she does genuinely seem to care what happens to the people involved. With 1,000 family businesses going bust every year, surely it’s more important to keep them afloat than some soulless High Street chain?
Alex Polizzi: The Fixer airs Tuesdays, 8pm, BBC2.
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