Doteverything - Martha Lane Fox

Saturday was one of those days that come along and can inspire you. If you missed Martha Lane Fox at the Cheltenham Literary Festival this was an extension of her fantastic Richard Dimbleby lecture on the power of the internet and what it has done and can do to transform society. The content of that speech as well as her discussion at the festival was really interesting and thought provoking. She has launched a petition here that we should all be signing and supporting. Click on this link for the petition. You can get more of a flavour of doteveryone and a transcript of her Dimbleby lecture here

In her Cheltenham address she advanced her plans for the Dot Everyone project, which aims to advance the understanding of the digital age."I do feel I am on an evangelical mission about the next phase of the internet," she said. It takes my breath away to think that it wasn't that long ago there was no Google in the UK and it was just tiny in the US. There was no Facebook, no Twitter, no LinkedIn and all these companies have gone 'boom' in the last ten years.

"One of the things I have been amazed by, appalled by and energised by is the very long way we have to go in embedding the potential for life transformation by the internet more widely and universally in the UK."

Here is the link to the Dimbleby broadcast on iPlayer. You can also get a flavour of what she is promoting by reading this article she wrote in The Guardian and also her blog.

Sure the millions of kittens, pranks and heart-warming tales are an interesting read on the Internet but MLF focuses on the power of the Internet to change lives and how we can harness the power of technology in society. No bad thing!

Little Sun Charge shines a light on climate change

Olafur Eliasson

Little Sun Charge shines a light on climate change
Olafur Eliasson isn’t a traditional artist. As a teenager he was part of the Harlem Gun Collective, a posse that wore white gloves and sunglasses, and won breakdancing competitions all over Scandinavia. More recently, he flew 100 tonnes of ice from Greenland to Copenhagen to visually demonstrate the detrimental effects of global warming.

He’s also worked with Mercury-prize winning musician Jamie XX on a contemporary ballet that was described as “a sensory overload" and “giddily infectious” for Manchester International Festival. And, if you were ballsy enough, you might have swum through one of his luminescent green rivers, which were dyed with non-toxic uranin to quite literally highlight and reconnect locals with their natural surroundings in Berlin, Tokyo and LA.

It’s more likely, though, that you’re one of the 1,000s of people who took a break from the hustle, and bustle, of London to lie down and take in a gigantic artificial sun at the Tate Modern Turbine Hall – a work of art that was at once immersive, contemplative and extraordinary. The message, then as it is now, for Eliasson is about challenging the public’s perception of the environment, producing a dialogue with viewers and encouraging then to interact with one another.

Light-Bulb Moment
Today, he’s here to talk about a much smaller solar-based project with a much bigger mission. Little Sun Charge is a phone charger, created with engineer Frederik Ottesen, which is designed to help those off-the-grid in the poorest regions of Africa make use of the power of the sun.

“Literally everyone we’ve been working with in Africa on Little Sun now has a mobile phone,” says Elliasson. “They have a Facebook account, they have access to news media, they use online banking and so on… They’re very connected to the world, but they haven’t got access to energy and they’re screaming out for mobile phone chargers.”

Smartphones dominate the technology market in Africa, and with good reason – they provide a low cost alternative to laptops and connect those in who might otherwise be living off the grid. Mobile data traffic in Sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to grow at double the rate of global growth, according to a report by communications group Ericsson, and wireless penetration on the continent is now over 60%. 

“It’s a lovely little sculpture. But it’s also become part of a social movement”

At the time of writing the Little Sun Charge project has raised €240,617 on fundraising platform Kickstarter. The original goal was €50,000, a sure sign people understand the potential of the project to help elevate people out of poverty and give them access to energy. To give you some context it typically costs £7 year to keep a mobile charged in the UK. But hooking up to a car battery at a shop in Africa can cost $1 an hour.

Users of the Little Sun Charger will be able to charge their phone using five hours of totally free sunshine via a USB port. Plus, it’s sufficiently small to carry about during the day and aesthetically-pleasing enough for even the most design conscious consumers.

Socially-Minded Business
It’s important to use the words consumer and business here, as Eliasson’s project isn’t a charity. He doesn’t believe in giving away the Little Sun Charger for free. In fact the goal of the project is as much about creating successful independent businesses as allowing people to live independent lives.

As with Little Sun, the original solar-powered LED lamp he released in 2013, the aim is to help create a network of wholesalers and retailers. “In the beginning we offered businesses in Zimbabwe credit,” says Eliasson. “Then they paid in installments. Now they just pay everything upfront. So in two years the market has become quite robust.”

A great example of this idea of a social business working is Little Sun’s collaboration with consultancy Best Foot Forward, which distributes the lamp in Zambia. Together they gave 23 women a crash course in selling the product to local communities by teaching then entrepreneurial skills, like accounting. It not only helped give them an income, but it also empowered the women to start micro-businesses – a proven way out of poverty.

“We believe in market principles,” says Eliasson. “We believe it should be promoted to local customers and local businesses. We already have 12 countries with a large network of young door-to-door sales people. They’re incredibly sophisticated in their ways of driving business, and they’ve generated a livelihood out of it. We just deliver the lamps to them and they actually do the rest.”

To some the price point for Little Sun – $10 to $15 – might still seem quite high. But in the long run Eliasson argues there’s a huge saving to be made in investing in a robust piece of solar technology. The other way of looking at it is Little Sun replaces kerosene lamps found in some of the poorest parts of Africa, which are not only costly to run but also potentially harmful to users – breathing in the fuel is poisonous. The sales figures back up the rhetoric: over 200,000 Little Sun lamps have been sold to date.

Power To The People
Those of you reading in the USA or Europe can also get your hands on a Little Sun or Little Sun Charge – you’ll just have to pay a little more for the privilege. All the profits made through Little Sun and Little Sun Charge go straight back into developing it further, and the higher margin in Western countries is used to help those who really need it.

But, for Eliasson, it’s also about changing peoples’ perception of climate change in more affluent countries. At events like Wellington Light Festival, in New Zealand, his startup collaborates with artists and other creatives to create immersive installations that hundreds of visitors of all ages can interact and play with.

“It’s an art project, it’s a lovely little sculpture, but it’s also become part of a social movement,” says Eliasson. By placing a beautifully designed object that harnesses the power of the sun, and makes sound business sense, into the hands of people around the world he hopes to craft a tangible and positive message about climate change and the future.

Words by Maks Fus-Mickiewicz

Portrait of Olafur Eliasson by Ari Magg; Little Sun in use by Merklit Mersha, and Little Sun distributor by Michael Tsegaye

Tesco to buy Giraffe Restaurants

Supermarket giant Tesco is to buy the Giraffe child-friendly restaurant chain for up to £50 million in a move that will see it open the eateries across its stores.

Mixed feelings about this one. I like Giraffe! Not only because we've worked for them and supplied special-finish eating benches / counters, etc. But I have kids and they like Giraffe! And when faced with eating on the go for business trips abroad they have fed me well at the airport! I understand Tesco's need and it is a challenge facing many retailers / supermarkets but will it dilute the brand / product?

The deal will net a hefty windfall for Giraffe founders Juliette and Russel Joffe and Andrew Jacobs, who together with other management and long-standing investors will sell their combined stake of around 54%, according to The Times.

Tesco is hoping the acquisition of the 47-strong business will reinvigorate its UK arm, which has been battling to shore up flagging sales.

As well as adding a family dining business to Tesco's portfolio, the acquisition will pave the way for Tesco to add Giraffe restaurants to its larger stores and attract more shoppers.

The grocery group recently bought a 49% stake in Harris + Hoole coffee shops with aims to open branches in its shops, while it has also backed Euphorium Bakery. This must beg the question are Tesco knee-jerking a little here? Will they really 100% back all of these acquisitions, do they have the focus, the drive in an already very attention demanding sector!

Tesco suffered a difficult 2012 when it reported its first drop in profits for two decades. While sales improved over Christmas, growing by 1.8% in the six weeks to January 5, the horse meat scandal is expected to have taken its toll on trading in recent months. Shore Capital analyst Clive Black is predicting 0.5% growth at best in the group's fourth quarter.

Tesco declined to comment on the Giraffe deal.

The restaurant chain was founded in 1998, when its co-founders opened their first outlet in Hampstead. It has since secured backing from 3i, which bought a stake in 2006, and former PizzaExpress chairman Luke Johnson, who also chairs Giraffe. Giraffe is set to open its 48th restaurant in Leeds Trinity shopping centre this month. It is understood the Giraffe co-founders and management team will be retained by Tesco following the deal.

Philip Dorgan, analyst at Panmure Gordon, said: "Tesco - along with the other food retailers - has been very bad at in-store catering for a very long time and this appears a logical move, especially in combination with its acquisition of a 49% stake in Harris + Hoole."

He added that with online shopping increasing in popularity, the group needs to "invest in areas that its shoppers will want to spend time doing when they spend a lot less time shopping - eating out is clearly one". I agree with this and I wish Tesco well but perhaps I wish Giraffe a little more goodwill; they might need it!

Is there life in Peckham?

From the great words of Alexie Sayle's 'Ullo John got a new motor!', "Is there life in Peckham?"

Well every summer since it’s inception in 2007, it has been home to Bold Tendencies – an incredible outdoor sculpture exhibition featuring large-scale pieces of work from new up and coming artists. Taking place at the Peckham multi-storey car park, which is frankly, just a car park. But, Bold Tendencies transforms the concrete wasteland of Peckham’s car park into an exciting and new place for public use and it's all thanks to Hannah Barry, who has single-handedly introduced Peckham as a prominent area to check out what's newest in the art scene. Alongside the exhibition space, the car park is also host to a bar/restaurant, Frank's, which boasts Campari cocktails and alfresco dining.
This time round, Bold Tendencies will feature the likes of geometrically inclined Eva Berendes, and Jess Flood-Paddock whose Gangsta’s Paradises series of giant shellfish went down a storm at the Hayward Gallery Project Space. Opening night for the show is on June 30th and is sure to be awesome. Drinks sponsored by Beck's, rooftop views of London, crazy impressive artworks...
Frank’s Café's unique build is thanks to the guys at Practice Architecture, who have contributed two new sculptures to this years show. They are known for their clever salvaging, and one of Practice Architecture’s formative projects turned a derelict petrol station in Clerkenwell into a handmade pop up cinema. Relying on the help of volunteers, the guys are testament to the power of replacing innovative ideas with weighty budgets.
Bold Tendencies do non-profit work that aims to showcase work by international artists. If you fancy becoming a ‘Peckham Patron’ and supporting the project click here. See you at the show.

Road for thought.

La ville molle (part III) from Raum Raum on Vimeo.

La Ville Molle: Benjamin Boré

Take 3 1/2 minutes and have a look this video by architect Benjamin Boré brought to us by one of our favourite art and design blogs, This is Colossal. The project originated through Benjamin’s desire to “question the harshness of the city.” So, using a giant water-filled pocket, he created the above liquid brick installation, ‘La Ville Molle’.
The project is in collaboration with Raum à La Box in France and its title literally translates to ‘City Soft’. It’s part of an exciting trend of architects becoming more and more conscious of the relationship between individuals and their environments, and realising ways in which to explore and apply it in their practice. As much as we’re conscious to protect our natural environment, the drive to develop our urban environment tends to be just as strong.
The Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York recognises ‘the critical impact of the built form, how it is experienced, mediated, remembered and imagined on the quality of our daily lives.’ The initiative was originally established in 1967 and since then they’ve became a place to debate and experiment with the wild theories of progressive architects.
Although perhaps in part a tongue in cheek gimmick today, these people are changing the cities around us with projects such as this and we're excited by the prospect to see how this relationship will mould a new face for our collective cityscapes tomorrow.

Cool Commercial Floor Opportunities

Floorink by Forbo This new vinyl flooring can be used to create unique and bespoke flooring focal points in commercial interiors. With state-of-the-art digital printing by Printed Space any image can be applied, while still carrying a 10-year guarantee. In many ways this can truly mean endless opportunity to create a point of difference. Within our work we can on occasion be limited by what's either affordable or available (i.e. actually exists and has been invented yet!) for a client concept. It's all too easy to simply either write the floor off or have it play a lesser or small part of a retail design concept which is a huge opportunity missed. A product such as Floorink lessens the excuse that the floor can't play an important contributing factor to any space. With such options available to the concept palette there is every chance that the floor can be brought in to bring its own 'sticky' point to the space as a whole; no longer the poor cousin! forbo.com

Maid of Bond Street

A sequence of 25 brass studs set in a polished concrete floor – metal casts of lipsticks, fake eyelashes and even a credit card seem arbitrary at first but they tell a tale of decadent luxury. Worldly Cares and Love Affairs is the brainchild of British conceptual artist Jonathan Ellery and directly inspired by David Bowie’s Maid of Bond Street, a song released in 1967 about the materialistic life of a rich and spoilt London girl. Although small in size (each stud measures 100 mm in diameter), Ellery’s installation is one of the key features of Mulberry’s new flagship store in Bond Street. Beside Ellery’s critical take on luxury, one wonders if his inspiration is Christina Ong. The Singaporean entrepreneur and major shareholder of Mulberry is nicknamed the Queen of Bond Street for her creative flair in Bond Street’s fashion franchises. The latest store by Mulberry challenges the status quo of the luxury market, by commissioning controversial artist Ellery and by getting Universal Design Studio (UDS) on board to design the interior space. ‘What Mulberry wanted was a space that expresses what a progressive company it has become,’ explains Hannah Carter-Owens, associate director at UDS. ‘For this reason the design evolved into a mix of contrasting interior elements.’ The design studio envisaged an unconventional layout and a palette of materials to complement Ellery’s brass studs, beginning at the striking entrance doors, which feature geometrical brass details. A curved stone dry wall wraps the retail space at street level. This clever feature also reshapes the otherwise rectilinear space and helps to regulate the temperature of the interior. To counterbalance the solidity of the wall, the rest of the space has been kept deliberately flexible and is visually permeable from the entrance. Here the polished concrete floor is dotted with delicate mobile structures constructed from unfinished oak wood. These scaled-down architectural pieces resemble follies – referencing the picturesque landscape of rural Somerset where Mulberry originally started. By contrast, the deeper part of the store features geometrical brass plates – also echoing Ellery’s studs – that form the cladding to a more secluded space dedicated to the clothing division of Mulberry. ‘More than following a set brief, we started a very long conversation with Mulberry and worked together all the way, developing ideas through model-making and prototyping individual components and details,’ says Carter-Owens. One could question how raw materials such as stone and concrete, unfinished woodwork and brass are expected to convey the finesse of luxury. However this unexpected combination of materials has more to say about the way Mulberry combined two worlds in one: the rural and the urban. Despite major changes at the top of the company in recent years, the new flagship store combines the contrasting elements at the heart of the company. ‘The idea was to create something that would allow for a degree of flexibility, a simple shell yet very flexible – a store that won’t tire, a place that will stand the test of time’ says Carter-Owens. Founded in 1971 by Roger Saul and his mother, the company grafted a quintessentially rural British care for materials and details to an urban aesthetic. This new store restates these values even though Mulberry was taken over by Challice Group (a corporate company headed by Ong) in 2004 and has since been incorporated into another of her business ventures. That is the multi-brand umbrella company Club 21 UK, which includes such fashion brands as Armani, Donna Karan and Dolce & Gabbana. In a time when corporate homogeneity appears to have affected even luxury brands – let alone the rest of the market – it is refreshing to see Mulberry wittily question their own values with the thought-provoking work that was commissioned from Ellery. Similarly, the design work by UDS offers an opportunity to reflect on the nature of luxury. Luxury is not about cluttering a space with redundant displays of expensive materials. Instead it is deliberately selecting a few pieces that resonate with core aesthetic values – and Mulberry does that well. Article appeared in Blueprint magazine February 14, 2011 by: Gian Luca Amadei . This article has been published as originally listed. It absolutely highlights some of the thinking within Forma and our belief in what we term 'sticky points' to create moments or points within the retail experience that leave strong positive impressions on the customer so enhancing the likelihood of repeat custom.

Beginning to Click

In March retail designers predicted in FX that far from replacing traditional stores, virtual and real retail will develop side by side, happily augmenting each other. Doug Barber, who founded retail design agency Barber Design in 1999, takes that a stage further, describing a virtual reality that could be a seamless extension of the 3D environment – and one that retail designers can make their own. Without doubt the increasing use of ecommerce for retailers has made a huge impact on the profits and brand presence of those canny enough to jump on board in recent years. Initially, websites were unsophisticated and only offered limited products and an online experience that didn’t match the real store experience. However, with the arrival of broadband and a multitude of options, such as zoom in and out facilities, catwalk showcases, spin rounds, music and the ability to shop with friends, the online experience is becoming closer to the real life one. Thus far, the missing link has to be the physical ability to navigate around stores and immerse oneself into the actual brand environment – we’re still lumbered with what is essentially a two- dimensional cyber-space. Wouldn’t it be great if you could pop over to New York and view the latest Top Shop flagship store online, wander around it and see the product on display, letting your eye take you to whatever catches its fancy, chat with a virtual shopping assistant, before going ahead and buying? Or how about an online trip down Oxford Street with your friends, navigating in and out of shops to see their latest offers. With this kind of scenario in mind, we’ve been working with a gaming company, developing test- bed solutions to enable customers to navigate into branded stores on virtual high streets and shop for products on display. This has a number of benefits. Customers can immerse themselves into a brand’s environment and get to grips with what they really stand for. Opportunities are being developed to virtually wander down aisles and check out the latest offers, or even enter VIP rooms to look at ‘special membership offers’ or view live events, streamed on demand. The possibilities are almost endless and there are several routes a client could take. A simple showcase of a branded environment, a virtual re-creation of what the designer has already created for the high street, or even a whole new virtual world developed without the limitations of a 140 sq m box. As in the real world, we recognise that product and windows need to be changed regularly to reflect the real-world offer, and this will all be possible. The synergy between what’s happening in store and what’s happening online to a brand needs to be consistent and vital, and we are currently working through the technical feasibility of doing this. While this is a chance to enhance a brand’s online presence, we know as retail designers that customers all shop in different ways. People should need to be given the opportunity to get online and buy what they want quickly. But we also want to make this a longer, more realistic experience. We know that people go to physical shops with certain purchases in mind, but that browsing often leads to other purchases. This is something we hope to replicate. We need to work with a client that wants to put these theories into practice. The framework of possibilities is currently being developed, and we can then apply this to an actual physical brand space. This is pioneering technology and there may be many doubters. But hey, 15 years ago some people said we didn’t need email because we had faxes. I hope that one day we can shop online with friends – wherever they are – at exciting online shopping centres where we can immerse ourselves in the branded environment. This is a clear opportunity for real-world retail designers, basically an extension of what we do already when we develop a store concept that then gets built. Soon we will be carrying that process into creating 3D online environments, that either replicate what we’ve just done for the client, or take the brand to new unexplored territory. This article was first published in FX Magazine.

Swarovski Wallpaper Fit for a King

Swarovski Elements has launched its first collection of wallpaper, with designs incorporating Swarovski crystals. Designed by British wallpaper designer Karen Beauchamp in collaboration with the brand's design team, the collection uses the innovative technique of 'crystal printing' to create dazzling patterns. The launch took place in Portland Place, London, in the house where the Oscar-winning film The King's Speech was filmed - perhaps an aptly regal location for the glam and bling of a Swarovski event.

The collection comprises nine designs featuring Swarovski crystals and two coordinating plain wallpapers, each in a range of colourways. Versailles (top image) is at the contemporary end of the collection, with a metallic leather aesthetic and clusters of crystals in a grid design. For our simple tastes, our favourite is Diamond Trellis, a geometric and playful design that uses the crystals in a simple way with dramatic effect (above).

Satellite Voices is Live

It’s official. Satellite Voices has launched and is now live. Head on over to Satellite Voices to see the Dazed and Confused and Swatch backed cultural and collaborative platform, bringing you instant access to a global creative community. A network of editors in seven major cities; Paris, Moscow, Rome, Munich, Dubai, Shanghai and Santiago will be celebrating their city by bringing together local talents in fashion, music, art+design, film, photography and culture. Look out for daily interviews, mixtapes and find out about the hottest local events. With the ability to select within topics or cities, the young and visionary creatives of the world are at your fingertips, prepare to be inspired. Satellite Voices is looking to revolutionise how you take in information from the Internet, handing you only the best bits and as you can see there's lots there. Go... check it out for yourself. This is a great creative platform and it reaches a worldwide audience. We are impressed. See it now here.

Dave Hakkens’ Edible Pens

Running with the idea that a pen is 90% waste, that you only need the ink/point and the rest is added for writing comfort, Dave Hakkens has created a pen that makes good use of that waste - by making it edible. From simply wanting a pen that he could chew on without getting ink everywhere, Hakens based the pen design on candy necklaces and even made the ink edible. It also doesn't melt in your hands. Not sure if we'd actually want to eat our pens as a regular snack but the idea is still very cool.

See more of the edible pens here.

'The Sun Is In The Sky' and also now in my shopping environment! Thanks to those clever people over at LAPD Consultants who have devised a heliostat to bring natural light into the atrium of Marks & Spencer at Westfield White City. In simple terms it is a device that tracks the movement of the sun and the name comes from the Greek word for sun, helios and stat, as in stationary. It is typically used to orient a mirror throughout the day, to redirect sunlight along a fixed axis towards a stationary target or receiver; in this case you and I as we go about buying our undies and M&S food treats from the store below. They didn't stop there, but went ahead to add a whole bunch of mirrors to harness the sunlight and bounce it around the building.

Comprising of a 2.5 sq m primary mirror system on the roof, this then tracks the sun (no mean feat in the UK) and reflects light on to nine secondary mirrors, each around a metre square, mounted on a frame on the other side of the atrium. Five of these mirrors contain 36 smaller mirrors at different angles, which dapple sunlight on to the floor some 20m below. The numerous escalators below then created a challenge in getting the sunlight through to all of the desired areas and it was a mixture of full-scale prototype mirrors and CAD models that helped LAPD to determine the angles and size of additional dappling mirrors to do the job. These mirrors became quaintly termed 'angel' mirrors.
Four mirrors on the secondary mirror structure are flat and are angled to strike these prismatic reflectors or 'angels' mounted to the escalators – these reflect and refract sunlight, creating rainbow effects and white light in the atrium that shimmers with the motion of the escalators on to the walls, escalator sides and floor.

LAPD wanted to go some way to creating a healthy, vibrant environment in which both customers and staff would be happy to spend time and they have admirably resolved this target. As with the design ideas that we can all have in this business, they simply never leave the page without the support of the client and it should be noted that it has been reported that M&S were extremely receptive to the concept from a very early stage.

I'm always pleased to read news in the advancement of LED lighting product and GlacialLight is at the forefront in launching such lighting product.

The Light bar is ideal for replacing current Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL) or incandescent lights for all kinds of on display lighting. This can include everything from cove lighting, cabinet and bookshelf low intensity lighting, to something brighter and more appealing, ideal for attracting eyes to a display in a showcase. Crucially, for the first time, these LED's are dimmable without the risk of breakage.

These huge advances in LED technology bring LED lights and bulbs that much closer to completely replacing traditional lighting.

It features a built-in dimming circuit for the extendable LED light bar, no dark zones and seamless connection, a built-in LED driver for a stable and uniform light output and is available in 30, 60, 90 and 120cm.

The light bar is a completely unique array of LED lights which spread light uniformly across a narrow bar, similar to CFL tubes. The LED light bar has a built-in driver for Voltage regulation, with special non-polar connection links, so that many light bars can be connected in series. The products come in eight (8) different models, varying in size from 30, 60, 90 and 120cm , while the different models cater for different light temperatures from 2300Kelvin(K) to 6300K and a variegated light Intensity between 190-1000 lumen depending on the model.

A unique feature includes different connectors which can be added as spacers between the light bars in series. Each different connector can be used in different situations. The closest being a direct seamless and rigid link between the bars, or on the other extreme, something more flexible with a cable between them. Each variation gives this green LED lighting product more form and function than anything currently available in markets today.The high brightness green energy saving LED bulbs from GlacialLight are constructed with light emitting diodes (LED) which add significant advantages over traditional lighting. The LED lighting solution is by far the greener solution and in combination with the GlacialTech family's RoHS energy compliant certification, each and every product is certified heavy metal free.

LED lights offer many advantages and benefits compared to traditional Filament and CFL products, such as directional lighting, which is ideal for torches, streetlights and spotlights. There are no starting problems in cold environments because LED's are “Instant on” with no warm up time needed as seen in conventional CFL lighting. In addition, LED lighting solutions do not contain environmentally hazardous metals such as mercury or sodium and do not emit potentially harmful Ultraviolet radiation or Infrared radiation like Halogen lamps. Another benefit is the extremely long life cycle of around 30 000 hrs which lowers maintenance costs in the long term.

As an iconic design classic, the Bic Biro must come in for praise. It falls into that small category of products that follow you through your life and that you can actually have a deepfelt belief for. Their 4- ink blue and white bodied biro looked as fresh and cool to me when I was a teenager as it does today. Like misplacing my drawing pencil, if I can't find one of these biro's on my desk it's enough to cause panic. And I KNOW that they're pinched by my colleagues!! The article below was published in FX Magazine on 31st March 2009 and is clearly from a kindred spirit.

Published:31-March-2009
By Simon Bond, FX Magazine

Sitting at the back of the class at my school only ever had positive connotations in my peer group. If you managed to bag the back right-hand desk, ideally with an accomplice, you ruled the room. Intellect had little to do with such a preference.
A down-and-dirty survival instinct and a competitive desire to win the next battle were the real drivers as one engaged in an early and primitive form of paint-ball. The weapon of choice? It had to be the 5inbarrelled 8mm calibre Bic Biro. Stripped of its refill and end bung this stealth weapon, coupled with ink-covered paper pellets, was the bane of many a teacher and Daz-deprived mother.
But what of the beginnings of such a marvellously simple and effective weapon? One has to go back 70 years to two Hungarian brothers – Messrs Lazlo and Georg Biro. The story goes that Lazlo, a journalist, had noticed that the ink used to print his newspaper dried quickly and smudge-free. He tried it in his fountain penbut, finding that the ink wouldn’t flow from a regular nib, got together with his chemist brother Georg and developed a pen tip which used a metal ball-bearing.
The ball-bearing’s rolling movement combined with a capillary action to draw the ink from the cartridge ensured a smooth flow, and the Biro pen was born. The product, essentially the first ball-point pen, was launched and patented in 1938.
It evolved further over the next few years and was embraced by the RAF during the Second World War as, unlike fountain pens, the Biro didn’t leak or explode at high altitudes.
Inevitably, competitors also established themselves with similar designs, but it wasn’t until 1950 that a French manufacturer of pen cases, Marcel Bich, came on to the scene. Apparently, Monsieur Bich was not impressed with the poor quality and seemingly high price of the ball-point pens on the market, so he approached the Biros and agreed to pay them a royalty on their patent.
Two years later Bich had satisfied his self-imposed brief of a developing a precision instrument which wrote evenly and reliably for a long time, and which could be sold for an affordable price. He dropped the “h” from his surname and launched the Bic Crystal ballpoint pen in 1952. It was an instant success.
All these years later the Bic Biro has hardly changed at all, and it is arguably one of the best-selling products of all time, with more than 100 billion having been produced. Daily worldwide sales exceed 14,000,000 pieces (that’s more than 160 a second!).
Strangely though, and perhaps this explains such high sales, they have a habit of disappearing. Let’s face it, how many Bic Biros have you owned or “acquired”, as is often the case, that have actually run out of ink? See – it doesn’t happen – they just vanish before they expire. We all know they get chewed but, despite that, logic dictates that there should be piles of them cluttering our home and work environments.
That said, they do get used for some bizarre applications – there are websites which explain how to perform an emergency tracheotomy with a Bic Biro. Other, fishing-focused sites, suggest that the child-friendly lid (the hole introduced in the top of the lid a number of years ago was in response to the number of children accidently swallowing the top and choking), makes a great “slidy boom” (don’t ask, I’ve really no idea). And of course, as already mentioned, many schoolboys used them as weapons.
But regardless of these other uses, the Bic Biro has made a name for itself being an excellent, fit-for-purpose, well-priced and competent piece of product design. In fact it is one of those few products by which the category has become known; just like Hoover with the vacuum cleaner, everyone the world over knows the generic term for a ballpoint pen is Biro.

Business Rates Rise for Retailers

At the worst possible time for retailers, chancellor Alastair Darling is expected to raise business rates next month by more than £1billion. Despite cries from some of retail's heavyweights including Sir Philip Green to seek postponement or cancellation of the proposed 5% rate rise Darling is insisting that he has no plans to amend the proposal. With a clear hint at the recent bail-out plans for the UK car industry, Phil Wrigley, chairman of New Look points out that, "it is strange that the government is taking money from some industries and giving it away to others." Ultimately, in a rare moment of unity, the rates row may force both retailers and landlords to work together to pressure the government on this point. Landlords are furious that the government is making them pay business rates on an increasing number of empty properties. As an ominous footnote to the issue, Ian Cheshire, chief executive of B&Q's owner Kingfisher has stated, "This is not the time to be increasing the tax burden on retailers - the casualties will come next year." According to figures within a report by The Sunday Times, it is estimated that this year the government will get £24 billion in business rates and retailers will pay a quarter of that. Eyebrow raising!!

Consumer confidence improved marginally in February but will Hippy confidence shine through?

Hurray! Retail Week report that GfK NOP's Consumer Confidence Index rose by two points month on month to -35, (but is still 18 points down year on year) and that the climate for big-ticket spending improved as the major purchases measure rose for a fourth consecutive month to stand at -24, (but this too is still five points down year on year). Not surprisingly, the index measuring whether "now is a good time to save" dropped seven points to -25 and is 53 points down on February 2008. All in all the improvement reflected greater confidence in the economic outlook for the next 12 months and in personal household finances over the same period. Rachael Joy of GfK NOP's consumer confidence team is reported to have said: "Consumer confidence remains very fragile, although it rose slightly from its January figure." She said the uplift in consumers' views of their personal circumstances and the economy generally "suggests a growing number of consumers believe things will be better this time next year". It may sound a little hippy, and I’m not sure whether that is on trend or off this season, but we in this office believe that with a decent Summer, and maybe even an early one at that, these percentage point positions will improve even further. Two poor Summers have left us ripe to feel the full force and brunt of a recession but with a good dose of Vitamin D let’s hope that it’s a tonic in the right direction. Either way, by the Summers end we can be sure that our darker complexions will either be a tan or bruising!

Commercial landlords. Which planet are some of them from?

According to a report by property agent Cushman & Wakefield, retail administrations are driving high street voids as high as 15% in some areas with an average of 11.2 % nationally. Further, the report puts the increase in void rates, some 4 per cent higher than in a typical market, down to retail administrations, which now account for 3.3 per cent nationally. Central London has the lowest amount of voids due to retailers falling into administration, with 0.6 per cent of stores on the capital's prime retail streets empty as a result of retail failures. But the figure is much higher elsewhere, such as in outer London, where 4.9 per cent of voids are empty due to administrations. This morning I was speaking with one of our long-standing clients and he told me that the landlords for one of his central London sites are seeking to increase the rental by 65%! So o.k. we all know that right now London maybe fairing better than most areas of the country, driven largely by the tourist benefitting from the week pound against the Euro but even so, what planet must you be from to seek a 65% increase in times like this? To this retailer, like many others, his London sites are in some way presently holding up his other locations around the country where footfall and sales are considerably down on their historical levels. For this particular client, matters are not assisted elsewhere when their landlord for a Midlands site is seeking a 20% increase also. Certainly that particular Landlord cannot be making their decision based on any significant benefit of the Euro-spend trickling all the way up the M40. I think the reason may be more simple! They are just from a different planet!