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Rob Corder.

CORDER’S COLUMN: Small victories are vital building blocks of future recovery

One luxury watch retailer hit his target for March on Friday, with 10 days to go in the month. These small victories should be celebrated and shared.

I was watching a couple of episodes of the excellent Drive To Survive documentary about Formula 1 on Netflix today.

With no live sport to watch, Saturday felt just like a Friday now I am locked-down at home and working through the weekend.

The episode of the documentary I was watching focused on the Williams Formula 1 team, which holds a special place in the hearts of British fans thanks to the exploits of Nigel Mansell’s dramatic title win in 1992.

That victory feels an awfully long time ago and the team has been seriously struggling in recent years. Last year it finished last in the constructors’ championship and its two drivers finished last and second last, having amassed just one point between them.

Claire Williams, daughter of the legendary Frank Williams CBE, is at the helm of the organisation now, and the documentary follows her torment through the 2019 season.

A dry joke to her father caught my attention after another appalling result when she quipped: “We only got lapped once. That’s progress”.

It was gallows humour rather than a genuine attempt to say progress was being made, but it bought to mind another story I heard this weekend about a British luxury watch retailer who has been reporting record sales this month while much of the industry has been in meltdown.

The watch industry is in a very challenging situation, but there are victories around that I think should be shared.

The luxury watch retailer in question asked not to be named, because he is well aware his business is in a privileged position to keep increasing sales when so many are suffering amidst the current Covid-19 outbreak.

The reality is, however, that the business had already hit its March target on Friday, with 10 days left of the month to go, he revealed.

I wish he would allow me to share more about how this has been achieved. All he would permit me to say is that the locations of some stores were benefiting from customers unable or unwilling to travel into city centres or shopping malls.

There are plenty of dark clouds around right now, but I am glad to share the occasional shaft of light.

Please get in touch if you have any small victories to share. You can Whatsapp, phone or e-mail rob.corder@itp.com.

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