48 January 1986 Marxism Today CLOSE UP ON Terence Conran Barbara Ellis o describe Sir Terence In the late 60s, Conran sold out Orby Conran blandly as a to the stationary chain Ryman's. designer, as many now Key staff were only told after the do, is to underestimate event, and some resent it to this the true talents of the man. His day. Rodney Fitch, now a gift for the sort of plagiaristic millionaire shop deisgner, (Boots, shopkeeping politely known as Burton, Wimpy, Woolworth), Burton), as well as the proposed He added that Sainsbury s had merchandising has left him poised recently went on record with his merger with BHS. Not that any of seen the same thing when they to merge his Habitat-Mothercare recollections: 'I was absolutely this came easily: 'I'm not proud o 'tried to raise standards' in group (10,960 employees) with shattered. I was very much in love everything I've ever done', said predominantly working class British Home Stores (24,355 with the business and Terence Conran on one occasion, 'But at areas: 'What you must not do is employees). If the deal goes had just sold it. There it was, least I don't pretend to be'. One talk down to people,' he said. through, it will make him gone, over. He just assumed that I of the group's less distinguished Conran's rise has come as high chairperson and chief executive would go with him, but I didn't. I episodes was when Mothercare street power has shifted of a company with a turnover of was determined never to be put copied a rain cape invented by a inexorably from the close to £1 billion, approaching in the same position again.' Scottish woman. She sued and manufacturer to the shopkeeper, the size of Woolworth (£1.2 But the Habitat merger with lost. and his strategy has accelerated billion). In some ways this seems Ryman's was a failure, and in Mothercare's defence was that process. 'You don't go to to have happened overnight, but December 1980 Conran paid that there was no copyright as the Habitat to buy so and so's of course it has taken a lifetime. £600,000 to buy back his business, cape was not a work of art. products, you just go to Habitat', Conran was born in Esher in which at that point was in the Neither could Conran pretend he has said, arguing that a wider 1931 into what he has described red. Intriguingly, despite to be a political philosopher: choice of designs, and higher as a 'typical middle class family- subsequent changes of 'When you are struggling hard quality designs, are available as a mother was the determined one'. ownership, Ryman has stuck and losing money you are a hero, result. Father was something in a City faithfully to basic Conran but if you are struggling and But the more powerful rubber importing business. strategy: offering a limited making money you immediately shopkeepers become, the less Conran was educated at number of product designs, so as become a capitalist swine.' incentive there is for Bryanston public school until he to sell a lot of each line and keep Conran's great skill is in putting manufacturers to try anything was expelled, apparently for prices high. together merchandise in new. If, in addition, some misdemeanour at a party. Once he had bought back combinations that sell. He is said manufacturers are virtually He then went on to study textile Habitat, Conran seemed to move to attend every advertising and forced to make 'own label' goods design, but left abruptly at the into another gear. In rapid merchandising meeting for for stores, choice is reduced even 1 age of 18 /2when he found succession, he floated the Habitat-Mothercare in the US as further. himself, in his own words, company on The Stock Exchange well as here. 'To me that is not Conran has admitted publicly 'studing textile design with 32 and then took over Mothercare, a work', he has said. However, he that innovation might suffer virgins from Surbiton who had no company three times the size of prefers to delegate things he is where a product needed a lot of idea what the hell they were Habitat, prompting derisive not particularly good at, such as developing, which shopkeepers going to do once they had sniping over whether the new financial matters. would be unwilling to fund. learned textile design.' group would be known as To Conran, 'retail is detail', and Given the complexity of most He was always fond of food and Habicareof Mothertat. the attitude extends behind the products today, that admission wine, and an early venture, in Further expansionary moves scenes: during the takeover of was saying a mouthful. Conran 1954, was a restaurant. However, included setting up a publishing Richard Shops, Conran crashed agrees that shopkeeper power the choice of name backfired - company and an architectural into a lawyers' meeting to berate could cause a crisis in hearing of the 'Soup Kitchen', consultancy and opening a design his chief accountant over the use manufacturing, but says he sees tramps flocked in, and the more museum. Conran also bought of doilies on office coffee trays. this as 'extremely stimulating, not desirable clientele did not. upmarket furniture store Heal's The detailed approach has paid gloom and destruction, death and After a period designing and downmarket womenswear off. Conran has hung on to most bankruptcy'. furniture, Conran grew impatient chain Richard Shops. For a time, of his original upmarket Looking ahead also involves with the way that shops were he was also chairman of customers and extended his reach looking back. In taking on BHS, selling - or rather not selling - his J Hepworth & Co, during the downwards to the prosperous CI Conran is almost repeating his work. In 1964 he opened his first launch of its much copied Next and C2 categories. Complaining Mothercare move. Mothercare was Habitat shop, in the Fulham Road womenswear chain. about the lack of imagination of three times the size of Habitat. As in London, and he rapidly became The last few months have seen British store buyers at one point, Lord Rayner has probably noticed, an icon of the swinging 60s, along a deal which will give Conran an Conran noted that he had put Marks & Spencer is now about three with fashion designers Mary option on a slice of the new stores in Romford and found a times the size of the proposed Quant and Laura Ashley. Debenhams (taken over bv 'large aspirational working class'. Habitat-Mothercare-BHS. .