1st December 2025.
Opening Reflection
This week reminded me—again—that running a retail business is not for the faint-hearted. People imagine that being a founder is glamorous, that it’s all ideas and meetings and strategy. The truth is far more basic: some days you’re the CEO, and some days you’re the bouncer. This week, I was both. The business keeps evolving, the pressures keep mounting, and the world around us seems determined to make retail harder than it already is. But here I am, still standing, still fighting.
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The Highs
Let me start with the positives.
We’ve pushed ahead with extending Brixton’s opening hours to 9pm as part of our new restaurant service. It’s a big shift, but it’s the right one. Retail today isn’t just retail — you have to give people a reason to come, linger, eat, shop, talk, feel part of something. The team is adapting (slowly), and the potential is exciting.
I’ve also put a new operations system in place to tighten up processes and improve customer experience. Early days, but it’s progress.
Small wins, but wins nonetheless.
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The Lows
Now for the reality.
This week I physically had to tackle a shoplifter — the same man the police know all about. He walks in, steals, walks out, and absolutely nothing happens. Retailers are expected to swallow the cost, shut up, and carry on. Well, not in my shop. I’m not standing by while someone helps themselves to the graft of my team and the livelihood of my business.
And if that wasn’t enough, we had another attempted theft today in Brixton. Same pattern, same brazen attitude. The message being sent to criminals is clear: there are no consequences. The message being sent to retailers is also clear: you’re on your own. That reality hits hard.
On top of that, trade has been poor. Not disastrous, but sluggish. I’m told by more experienced hands that November is always quiet — cold comfort when you’re counting the days and watching the numbers. Cash flow doesn’t care about seasonal wisdom.
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What I’m Wrestling With Right Now
What keeps me awake at night is the question of value:
Why should customers choose us when they can get food cheaper, quicker, and with free delivery elsewhere?
Our answer has to be atmosphere, experience, difference, and connection. That’s why the restaurant service matters. That’s why the operations system matters. We’re building more than a shop — we’re building a place people want to be.
But building takes time. And time costs money.
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Encounters & Conversations
A recurring theme this week: AI.
I keep finding myself telling my employees, bluntly, that if they don’t embrace AI, they’re basically writing their own redundancy notice. This isn’t a threat — it’s reality. Every business I know is being reshaped by it. Either we learn the tools or we get left behind. Some of the team get it. Others look at me like I’m speaking Martian. But I’ll keep pushing because the alternative is stagnation.
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Behind the Brand: Retail Realities
Brixton is buzzing in the evenings, which is why the later hours make sense. But late hours also attract a different crowd — including the shoplifters. We’re tightening operations, improving layout, and working on ways to keep staff safe without turning the place into a fortress.
Footfall is inconsistent. Some days the shop feels like a community hub; other days it feels like we’re invisible. That’s retail for you — ruthless, unpredictable, and somehow still addictive.
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What’s Next
Next week is all about bedding in the new systems at Brixton, pushing the restaurant service harder, and starting to shape our Christmas offering. The goal is simple: give customers more reasons to choose us. And pray that the shoplifters take a week off.
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Closing Line
The fight continues — because what’s the alternative?
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