HEARTBEAT OF THE INDUSTRY
It's the people that count . .
IN CASE you hadn't noticed, this is a landmark week. Yes, I've decided to replace the mug-shot that has accompanied my weekly utterings for the past decade or so, having decided that HMRC would not wear Botox treatment as an allowable business expense!
But as you will also read, there is a far more compelling reason to acknowledge the march of time this week - and I am delighted to have reached an agreement this week to secure the future of the magazines. It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to have edited a magazine for the past near 28 years that has been more about a 'way of life' than most industry journals.
The magazine first saw the light of day in the year that Wimbledon beat Liverpool to lift the FA Cup (1988), and even then familiarity pervades the first few issues. Shows were still a hot topic with the news that manufacturers were starting to plan their own trade show (at Kempton Park) after the IOG announced that they were moving their show from Windsor to Peterborough.
Tomkins, owner of Hayter were buying Murray Ohio; Alan Titchmarsh presented the Awards at the BAGMA Annual Conference; two former B & Q executives set up Gardenstore - and here in the first issue, a pic of Andrew Rodwell.
Since then we've followed the ups, downs and ups of Ransomes; the Hayter ownership sagas; the transitional years of Mountfield; BAGMA upheavals; the first £99 petrol mower; Atco-Qualcast's gradual fall from prominence; the chequered history of dealer groups; the emergence and rescue of Countax; the demise of Tecumseh; Briggs & Stratton's changing focus; the end of Royal Smithfield and the Royal Show; mergers and acquisitions; dealer closures and dealer openings; the impact of the 'sheds' and subsequently the internet . . . and of course of the weather on our fortunes.
Oh, no, there has never, ever been a shortage of fascinating news and developments. And then there have been the people.
Far too many to mention individually, but collectively they have been - and remain - the heartbeat of the industry.
So this moment is simply a fork in the highway for me. The team at The Ad Plain have been a delight to work with, Steve continues to provide terrific support to me as he has done for the past 14 years, I'm 'on-board' fully for the rest of the year - and revert to Resident Old Soothsayer status (aka Consultant Editor) next year. So the journey is not yet over . . . nor is my learning curve.
Above all, with Duncan and his team taking over the mantle, I know that the magazines could not be in better hands - and when you have gone through the inevitable ebbs and flows of building a business, that is the most satisfying reward at this time.
For over a quarter of a century, our central aim has been to be independent, objective, accurate, fair, occasionally opinionated, sometimes provocative - but always with industry's best interests at heart.
There will be more opportunity for reflection before the end of the year, but whilst the past is important I prefer to use it simply as a yardstick for the future.
"Never let your memories be greater than your dreams"
With best wishes
Chris
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