SUBSCRIBER-ONLY ARTICLE
The Interview - Simon Berry, Chairman, Berry Bros & Rudd, London
How old is Berry Bros & Rudd? It was founded 307 years ago on the current site on St James's Street. The problem with being this old is that people think we are dinosaurs and assume that the company has never changed. But in fact the only reason any long-established company manages to survive is that it never stops changing. Change is something that family businesses actually do very well, although they are not very conscious of it. As new generations come into the business they tend to rebel, but because they have grown up with the culture of the company they also have a natural understanding of what makes it special. But you need a balance between family and non-family management, who will counteract the family tendency to say, 'We are going to do it like this because we have done it this way for 150 years.' ...
This article is only available to subscribers to Harpers. Subscribers have access to the complete archive of Harpers online, going back to 2002, as well as full access to the Harpers Wine and Spirit Directory. As a subscriber, you would also be able to take advantage of the new keyword alerts service.
|
