Votes have started to pour in for the title of Glasgow’s Favourite Business.
The title, which has been won in previous years by Auchentoshan Distillery and Slater Menswear, is part of the Glasgow Business Awards, run by the city’s Chamber of Commerce.
The 13th annual awards, the top event of the Glasgow Chamber Of Commerce, will this year be held at a ceremony and dinner at the city’s Thistle Hotel on Thursday, October 7.
The leading sponsor is the Bank Of Scotland, while the Evening Times is media partner.
The category for Favourite Business sees readers of the Evening Times vote to decide the winner.
We have already profiled two of the six nominees – Fratelli Sarti and Greaves Sports. Today it is the turn of Barrhead Travel and Fopp.
NOMINEE: BARRHEAD TRAVEL
In today’s 24-hour, non-stop culture, it is hard to remember a time when travel agencies closed when it suited them, making it awkward for families to book holidays.
Bill Munro was not too impressed by what he saw 35 years ago, so the company he started set out to do things differently.
Today, the company, Barrhead Travel, is one of the top names in its field, and some 150,000 people book their holidays through it.
Mr Munro said: “I had decided to start the business because I was looking for a change in career, having worked in a bank and then in sales and marketing, and I saw travel as an opportunity.
“The service travel agents were giving in those days could have been better – they were closing for half-days on Wednesdays and didn’t open on Saturdays or Sundays. And if you wanted to book anything after 5pm, you had had it.
“Booking a holiday is usually a joint decision involving both partners and whenever they can get together is when they want to book.”
The company started with a staff of just three in Barrhead, but it eventually began to grow, and also helped change the public face of the industry in Scotland.
“What I think we did,” says Mr Munro, “is bring some marketing tactics to travel and that we should be open all hours. We were one of the first to open all day on Sundays, many years ago.
“At the moment, we are open in Glasgow until 9pm in the summer and 8pm in the winter, and we have a network of home-workers who answer the phone up until 11pm.”
Barrhead Travel, Scotland’s largest independent travel agency, has more than 400 staff in 16 outlets, and also has a number of call centres – 45% of its business comes through internet, with customers doing research on the firm’s various websites.
Most of its business is done at the 11,000sq ft ‘superstore’ in Oswald Street in Glasgow city centre. There are also branches at Silverburn, Pollok; Glasgow Fort, Easterhouse; Glasgow Airport; Bearsden; Newton Mearns; Saltcoats; and, of course, Barrhead.
This year it launched its first own-brand package holiday flights from the airport.
The company has also made successful inroads into the English market, to the extent that a quarter of its business originates from there.
Mr Munro adds: “We’re delighted to have been nominated for the business award.
“We do, however, have a saying that you put your staff first and your customer second, the theory being that if you look after your staff, they will look after your staff. Believe me, it does work.”
The company has won several awards, including the title of Best Large Travel Agent in Scotland every year from 2001 until 2010, at the Travel Agency Awards in London.
Mr Munro, as chairman, received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the retail travel sector.
A key chapter in the company’s history began in October 2007, when his daughter, Sharon, led a multi-million-pound management buy-out from him to become the majority shareholder.
Mr Munro, 65 is now chairman – “and semi-retired” – but still takes a daily interest in the business he started.
NOMINEE: FOPP
Fopp has come a long way since its earliest days in Glasgow in 1981, when it was launched from a market stall by Gordon Montgomery.
In those days, music fans bought vinyl or cassettes. CDs were still a few years off, and as for downloads – forget it.
Nearly 30 years later, Fopp is still with us, selling CDs and vinyl as well as books, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and other items. It is especially strong on new music from the indie and rock fields. Its clientele includes everyone from students in their late teens to people in their 50s.
But it has not been easy. The chain went into administration three years ago but was rescued by HMV, which kept open a number of Fopp stores, including the ones in Union Street and Byres Road. The Union Street store is one of the nominees for Glasgow’s Favourite Business.
Despite being owned by HMV, Fopp has clung to its distinctive character and approach.
Matt Rowe, manager at Union Street, used to work in the Byres Road shop and has worked with HMV for 10 years.
“I think there is a lot of a cult following when it comes to Fopp,” he says. “It has not changed that much over the years, but what we have tried to do in this shop over the last year is to incorporate more of what Fopp is all about.
“We have put in a bigger vinyl section, for example, because we recognise how hard it is to get a decent catalogue in Glasgow.”
He is also pleased with the “genius” way the three-storey shop is laid out.
“You get kids coming in for the kids’ DVDs upstairs, an area that is a lot quieter than the more rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere downstairs.”
A popular section is the array of classic CDs at bargain prices arrayed along the rear wall of the ground floor. There’s also a good range of vinyl – new as well as vintage.
Mr Rowe says: “There was a woman in here the other day. She was in her late 30s, early 40s, and she said to me, ‘You’ve just taken me back to my childhood’.”
- E-mail your vote to news@eveningtimes.co.uk, with Favourite Business in the subject field, or send it by post to Glasgow’s Favourite Business, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. Deadline for votes is August 30.
‘The best of luck to all our nominees’
Craig McNaughton, west Scotland area director at Bank Of Scotland, said: “All of the companies nominated for a Glasgow Business Award have made a big contribution to the city’s commercial landscape.
“The ceremony is an opportunity for the best to be recognised for their achievements in many areas, including employee relations, marketing and customer service.
“With a wide range of industries and sectors represented, Glasgow is one of the premier business locations in Scotland and the awards are a showcase for the business talent in the city.
“Bank Of Scotland’s continued sponsorship of the awards reiterates our commitment to supporting Glasgow’s businesses, whatever sector they operate in, and we would like to wish all the nominees the best of luck.”
