Rowanberry

The new Rowanberry Products website is now live.

Rowanberry Products was created by Susie Rowan and Nicky Newberry and is a small company, based in Surbiton, Surrey, that makes soap and bath products for promotional, corporate and personal use. 

I first got involved with Rowanberry a year or so ago, when they were just getting their products together to help them identify a strategic direction for their business.  In a highly competitive market, they are now focussing on four key areas with some success:

Weddings
Corporate
Parties
Museums and Galleries (or specialist retail as I would call it)

Whilst the wedding and party business seems a natural outlet for them, the most interesting area, I believe, is the specialist retail and already they have distribution arrangements with a number of local galleries, museums and country houses supplying Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham; Kingston Museum, Kingston Upon Thames; Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham; KingstonFirst, Tourist Information Office, Kingston Upon Thames; Painshill Park, Cobham; Sir John Soane's Museum, London and Burgh House & Hampstead Museum, Hampstead.

Their website was designed to showcase their work in each area and there is still a lot of work to be done here but early signs are looking good.

They also have a blog where customers can post comments and make enquiries.

Have a look and give them your support

Keynesian Pub Economics

Here's some Keynesian economics combined with some sociology for you.

It seems David Cameron is looking to lend his support to a campaign to charge a minimum price for a unit of alcohol. While the economics of this are still open to discussion. Here's another way of approaching the problem of 'binge-drinking' which has been getting the Tories hot under the collar.

Lets introduce a minimum price for alcohol sold in the supermarkets. Let's raise the costs of crates of lager promoted as loss-leaders by the big chains - but let's reduce the price of alcohol sold in pubs!

This has four effects

1) it encourages people to drink in safe environments (ie pubs) and discourages people form sitting at home drinking. In a pub, the measures are controlled so you know exactly where you are and what you are drinking. (at home you do not - and it is quite easy to get through a whole bottle of wine in two or three glasses)

2) It encourages social drinking rather than anti-social drinking - younger people can mix with older people and vice verse

3) It generates income for the pubs which in term provides jobs and employment through the Keynesian multiplier effect. According to the British Beer and Pub Association 2,377 premises have closed in the last year with the loss of 24,000 jobs.

4) If the price of alcohol in supermarkets goes up and the price of alcohol in the pubs comes down - there will be a net positive taxation effect.

More employment, less binge drinking and a more balanced society - what's not to like?

2012 Olympic Sites - take your pick

It's 500 days to go before London 2012 gets under way, so here's a run down of some of the more popular venues that are going to be used.. To find more about getting tickets for the Games, check the official 2012 Olympic website.

Olympic Park, East London

Work is well under way at the Olympic Park in East London and the site includes the 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome. If you’d like to see the site close up, you can visit on the open days from 22-24 July.

Horse Guards Parade, London
My sons favourite, Beach Volley Ball, will take place on Horse Guards Parade, just behind Downing Street.

Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
Lord’s Cricket Ground in North West London will be transformed into an Archery range for 2012. Crowds of 6,500 will enjoy the competition with two fields of play inside the stadium. You can also visit Lords to see the Ashes urn, and among other things, the stuffed sparrow ‘bowled out’ by Jahangir Khan. You can also tour players’ dressing rooms and see the famous Lord’s Honours Board.

Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park, will host the Triathlon course in 2012. Triathlon is among the fastest-growing individual sports in the UK, and thousands of people will line the route during the races. The park itself is one of the largest parks in London.

Football stadiums, UK-wide
The London 2012 Football competitions will be held at stadiums throughout the country (but not Hull!) Games will be played at Hampden Park in Glasgow; the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff; Old Trafford in Manchester; St James’ Park in Newcastle; Villa Park in Birmingham and Wembley Stadium in London, where the finals will take place.

Weymouth & Portland Harbour, Dorset
Weymouth & Portland Harbour in Dorset, on England’s South East coast, will be the venue for the 2012 Sailing and Paralympic Sailing competitions. Weymouth & Portland Harbour provides some of the best natural sailing waters in Britain and during the Games you can watch the action for free.

Lee Valley White Water Centre, Hertfordshire
The White Water Centre that will host the London 2012 Olympic canoe slalom competition opens to the public on 22 April. It’s the only brand new London 2012 venue that non-Olympic competitors will be able to use before the Games.

Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon in South East London will be used for the Tennis competition at the 2012 Games. Up to 30,000 people will be able to watch the players compete. Highlights at the club’s museum include the Championship Trophies, a 200° cinema screen and a ‘walk-through’ of the men’s dressing room as it was in the 1980s, with John McEnroe.

North Greenwich Arena, London
Otherwise known as the 'O2 Arena'. During the Games, it will seat 20,000 spectators for the Basketball final and 16,500 for the Gymnastics.

Greenwich Park, London
Greenwich Park will host the Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian competitions, plus the combined running and shooting event of the Modern Pentathlon.

I'd just like to add, that the Cycling will becoming through Surbiton (nearly) - and we are all looking forward to that!