Angus Thirlwell

What was your first job in retailing?

I didn’t have a very conventional route into retail but I did run the school film club when I was 16. The first film I put on was Dirty Harry and I turned the society from a non-profit to a profit-making organisation.

What is the trait you least like in yourself and why?

Impatience. I think impatience is the balancer to enthusiasm. It is the necessary baggage that comes with enthusiasm.

Which retail company do you admire most and why?

I’m really impressed by Monmouth Coffee, who are our neighbours in Borough Market and on Monmouth Street, London. We have got to know them well and they supply us. It has a very clear sense of identity to the point they won’t even serve a cup of tea.

What advice would you give someone starting out in retail?

Try and create something that is a fundamentally good product and worry about the figures afterwards. Do not start with the figures, it’s all about the actual goods.

What’s your proudest achievement?

Being able to pull off such a great concept as [new shop and cafe] Roast + Conch in Covent Garden is a real buzz. It was just a twinkle in the eye four months ago – to create an entirely new idea, conceptualise it and bring out such a high-quality result is very impressive of my team.

What job would you have done if you hadn’t become a retailer?

I’m always interested by the idea of becoming a film producer. It is not dissimilar to making chocolate, it’s about expressing creativity through products. I have no idea what type of film I would make although my favourite film is probably Subway by Luc Besson.

What was your last purchase?

A David Hockney tea towel from the exhibition at The Royal Academy. I got told off by the curator for putting my nose up to close to the artwork.