Retail’s role in guiding the young

What is red and smells like green paint? That was the joke question posed by one of a fun group of responsible young people I met at the Loch Eil Outward Bound Centre a couple of weeks ago when I visited as their deputy patron. The answer, of course, was red paint, prompting some laughter, grunts, guffaws and groans among the other young people there, from a cross section of society. It helped lift their spirits as they peered out at the stair rod rain lashing the gloomy mountainside, the scene of one of their imminent outdoor adventures. 

I tell you this in an attempt to balance the negative publicity attracted by some British young people following recent events, when retailers’ offers were clearly so blindingly attractive that, in certain big cities, youngsters seemingly mobbed the streets literally beating down shop doors in their crazed enthusiasm to own a range of ‘improve your lifestyle’ products.

Opening times and home delivery, like the goods, went out of the window and mystery shoppers would have been impressed with the speed of closing the deal – and the effectiveness of the self-service concept. Even the slowest-moving stock flew off the shelves.

Inevitably this ‘runaway’ success resulted in the now standard media overreaction, demonising our young people and pointing up the collapse of civilisation as a result of the failings of our education system, single parents, Lady Thatcher, the Bullingdon Club and our lazy police service.

We all know that the real fault lies with that aggressive Mrs Murdoch, the strong/weak euro, BP and those devilish, greedy bankers. This was an inexcusable, unimaginative, selective and dangerous message to deliver under the spotlight of the world. 

My own, more considered, assessment is based on over 40 years of running DFS, training thousands of young people and watching so many develop into successful professional managers, plus 20-odd years working with the Outward Bound Trust and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, where I am chairman of the trustees. Consequently, I like to think I take a well-informed view of young people contrary to the sensationalised and biased, negative tack pursued by the popular media.

The UK has some phenomenal young people, with massive talent and potential, who we can absolutely rely on to develop into captains of industry, movers and shakers, inventive retailers, satisfied customers, stalwart citizens and happy caring families – particularly if we help point them in the right direction. Harvesting the energy, contagious enthusiasm and sparkle of youth is essential to our industry, where open-minded innovation is such a key element.

In retail, which employs so many young people, our opportunities to guide and help them, us and society, are greater than most. And giving them the right training, focus, encouragement and support will generate a greater payback than any bogof super-spin advertising campaign. It will also give us more personal satisfaction than that new leading-edge 3D television, all-vocalising and boogying iWotsit, Jacqueline Gold’s latest, even more rampant Rabbit – or knowing the answer to the green paint joke.

• Lord Kirkham is the founder of DFS