Skip to main content

Hamper hostilities hit the high street

Dec 18 2004 by Brian Amble
Print This Article

Thanks to today’s Sunday Telegraph for news of the onset of hamper hostilities between arch retail rivals Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U.

It seems that not only has Charles Dunstone, the chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, been sending hampers of goodies to his own shop staff, but he has also been sending them to employees at Phones4U, the chain owned by his arch-rival, John Caudwell.

Dunstone’s quip: "We know Phones4U has been having a tough time lately so we thought it would be a nice seasonal gesture. It was a taster for them of what it's like to work for a company that values its employees. Ho ho ho."

But Caudwell, who once famously banned internal email because it wastes staff time and has described his fellow British bosses as "corporate tossers", hasn’t seen the funny side - Phones4U staff have been ordered to return the hampers back to their sender.

Sunday Telegraph | No hampers4U, Caudwell tells staff

Latest book reviews

MORE BOOK REVIEWS

Hone - How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift

Hone - How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift

Geoff Tuff and Steven Goldbach

In a business landscape obsessed with transformation and disruption, Hone offers a refreshingly counterintuitive approach to today's organisational challenges.

The Voice-Driven Leader

The Voice-Driven Leader

Steve Cockram and Jeremie Kubicek

How can managers and organisations create an environment in which every voice is genuinely heard, valued and deployed to maximum effect? This book offers some practical ways to meet this challenge.

The Confidence Myth

The Confidence Myth

Ginka Toegel

How can women leaders break free from gendered perceptions? Professor Ginka Toegel’s new book challenges the narrative that female leaders lack confidence or that women need to "fix" themselves, arguing for a fundamental shift in how organisations recognise and reward competence.