Kurt Geiger boss Neil Clifford reveals he used to clean toilets and sell paraffin as CEO’s set up new retail academy

CLEANING toilets and selling paraffin isn’t the accustomed way to becoming a CEO.

But that was the way for Neil Clifford, who has been the brag of British footwear and handbag marque Kurt Geiger for the past 22 years.

Portsmouth-born Mr Clifford near schoolhouse with 1 O-level successful Art in 1983 earlier moving successful a Fiat garage, cleaning loos, selling paraffin and cutting keys to rise currency to bargain a keyboard for his band.

His vocation successful fashion lone started aft a person convinced him to get a job successful the section Debenhams.

He was aboriginal inspired by a speech with Sir Ralph Halpern, the flamboyant “five-times-a-night” brag of Burton Group, who encouraged his determination to London.

Mr Clifford is present making it the Kurt Geiger ngo to get young adults not successful assemblage oregon assemblage to get grooming successful its academy, which helium acceptable up successful the London bureau 2 years agone aft being buoyed by the absorption to its foundation initiatives during Covid.

It present puts 5 per cent of its profits into its instauration for young radical — equivalent to £2million past year.

Kurt Geiger is presently grooming 30 students successful the afloat retail process — from designing shoes and its iconic handbags to concern and selling — and hopes to grow to 60 students successful September.

It volition soon motorboat afloat apprenticeships and has already taken connected 8 of past year’s 21 students.

Kurt Geiger was founded by an Austrian who fled the Nazis and opened its archetypal store successful Bond Street successful 1963.

And now, for once, it is simply a British marque that has cracked America — alternatively than flopping.

Mr Clifford said: “I deliberation we’re thing different, exotic, a ­British brand.

"Our prime is precise bully and astatine $250 we are cheaper than immoderate of the different brands.”

The shoes and bags are successful 400 section stores successful the US, and the steadfast has plans for 9 stand­alone shops determination and successful Mexico.

On Donald Trump, Mr Clifford said: “I don’t deliberation determination volition beryllium tariffs similar the 10 to 20 per cent for the UK. But Trump is precise clever, I’m definite he’ll fig retired that it wouldn’t beryllium productive.”

Success successful America is adjacent much pressing aft the Budget, which helium said had created outgo difficulties

Mr Clifford told Sun Business: “We person galore opportunities internationally truthful it’s improbable we’ll unfastened galore much stores successful the UK.”

Kurt Geiger has already passed done 4 antithetic buyout owners and was past twelvemonth reported to beryllium up for merchantability by backstage equity steadfast Cinven.

Mr Clifford, who has seen the company’s net turn from £4million to £41million nether the assorted owners, smiled arsenic we were leaving and said: “We’re ever for sale. So if you cognize of anyone with 400million quid…”

Other Brits to ace America... and 2 who didn't

U.S. tie-in woody conscionable the tonic

FEVER-TREE shares were sent fizzing yesterday aft brew elephantine Molson Coors took a involvement and revealed a tie-up with the tonic maker.

They jumped by arsenic overmuch arsenic 21 per cent aft it emerged the shaper of Coors Lite and Blue Moon brew successful the US and Aspall cider successful the UK had agreed a semipermanent partnership.

Molson Coors’ 8.5 per cent makes it the 2nd biggest investor.

The determination volition boost Fever-Tree successful the US, wherever the popularity of its tonics and ginger accrued its income by 9 per cent to £128 cardinal past year.

Fever-Tree volition present person royalty guarantees from Molson Coors, which is buying the operating limb for £20million.

Fever-Tree CEO Tim Warrillow said: “Today’s announcement marks a transformational measurement for the Fever-Tree marque successful the US. Molson Coors are the perfect semipermanent spouse to instrumentality the Fever-Tree marque to the adjacent level crossed the US.”

Mulberry push

LUXURY handbag shaper Mulberry plans to power its absorption from China to Britain to effort to revive its fortunes.

The loss-making marque yesterday posted a hefty 18.3 per cent descent successful revenues successful the past 4th of 2024.

Boss Andrea Baldo said the Somerset-based steadfast had “lost truthful overmuch business” successful the UK wherever it would reopen shops portion shutting others successful Asia.

He said Mulberry needed to beryllium “simplified, including re- prioritising the UK”.

It precocious fended disconnected a takeover bid by Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group.

REVENUE astatine telecoms elephantine BT slowed arsenic pugnacious trading extracurricular the UK and little handset income offset a boost from terms hikes and maturation successful its ultra-fast network.

It posted a 3 per cent driblet to £5.2billion for the last 3 months past year, missing forecasts.

Share sell-out

SHELL yesterday bumped up rewards for shareholders arsenic its brag admitted it is inactive exploring a New York listing.

The FTSE 100 energy elephantine boosted its dividend by 4 per cent and unveiled a £2.8billion stock buyback contempt net falling from £22.8billion to £19.1billion.

It is acceptable to payment from the Trump pro-oil and state docket arsenic it tries to assistance its worth person to US peers, specified arsenic Exxonmobil.

CEO Wael Sawan said it was ever reviewing its London HQ and listing, but “there is nary unrecorded discussion.”