David Livingstone

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Vivien is The Family has owned Stanford since 1946

The BBC, the weekly-in-chief-series-profiles of various executives from all over The World . This Week we talk to Vivien Godfrey, chief executive of Maps and travel books dealer Stanford.

you would Imagine That any Secret Service worth its salt would be interested to know who buys what cards from the specialist UK retailer, Stanford.

home to The World 's largest collection of Maps , guides and globes, its clients include governments and armed forces from around The World .

So, if two States do not really get along, And One of them is buying a lot of detailed Maps of The Other from Stanford, it would be time for the Alarm Bells to go off in the second of these two Nations.

"We have A Number of military customers around The World ," says the current chief Vivien Godfrey diplomatically.

The Company 's old store on Long Acre closed in January after 118 years,

headquartered in Covent Garden in the centre of London, in the possession of The Family of Stanford, a 166-year-old British institution. Its opening in 1853, it goes back to the great expeditions of the 19th century and early 20th century.

His famous customers from this time, David Livingstone were, of the studied a lot of Africa, and Ernest Shackleton , who led expeditions in the Antarctic. Even the fictional character Sherlock Holmes was a fan.

Vivien, 58, chief executive and Chairman of Stanford since March 2018, but their connection to The Company was a life-long. Your family is already since most of owners since 1946, and is now in the third generation to lead The Company . She describes Stanford as "a part of my life".

But when she'd graduated from Oxford University with a degree in geography in 1983, her father let The Family feast.

"He said very firmly to me, 'no, you should go and work for other companies and other experiences'," she recalls. "He said that at a certain point, I wanted to be more involved in Stanford's business, and I would be worth more if I made other experiences. "

Stanford's' new main store is a third smaller,

So, after Oxford, she spent seven years with management consultancy group McKinsey, where they helped customers "almost exclusively in the retail and consumer goods". "Part of the reason why I asked, the work was almost exclusively with private clients, I thought it would give me The Greatest benefit [for Stanford in The Future ]," she says.

In 1991, she moved to the US where she spent eight years in Minnesota, And Then to retail group Grand Metropolitan (later Diageo). Two of the major brands are focused on the goods canned vegetables business Green Giant , ice-cream subsidiary, Haagen-Dazs.

Vivien's decision to finally take The Top job at Stanford's 19 months, came to The Business with some difficulty. His old, three-story store on Long Acre, Covent Garden , which since the year 1901, was then much too big for The Company . As a result, Stanford's one loss was present, and his future was in danger.

The Company had resigned, the former chief executive, and Vivien had the task of searching for both a replacement-in-chief, and a new, smaller premises. But as they got more involved, she says, she realized that it is finally time for you to The Top position.

"I just had the feeling it was The Right moment, that I was willing to do this," she says.

cards account for almost half of The Business

So she took over successfully found a new, smaller space for Stanford's main store, in a new development just 100m away. The Company moved in January of this year. Vivien added that The Company , the turnover of up to £10m in its current financial year, has already returned to the profit zone.

"We are now trading in around 5,000 sq ft (465 sq m) and before that, we were at over 7,000," she says. "Some of our regular customers were disappointed. But, if either I, or members of the staff, explained to them that it is A Question of either remaining where we were, and out of The Business , or leave and prosper, everyone understood. "

Additional features:

During Stanford's long been online-and telephone-sales, brick and mortar still account for 80% of sales. In addition to the Central London store, a second store in Bristol, And One output, the at the headquarters of The Royal Geographical Society, also in the UK capital.

Another small Shop, also recently opened a New Market , development in Covent Garden , and a store is planned for Manchester. Currently, The Company employs 55 people.

"brick-and-mortar retail still has a bright future, but the stores have The Right size," she says. "That is the key. "

Now, the Maps , guides and globes export of 20%, Vivien says that the cards are between 40% and 50% of its turnover. And that is The Split between physical and digital cards is half and half.

Vivien physical retail says still has a future, but companies need to make sure that she's telling the stores of The Right size

Vivien, she is carefree of Google offers free cards, online. "People will always pay to be happy, for the really detailed, really specialist, made-to-order cards," she says. And she is blind for online retailers, such as Amazon. "We are proud to offer The Best possible Customer Service , offers Amazon no. "

the travel industry expert Mike Bugsgang says that Stanford "is something of a London institution such as Fortnum & Mason or Liberty".

"We are constantly reminded of the weaknesses of the retail trade in The Face of the seemingly inextricable growth of online sales through companies like Amazon," he says. "But a big advantage that Stanford has in the highly competitive book selling industry is his legacy. The store is an attraction for tourists and Londoners alike. "

With many of Stanford's " customers go overseas, Vivien says that The Company will launch a compensation scheme. You say you are with this self, as the house of your family in Fort Lauderdale , Florida.

she and her American husband moved to Florida in 2001, when they bought a company called Bluewater books and charts, describes Vivien as "the Stanford of The Sea ".

Vivien and her husband own a company in Fort Lauderdale , where you run your family home

While your partner, Bluewater, she spends three weeks in every four in London-leading Stanford. "Of course, it's not ideal," she says. "But we email each other to say each morning, what are we up to this day, and we Facetime every night. "

in terms of military customers, Vivien says that, while they switched to digital Maps rush 10 years or so, you are now back to paper ones.

"you don't know just to get a perspective, if she says looking at a map on a small screen," she said. "And the batteries that run on handheld devices, especially in very cold environments. "

travel & leisure industry, entrepreneurship, books, tourism, maps

Source of news: bbc.com