Gerald Ratner

Gerald Irving Ratner (born 1 November 1949[1]) is a British businessman and motivational speaker. He was formerly chief executive officer of the major British jewellery company Ratners Group (now the Signet Group). He achieved notoriety after making a speech in which he jokingly denigrated two of the company's products. He currently speaks around the world at corporate and promotional events.

For the American lawyer, see Gerald Ratner (lawyer).

Gerald Ratner
Ratner in 2020
Born
Gerald Irving Ratner

(1949-11-01) 1 November 1949
London, England
NationalityBritish
EducationHendon County Grammar School
OccupationBusinessman and motivational speaker
Spouse(s)
  • Angela Trup
  • Moira Ratner
Children4 (2 with each wife)
RelativesAnthony Parnes (brother-in-law)
Ratner at The Telegraph Business Awards

Early life

Gerald Ratner was born in London to a Jewish family and based his philosophy of business on his experiences as a boy in Petticoat Lane Market. He observed that "the people who shouted the loudest and appeared to give the best offers sold the most."[2]

His sister Denise Ratner was married to stockbroker Anthony Parnes, one of the "Guiness four".[3]

Career

Ratner joined the family business in 1966 and built up an extremely successful chain of jewellers during the 1980s, of which he was CEO. The shops shocked the formerly staid jewellery industry by displaying fluorescent orange posters advertising cut-price bargains and by offering low price ranges. The Ratners Group consisted of Ratners, H. Samuel, Ernest Jones, Leslie Davis, Watches of Switzerland and over 1000 shops in the US including Kays.

Books

The rise and fall and rise again (2008) Reinvent Yourself (2020)

The speech

Although widely regarded as "tacky",[4] the shops and their wares were nevertheless extremely popular with the public, until Ratner made a speech addressing a conference of the Institute of Directors at the Royal Albert Hall on 23 April 1991.[5] During the speech, he commented:

We also do cut-glass sherry decanters complete with six glasses on a silver-plated tray that your butler can serve you drinks on, all for £4.95. People say, "How can you sell this for such a low price?", I say, "because it's total crap."[6]

He compounded this by going on to remark that one of the sets of earrings was "cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but probably wouldn't last as long." Ratner's comments have become textbook examples of why CEOs should choose their words carefully. In the furore that ensued, customers stayed away from Ratner shops. After the speech, the value of the Ratner group plummeted by around £500 million, which very nearly resulted in the firm's collapse.[7] Ratner hired a chairman in an attempt to stabilise the situation, but was subsequently fired by the new company leader in November 1992. The group then changed its name to Signet Group in September 1993.[8]

Today, Ratner's speech is still famous in the corporate world as an example of the value of branding and image over quality. Such gaffes are now sometimes called "doing a Ratner",[9] and Ratner himself has acquired the sobriquet "The Sultan of Bling".[10] Ratner has said in his defence that his remarks were not meant to be taken seriously. He also largely blamed the aggressiveness and deliberately wrongful interpretation of several media outlets for the severe consumer reaction.[8]

After Ratners

Following an unsuccessful attempt to become a jewellery consultant in France during the mid-1990s, he set up a health club in Henley-on-Thames in 1996, which was sold for £3.9m in 2001. Ratner now runs, in collaboration with SB&T International Ltd, an export manufacturing company based in India and the online jewellery business Gerald Online.[11] In 2013, during a visit to India for the inaugural eTailing India Expo, Ratner announced that he would be entering the Indian market.[12]

Personal life

Ratner has two daughters from his first marriage.[13] According to Ratner, "my first wife left me because I was never at home."[8]

He is now married to Moira, and they live in Cookham, Berkshire.[14][13] They have a daughter and a son.[13]

References
  1. "Birthdays". The Guardian. 1 November 2014. p. 57.
  2. The Sunday Times, 15 May 1988
  3. "Life and high-flying times of four partners in crime". The Scotsman. 22 December 2001. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  4. Lytle, Ken; Lytle, Katie Corcoran (18 April 2011). The Little Book of Big F*#k Ups: 220 of History's Most-Regrettable Moments. p. 179. ISBN 9781440525001.
  5. "Leadership Follies" (PDF). The Seven Pillars of Leadership Wisdom.
  6. "'Doing a Ratner' and other famous gaffes". The Daily Telegraph. London. 22 December 2007.
  7. "It still hurts 16 years on". The Times. London. 21 October 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  8. Round, Simon (1 November 2007). "Interview: Gerald Ratner". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  9. "'Doing a Ratner' and other famous gaffes". The Daily Telegraph. London. 22 December 2007.
  10. Ratner to address business awards Archived 24 July 2012 at Archive.today, Business Cornwall, 23 January 2009
  11. Wilson, Bill (29 March 2005). "Ratner prepares his return to the lions' den". BBC.
  12. "UK's Gerald Ratner to launch jewellery website in India". India Digital Review. India. 16 January 2013.
  13. Graham, Natalie (1 November 2013). "Gerald Ratner – the rise and fall of a rough diamond". The Financial Times. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  14. Pogrund, Gabriel (17 September 2017). "Relative Values: the jeweller Gerald Ratner and his wife, Moira". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
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