Day 197 - 07 Dec 95 - Page 64
1 A. I do not class comments made on the performance review
2 as being told off.
3
4 Q. I see.
5 A. I have never been told, "You have not got enough
6 people on, you should not run it that close, you should
7 not be that tight." Normally it would be: "Can I have
8 half a per cent off your labour this month? Can you manage
9 that? Can you get it tighter?" They would be the types of
10 things I would be asked to do.
11
12 Q. Can you look at page 56, please? If ever you do not hear
13 just say so.
14 A. I am slightly deaf in one ear.
15
16 Q. I know the problem myself and I apologise. I will speak
17 loudly and distinctly. Under "People" on page 56: "The
18 crew numbers", and this is 1st May 1990, "have at last
19 taken an upward turn. The quality of crew is far better.
20 The appearances of the group. Now you are beginning to
21 see the benefit of this. Turnover has improved and is the
22 key for the store's performance. The stores Managers are
23 the key to your success, one with improved crew quality.
24 Where are the Floor Managers developing from this?"
25
26 So finally, Mr. Coton, in May 1990 the message seems to
27 have got home that you have to spend money on getting the
28 right kind of crew, enough crew and the right kind of
29 Managers and enough; is that right?
30 A. All along I have agreed that that is what you needed
31 to run the business, but in the reality that is not what
32 happened.
33
34 Q. I want to turn from this -- we can go on with this
35 indefinitely but you have re-read these documents, have
36 you, these performance reviews?
37 A. I have re-read through them all, yes.
38
39 Q. Just look at one more on page 60. This is November the
40 same year, 1st November 1995. At the bottom of the page
41 under "Profit and Loss." I will read whole of it: "The
42 second six months have been a struggle financially.
43 Labour half month figures not attained twice. Lack of
44 reinvestment from the store culminating in large amounts
45 spent at once. Food costs coming in at high levels, paper
46 costs being average."
47
48 Stopping there, Mr. Coton, no doubt you would say, would
49 you not, that that was the sort of pressure to keep costs
50 low which you could not cope with without cutting corners;
51 is that right?
52 A. Not really, no. I mean what we are actually seeing
53 here is a situation where, unfortunately, you cannot
54 always perform at your best every single month. There are
55 times when, for various reasons, you might struggle in
56 certain areas. That is what we are talking about there.
57
58 Q. Let us look at the next paragraph. "Your own personal
59 understanding of the P&L has produced some reasonable
60 figures. These do not compare with those produced earlier
