Paul Barber

[Rugrat]

They don't need someone like Barber if they want to use the blunt instrument of jacking up the prices by x% ... I could do that and come a lot less expensive so I'm not blaming him for an increase in the price of a pie ..... only hope someone does the sensitivity analyses though and understands the tipping point between price and volume

He's been hired to improve the revenues (and manage the costs) in areas where we have traditionally been weak and I'd suggest he's looking at stuff like Commercial deals, sponsorships, merchandising, greater use of the stadium and maybe extending the brand overseas via tie ups and not how we can screw the fans.

 

[crabface]

I don't mind the price rises at all, but I would like a bit more choice. Can't stand Strongbow, and Fosters isn't great. Hophead seems to have disappeared and Harveys is pretty mediocre.

I also don't think he has had a lot to do with it, and was perhaps tasked with it by the board as an area that needs looking at.

Chelsea was certainly NOTHING to do with him. Negotiated by Tony Bloom and Derek Chapman I believe.

Harveys mediocre, it is a lovely bitter. Cant beat a pint of that before the game.

 

[Simster]

Are there people who don't want anyone at the club looking at how to increase revenue? I doubt it, perhaps though most people want that person to increase revenue and take the club forward without them personally having to pay anything more. Not very realistic though, is it?

The man is presumably being paid quite well. I'd hope that he manages to open up entirely new revenue streams, rather than adding 20% to the cost of merchandise, charging for mascots and that sort of thing.

True to form, The Complete Badger has made a very early and very strong judgment on Barber. But then, TCB rarely represent the views of the masses.

What is more likely is that he has deliberately exaggerated his position as he clearly has an insatiable appetite to be noticed. Once everyone has noticed his absurd position and is suitably outraged, he will then make his usual tiresome "reasonable" post - but that obviously wouldn't have made him stand out from the crowd in the first place.

It's why he is best ignored IMO.

 

[Superseagull]

Fair chance Errea will be dropped for next season as well.

The end of the current sponsorship deal, new home and away kits next season and the fact the club are trying to push replica kit sales all point to a big change in our kit supplier.

 

[ROSM]

I feel sorry for Bardber to be honest. He's been in the job a few weeks, and is being automatically blamed for every single club decision that anyone takes issue with, most of which were probably taken long before he even joined.

I have no idea what I'd do, but I'm pretty sure what he didn't do was take a look at the snack bar and ticket prices on his first morning, bump everything up a bit and say "Sorted, what's next?"

Agreed totally with both of these.

there are ways to increase income and price rises is one - that in itself is no bad thing but being the businessman he is I'm sure he also knows that price, quality and service go hand in hand. He only joined mid june and people were already mentioning price rises at the FBS gigs which align to what we're now paying.

Also I'm sure he learnt from one experience at Vancouver where he was approached by adidas who offered a fantastic kit deal provided they had a specific design in their traditional colours. He signed it without realising that th club had a tradition of fans deciding on the next season's kit. Cue mass outrage and hatred.

 

[The Hon Sec]

To judge by his history and experience he has been successful in what he is tasked to do and is much admired in his area of expertise. If he is given targets by the club and gets it done then he's done his job. I think we will be more high profile in the sponsors he attracts now but taken from the interview in the mag mentioned above he understands the history of this club and very much respects it.

 

[gazingdown]

They have to be careful with rising prices as then some people don't bother.
For example, you might get 10,000 fans buying a pie at £3 (£30,000) and if you raise it to £4, you may only then get 7,000 buying one (£28,000) so you actually end up down on revenue. You also get a reputation for being expensive so people don't buy the other "extras" as well, people eat before coming to the game etc. Also if a pint is £4, many will just have the one, if it were £3 many might have 2. There's a balancing act to be found of course but rising the prices doesn't automatically mean more revenue. Whether PB has the balance right remains to be seen, just because he may have got it right before doesn't mean he will this time. We shall see.

 

[ewe2]

They have to be careful with rising prices as then some people don't bother.
For example, you might get 10,000 fans buying a pie at £3 (£30,000) and if you raise it to £4, you may only then get 7,000 buying one (£28,000) so you actually end up down on revenue. You also get a reputation for being expensive so people don't buy the other "extras" as well, people eat before coming to the game etc. Also if a pint is £4, many will just have the one, if it were £3 many might have 2. There's a balancing act to be found of course but rising the prices doesn't automatically mean more revenue. Whether PB has the balance right remains to be seen, just because he may have got it right before doesn't mean he will this time. We shall see.

"The rule of diminishing returns"

 

[hans kraay fan club]

They have to be careful with rising prices as then some people don't bother.
For example, you might get 10,000 fans buying a pie at £3 (£30,000) and if you raise it to £4, you may only then get 7,000 buying one (£28,000) so you actually end up down on revenue. .

There's an enormous flaw in your maths. The pies are not free.

Thus, assuming each pie costs them £1.50:

10,000 sold @ £3 = £15,000 PROFIT.

7,000 sold @ £4 = £17,500 PROFIT.

Then factor in, that 30% less staff are required, to cook and sell 7,000 pies, than 10,000...

 

[Blackcap]

I feel sorry for Bardber to be honest. He's been in the job a few weeks, and is being automatically blamed for every single club decision that anyone takes issue with, most of which were probably taken long before he even joined.

Agree 100%. I've seen plenty of examples on here of people assuming he's just going to blindly implement blanket price rises, but he's been brought in for his business acumen and I'm pretty sure that such blanket wholesale price rises for the sake of it wouldn't be particularly shrewd. That said, as we approach the Premiership I would expect some prices to increase generally, because they would have to, regardless of who was performing PB's role. As I recall the feedback from PB's first meet-the-fans forum was cautiously positive so I'm more than happy to put my trust in him for the time being.

As for what I'd do in his position, if I knew the answer to that I'd have applied for the role myself.

 

[Stuart Munday]

The man is presumably being paid quite well. I'd hope that he manages to open up entirely new revenue streams, rather than adding 20% to the cost of merchandise, charging for mascots and that sort of thing.

Spot on that was what I was trying to get at.

I would like them to keep a few of the new 1901 tickets back and sell them on a match by match basis including a meal, I would happily pay over the odds to sit up there and eat as a one off/special occasion and im sure others would do the same. Might not make millions but would surely generate a bit more money and get more people dining there.

 

[Simster]

There's an enormous flaw in your maths. The pies are not free.

Thus, assuming each pie costs them £1.50:

10,000 sold @ £3 = £15,000 PROFIT.

7,000 sold @ £4 = £17,500 PROFIT.

Then factor in, that 30% less staff are required, to cook and sell 7,000 pies, than 10,000...

Why are you picking holes in his POINT, which is simply that anyone considering raising prices anywhere needs to consider price elasticity of the product they are selling.

Especially when there is an enormous flaw in your own maths. We don't know that 30% more staff are needed to sell those extra 3,000 pies at all!

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Why are you picking holes in his POINT, which is simply that anyone considering raising prices anywhere needs to consider price elasticity of the product they are selling.

Especially when there is an enormous flaw in your own maths. We don't know that 30% more staff are needed to sell those extra 3,000 pies at all!

I'm not picking holes - I'm simply pointing out that it is PROFIT that will be important here, rather than turnover.

(As for the other part - its not a precise figure, no, but I think its a given that serving MORE products requires MORE staff).

 

[Simster]

Spot on that was what I was trying to get at.

I would like them to keep a few of the new 1901 tickets back and sell them on a match by match basis including a meal, I would happily pay over the odds to sit up there and eat as a one off/special occasion and im sure others would do the same. Might not make millions but would surely generate a bit more money and get more people dining there.

The point I was trying to make is that I would hope he was looking to create entirely new sources of revenue. We have a massive £100m stadium. He needs to make that stadium work as hard as possible - conferences, trade fairs, and so on. (I'm sure some of this is already being done)

 

[Sheebo]

Where do some people get this idea that he is getting slagged off on here? There are people who are sceptical about him, that's all. And that's because of his form. Personally, I'll wait and see what happens before judging him, but I'm not joining in with this lame "well we're a big club now and things have to be paid for" bullshit. I'm all for making money where it is to be made, but don't want to see less well off fans and future generations priced out.

Absolutely 100% spot on. We don't know if it's down to him that these annoying ticket / catering increases have happened... But it ties in with his arrival so people will speculate. Whoever it's down to, I think they are wrong myself. I'd rather not go up to the prem and still have a FOOTBALL CLUB (if you get what I mean) than be in the prem and just feel like a number giving an organisation as much money as they can squeeze out of me...

We shall see.

 

[gazingdown]

There's an enormous flaw in your maths. The pies are not free.

Thus, assuming each pie costs them £1.50:

10,000 sold @ £3 = £15,000 PROFIT.

7,000 sold @ £4 = £17,500 PROFIT.

Then factor in, that 30% less staff are required, to cook and sell 7,000 pies, than 10,000...

True, however my point was there's a balance at which you start to lose money. The smaller the number, the more susceptible you are to the spending power of that group. For example, if you sold only ONE pie at £18,000 you make more than selling 7/10k but you really are at the mercy of that one chap spending £18k on a pie.

That 7000 could easily turn into 6000 and below that you're making less than 10k spending £3.

In your example, despite the extra profit (which is a valid point) for every customer you lose (at £4 a pie) you lose £2.50 in profit but for every you lose at £3, you "only" lose £1.50 in profit.

 

[The Large One]

People can have their chance to put questions to him on The Albion Roar soon.

He's in the studio on Wednesday 22nd August, for broadcast on Saturday 25th August.

 

[Bozza]

People can have their chance to put questions to him on The Albion Roar soon.

He's in the studio on Wednesday 22nd August, for broadcast on Saturday 25th August.

With respect, and I say this as someone who does absolutely LOVE listening to The Roar, I think you're some way from Paxman-esque levels of questioning. You may ask a slightly 'awkward' question but you'll not chase up a weak or non-committal response.

I'm sure you want to stay onside with your guests, and I completely understand that.

 

[Diego Napier]

I have no idea what I'd do, but I'm pretty sure what he didn't do was take a look at the snack bar and ticket prices on his first morning, bump everything up a bit and say "Sorted, what's next?"

I'm positive he didn't but that's not what quite a few on here seem to believe!

 

[Superphil]

Well we all know that this time next year we will have new shirt sponsors. Hence the buy one get one free stock clearance this month. I guess it will be a large company. Possibly an air line due to our proximity to Gatwick or maybe a leisure/clothing company. The days of small local businesses on our tops are over for at least the time being.

We know that do we? And why is it so important that we change? There are clubs in this league, and in the Premier League who have had sponsors on their shirts for free (charities) in the past.

Fair chance Errea will be dropped for next season as well.

The end of the current sponsorship deal, new home and away kits next season and the fact the club are trying to push replica kit sales all point to a big change in our kit supplier.

I thought Errea still had time to go on their deal with us. The pushing of kits is becasue we will be having (always were going to be) new kits next season, but I think it will still be with Errea.

I would like them to keep a few of the new 1901 tickets back and sell them on a match by match basis including a meal, I would happily pay over the odds to sit up there and eat as a one off/special occasion and im sure others would do the same. Might not make millions but would surely generate a bit more money and get more people dining there.

The problem with that is you'll pretty much need to charge more than either £95 or £120 plus VAT to make those seats more lucrative to the club that they already are. At the moment for a 1901er to use his ticket and have a meal for all league games it works out at £124 (ex VAT) per game.