Former Dentistry student, George Davies, the innovative retailer behind brands NEXT, George @ ASDA, Per Una at Marks and Spencer and new international retail brand FG4, returned to the campus to offer an alumni guest lecture entitled ‘Building Brands’ at Birmingham Business School. Over 200 alumni, students and staff packed out the lecture theatre to hear about George’s time at the University, his career as a leading UK retailer and his personal opinions on the importance of ‘Brand’.
The fascinating lecture mapped out George’s career from his beginnings as a buyer at Littlewoods to heading up the retail chain ‘NEXT’, revolutionizing supermarket shopping with George @ ASDA and supporting the revival of Marks and Spencer with the introduction of Per Una. Focusing on Per Una and his new venture FG4, George emphasized the power and importance of a strong and recognizable brand particularly in challenging economic times. The lecture was concluded by an interesting Q&A session and the opportunity for alumni, students and staff to network.
George was also generous enough to offer an intimate Q&A session to a small selection of UoB students ahead of the lecture during which he offered his thoughts on managing adversity, the importance of brand differentiation and what he felt was the future for the UK ‘High Street’. If you would be interested in being involved in a session like this in the future, please contact alumnievents@contacts.bham.ac.uk and we will keep you informed of future opportunities.