S TA R T- U P

Building a business

out of waste

Page 05

C O N V E R S AT I O N

Personalisation gets

braver and bolder

Page 12

M O D E L U P D AT E

Meet the all-new

Audi A8

Page 27

O N T R E N D

The technology

helping us sleep

Page 16

How a local brewery has transformed

its business into a global ambition

Page 18

Made in Cornwall

W I N T E R 2 017

AU DI B U SIN E S S

Welcome to the future

Technology is certainly reconfiguring the way we live our lives. The growth of investment in

ELECTRIC VEHICLES (PAGE 28), for example, is just one aspect of our increasingly electrified

lives that is giving experts the chance to test renewable energy sources. From wind and solar

farms to biomass and tidal energy, the landscape is changing dramatically. Technology is also

supporting the growing trend of PERSONALISATION (PAGE 12), and it has even turned the

seemingly simple act of SLEEP (PAGE 16) into a veritable industry. As has the creative use of

waste, illustrated by our feature about PENTATONIC (PAGE 05) , a company that transforms

smartphone screens into premium glassware. The company aims to grow while staying true

to its ethos – and careful expansion is also apparent at Cornwall’s ST AUSTELL BREWERY

(PAGE 18), which we visited to find out how the business has held on to its local traditions while

keeping a keen eye on the global marketplace. Maintaining a solid network of contacts is

essential, as we discover when we go BUSINESS SPEED DATING (PAGE 09). And it wouldn’t

be Audi Business magazine without at least a few new models to examine: the A4 BL ACK

EDITION (PAGE 07), and the all-new A7 (PAGE 14) and A8 (PAGE 27), which is the star of Audi’s latest

blockbuster T V COMMERCIAL (PAGE 24). We hope you enjoy the issue.

TO M B R E N N A N

H E A D O F F L EE T

Audi Business is produced

by Northstar on behalf of

Audi UK Limited

NORTHSTAR Northdown House11-21 Northdown Street London N1 9BN

020 7833 7410www.thisisnorthstar.com

Editor Mark Walton

Managing Editor Emma Barlow

Motoring Editor Angus Frazer Features Editor John Silcox Contributing Editor Helene Dancer Group Production Editor Andy Tidball

Sub Editors Gill Wing, Jess Unwin

Creative Director Nick Elsden

Art Director Emma Try Designer Megan Glynn

Publishing Director Mark Beazleigh

Production Manager Helen Craig

Repro Zebra

Printed Wyndeham Roche (USING PAPER FROM MANAGED

SUSTAINABLE FORESTS)

© Northstar Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without the publisher’s permission is prohibited. Views expressed in Audi Business are not necessarily those of Audi UK or Northstar. Audi UK Limited reserves the right to alter specifications and prices without prior notice. Vehicles shown may not be to exact UK specification.

03

05

B R I E F I N G

Smash hitsCould a shattered phone screen, or a used plastic bottle,

be transformed into a beautiful piece of furniture? A new

London start-up believes the future really is rubbish…

S TA RT-U P

It’s estimated that only one

in seven smartphone screens

makes it off the production

line, so what happens to the

rest? One enterprising London

start-up has the answer.

Pentatonic recycles the glass

from broken or discarded screens

and gives them new life as stylish

tumblers and bowls.

And it’s not just phones either.

It also has a solution for the

mountain of plastic bottles we

throw away, transforming them

into a range of high-end chairs

and tables. It has even found a

use for old CDs and DVDs: shiny

tabletops that look like glass.

Pentatonic may only have

launched in September, but it’s

already rewriting the rulebook

when it comes to sustainable

design. ‘A lot of companies in

this sector are just offering a

kind of feel-good factor,’ says

company co-founder Jamie Hall.

‘But that’s how we’re different.

We’re not asking people for their

goodwill. We’re selling a range

of great-looking products that

perform better than anything

else out there – they just >> PH

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Pentatonic is on a

mission to turn trash

into desirable, high-

quality homewares.

Its range of glass items

is made from recycled

smartphone screens

Audi extras

From coffee-makers to children’s car

seats, and from inflatable tents to bicycle

racks, there are many ways to enhance

your Audi. And because all Audi

accessories are professionally crafted

by expert engineers, you can be certain

they’re designed to go the distance. Here,

we’ve selected just two accessories that

might help you in your working life. To

see the whole range, visit store.audi.co.uk

ACC E S S O R IE S

06 AU DI B U SIN E S S

happen to be made out of the

plastic bottles you were drinking

from last month.’

As well as upcycling trash

to create something new and

beautiful, Pentatonic borrows

techniques and employs

designers from across a number

of different industries. Its chair

and table legs, for example,

are created using gas-assisted

injection moulding – a method

you’d usually expect to find

on the production line of a car

plant. ‘Making them this way,

we need to use about 60 per

cent less material,’ says Hall.

‘And though they’re light,

they’re still strong.’

And the company’s business

model is as unusual as its modus

operandi: it offers to buy back

any product with which the

customer becomes dissatisfied.

That said, Pentatonic hopes that

won’t happen too often because,

thanks to their modular design,

the larger items in the range can

be completely transformed with

the addition of some new parts.

Bored of your chair? Turn it into

a stool, a bench or a sofa.

Pentatonic is hoping its

approach will set an example to

other manufacturers. ‘It would

be better if there were a million

companies doing this, making

things from trash,’ Hall says.

‘We’re hoping we can teach and

inspire other brands to follow

our lead along the way.’

True to its word, Pentatonic

has already joined forces with

Starbucks to re-create the coffee

chain’s comfortable Bean Chairs

entirely from recycled plastic

bottles – no glue, metal or resin

– and turn its polyethylene-paper

cups and plastic lids into tables,

tiles and countertops.

‘The amount we waste is just

off the scale,’ says Hall. ‘But what

we’re seeing now is a chance to

design our way out of disaster.’

EMMA BARLOW For more,

visit pentatonic.com

Above:

Audi In-Car

Espresso Machine

Perfect for long

journeys, this gadget

connects to your car’s

cigarette lighter and

produces delicious

shots of coffee.

Below:

Audi Business

Travel Package

Everything you need

to make business travel

simple, including a

mounted coat hanger

and bag for documents

and laptop computers.

07B R IE F IN G

Back in blackAudi’s Black Edition A4 Saloon and A4 Avant variants combine

advanced technology with a sleek and stylish appearance

N E W M O D E L

Audi’s elite Black Edition trim makes a welcome return, enabling the

A4 Saloon and Avant to offer even greater appeal. The range begins

with a 1.4 TFSI 150PS Saloon producing 131g/km CO2* and also

includes an even more efficient 111g/km CO2* 150PS 2.0 TDI Saloon.

All models feature 19-inch, matt titanium-finish, five-arm-rotor alloy

wheels and a titanium-black styling pack extending to the mirror

housings, singleframe grille, window surrounds, side skirts and air

intakes. The Saloon benefits from a titanium-black rear spoiler, while

the Avant is equipped with equally sleek-looking roof rails. Both body

styles feature acoustic front side windows, with privacy glass added

for the rear windows. A flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel

and piano-black inlays add further sophistication, and the Black

Edition models also receive a number of detail enhancements found

in all A4 Saloon and Avant models. ANGUS FRAZER For more

information on the A4 range, see audi.co.uk

A4 SALOON 1.4 TFSI BLACK EDITION

Price from £32,350 OTR

P11D value £32,095

Engine 1.4 TFSI 150PS

Transmission six-speed manual

Drivetrain front-wheel drive

0-62mph 8.7 seconds

Top speed 130mph

Efficiency 51.4mpg combined*,

131g/km CO2*

* Standard EU test figure for comparative purposes and

may not reflect real driving results. With 19-inch wheels

08 AU DI B U SIN E S S B R IE F IN G

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon recently

compared the craze for digital currencies

with the 17th-century rush on Dutch tulips,

when the price of bulbs rose so fast that

people were trading their land, property

and life savings to get their hands on them.

Cryptocurrency is simply the latest in a long

line of get-rich-quick schemes, he says.

The first fully implemented alternative

currency, Bitcoin, was launched in 2009 by

a shadowy computer programmer who goes

by the name Satoshi Nakamoto. His aim

was to create a peer-to-peer electronic cash

system that could operate independently of

financial institutions and be verified instead

by a permanent, decentralised ledger known

as a blockchain. There are up to 5.8 million

active users of cryptocurrencies worldwide,

according to a 2017 study by the University

of Cambridge’s Judge Business School. And,

this September, the value of the crypto

market – which includes Bitcoin, Ethereum,

Dash and Monero – briefly hit £133 billion.

While its early associations with criminal

dark-web sites such as Silk Road made some

investors wary, headlines this year pointed

to cryptocurrency’s soaring value. Bitcoin,

which began the year at £734, went above

£4000 in September, while Ethereum was

worth £6 in January and hit £300 in August.

Such returns are certainly tempting, but is

the risk greater than the reward?

One of the reasons for the spike in value

is the number of tech start-ups issuing their

own digital currencies and using initial coin

offerings (ICOs) to raise investment. More

than £1.2 billion has been raised in this way

during 2017 to date. Unlike an initial public

offering (IPO), an ICO is quick to set up but,

being unregulated, is vulnerable to fraud.

China has recently banned ICOs, leading

to a substantial drop in the value of some

cryptocurrencies in just 24 hours. However,

other governments have been more positive:

Japan has recognised Bitcoin as a payment

method (and thereby imposed regulations on

transactions), and India and Sweden are

rumoured to be developing their own legal

cryptocurrencies. While a Bank of England

official has told the British government it has

no plans to adopt a digital currency in the

near future, there are nonetheless an

increasing number of ways to spend crypto

cash in the UK. Some pubs accept Bitcoin,

and London property developer The Collective

recently announced it would accept tenancy

deposits and rental payments in the currency.

It was alternative finance that allowed

entrepreneur Alessandra Sollberger to launch

her superfoods business, Evermore Health.

Having bought 400 Bitcoins for £7 in 2012,

she sold all but four over the next two years

for £60,500. She is now an advisor to a US

cryptocurrency hedge-fund company.

Sollberger is positive about the future of

digital currency: ‘It’s gone through many

bubbles and bursts – this isn’t the first and

it won’t be the last. But do consider the long-

term objectives of any you’re interested in,

because you need guts to hold a volatile

asset for an extended period of time.’

Flip of the

coinThe rise of digital

currencies has

turned the world

of traditional

finance on its head.

But is crypto

headed for a crash?

C U R R E N C Y

EMMA SHEPPARD is a

freelance journalist and

content co-ordinator for

The Guardian’s Small

Business NetworkIL

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Business

in bloom

It’s just gone 6am, but Elizabeth Marsh has already

been working for a couple of hours at her company

headquarters in London’s New Covent Garden flower

market. ‘To get the freshest blooms, you need to get

here early,’ she says. ‘Then the real work starts.’

As the head of a small team, Elizabeth’s busy schedule

doesn’t leave many opportunities for pursuing new

business – which makes her ideally suited to ‘business

speed dating’. She found time to attend a 20/20 Speed

Networking event, where businesspeople – a mix of

buyers and suppliers – hold a series of 10-minute

meetings with each other to discuss their business

needs and explore the potential of working together.

‘I was a bit sceptical at first but it was actually great

fun and very interesting,’ Elizabeth told us afterwards.

‘I really made the most of my time, and spoke with event

organisers working for some really fantastic companies

all over the city. There were even a few companies I would

have never thought of contacting. Let’s hope some of this

actually turns into business.’ JOHN SILCOX

E N T E R PR I S E

‘I was a bit sceptical but it was

actually very interesting,’ said

Elizabeth Marsh after her first

experience of business speed

dating. ‘There were even a few

companies I would have never

thought of contacting.’

We join floral design company owner and

mother of twins Elizabeth Marsh for her first

experience of ‘business speed dating’

09

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10 AU DI B U SIN E S S

Push to the limitAudi’s Driving Experiences follow a very different path to most

events of this nature. Rather than only getting a couple of laps in

each car, Audi customers enjoy plenty of time behind the wheel.

This ensured that when a group of the brand’s fleet customers

took part in a recent Audi Sport Experience at Silverstone, they

all got the chance to put a trio of RS models – including the

sensational R8 V10 plus – through their paces in a wide variety

of drills that showcased each car’s supreme power, braking

performance and cornering stability.

E V E N T S

01

The circuits

The Audi Driving Experience visits

many of the UK’s most famous

race circuits. The home of British

motorsport, Silverstone is a

state-of-the-art racing facility,

while tracks like Thruxton, Croft

and Knockhill – all venues for the

prestigious British Touring Car

Championship – provide a unique

challenge and plenty of driving fun.

02

Expert instruction

Every Audi driving consultant is a

certified Association of Racing Drivers

Schools instructor, so you can be

certain that you’re receiving the

highest level of instruction. Many of

the consultants are seasoned racers,

driving in some of the world’s most

competitive race series. Rob Barff

(pictured) has raced twice at the

famous Le Mans 24 Hours.

03

Learn the perfect line

During every Audi Driving Experience

you’ll learn how to get the best from

the cars you’re driving. Whichever

circuit you choose, you’ll discover

the ideal line for every corner, and

take part in a number of drills to

help you master the art of late

braking and feel comfortable when

pushing the cars to (and occasionally

beyond) their limits.

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11B R IE F IN G

The sensuously styled A5 Sportback

blends innovative technology and driving

pleasure with low emissions and

impressive fuel economy

All in one

ROA D T E S T

04

A host of Audi models

No matter which Audi Driving

Experience you choose, you are

guaranteed to spend plenty of time

behind the wheel of a selection of

Audi’s most exciting performance

models from the S and RS ranges,

including the mighty 610PS R8 V10

plus, the RS 6 Performance, the RS 7

Performance, the RS 3 Sportback,

the TT RS Coupé and the S1.

A5 SPORTBACK 2.0 TDI QUATTRO S LINE

Price from £40,490 OTR

P11D value £40,275

Engine 2.0 TDI 190PS

Transmission seven-speed S tronic

Drivetrain quattro all-wheel drive

0-62mph 7.4 seconds

Top speed 146mph

Efficiency 61.4mpg combined*,

121g/km CO2*

* Standard EU test figure for comparative purposes and

may not reflect real driving results. With 18-inch wheels

As I step into the Audi A5 Sportback and

settle into the driver’s seat, it occurs to me

that this second-generation A5 model isn’t

just a step on from the original car – it’s a

quantum leap. The A5 Sportback range

features numerous interior and exterior

styling enhancements, and with a new

platform and lightweight design it weighs in

at up to 85kg less than its predecessor.

The A5 has proved incredibly popular with

Audi’s fleet customers and it’s immediately

clear as to why. The 2.0 TDI quattro S line

model I’m driving is equipped with Audi’s

all-wheel-drive quattro technology, and

with 190PS and 400Nm of torque, the

four-cylinder turbocharged engine delivers

effortless response. My first impressions are

backed up by the figures too – the car can

sprint from 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds and

reach a top speed of 146mph. Despite such

strong performance, this model emits just

121g/km of CO₂* and can achieve up to

61.4mpg combined*. Excellent refinement

combines with a spacious, elegantly

designed cabin, enabling the A5 Sportback

to devour the miles with consummate ease.

As standard, the S line model comes with a

host of technologies to enhance the driving

experience. These include features such as

MMI Navigation, Sports suspension, an

S line body styling package, LED headlights

with LED rear lights and front Sports seats

trimmed in leather and Alcantara.

So it turns out my hunch about this

A5 Sportback was spot on. Striking design?

Check. Everyday practicality? Yep. Impressive

performance? You bet. The very latest in-car

technology and safety features? Absolutely.

The latest A5 Sportback moves the game on

in every possible way. JAMES CLARK

For more on the A5 Sportback, see audi.co.uk

12 AU DI B U SIN E S S

Dom Bridges founded

skincare and fragrance

brand Haeckels in 2010

after a career directing

television commercials.

Now he’s on a mission

to reconnect Margate

with its coastline

Let’s get personalIn a world of mass production, we head to Margate to discover

a unique skincare brand creating one-off scents using natural

ingredients sourced from the Kent coastline and countryside

Henry Ford famously wrote of the Model T:

‘Any customer can have a car painted any

colour that he wants so long as it is black.’

His tongue may have been in his cheek, but

his words showed his firm belief in mass

production. And there was one thing this

strategy removed from us – choice. That is,

until now. The tide is turning with a rise in

personalised products and objects this year.

From the monogrammed clothes all over

this year’s runways to an increase in clever,

bespoke technology, personalisation is a

trend that is here to stay. Today’s consumers

want to connect with the objects they buy

and own unique products that celebrate craft

with a dash of individuality and exclusivity.

That’s precisely the aim of Haeckels,

a skincare brand in the seaside town of

Margate. It’s one of the few companies in

England to hold a licence to harvest

seaweed, which it turns into a range of

products including beard oils and face

creams. It also uses natural ingredients from

the Kent countryside, some never used in

perfumery before, to create a bespoke

selection of fragrances and candles that

carry GPS co-ordinates instead of names.

‘Smell is fragile and fleeting,’ says

Haeckels founder Dom Bridges when we

meet him at his slick, apothecary-style shop,

a short walk from the Turner Contemporary

art gallery. ‘I’m not into the idea of walking

in here and being able to buy the same thing

year after year. Our perfumes are living

scents – they evolve with the seasons, and

the plants and flowers growing in the area.’

It was an orchid growing in a patch of

wasteland behind a petrol station that gave

Bridges his idea. Struck by its rarity, and

already looking to expand on his seaweed-

based skincare brand, he decided to bottle

the scent of the Kent countryside. It married

his belief in using natural ingredients (the

brand is named after German botanist Ernst

Haeckel) with his love of the local area (the

Haeckels maxim is Made of Margate).

At Haeckels, you can write a paragraph

about yourself – it could be your perfect day

or a list of your favourite things – and

Bridges and his team will present a range of

pure distillations or extracts, generating a

bespoke blend from your favourites. The

perfume bottle can then be laser-etched as

you wish. ‘We can craft any scent you want,’

says Bridges. ‘We once distilled 200

Faber-Castell pencils because our customer

loved the smell of sharpening them.’

And it’s catching on. ‘You could pick up the

latest celebrity perfume in Boots, but many

people are asking themselves why would

you want to smell like everyone else? It’s

like sticking the characters from Frozen on a

can of baked beans – there’s little substance.

We want our products to speak to us, to tell

our story.’ LISA PAUL

CO N V E R S AT IO N

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13B R IE F IN G

01

The Audi Configurator

Audi offers its own

personalisation service

in the form of its

Configurator. The

system allows you to

design and build an

Audi suited to your

needs. Select your

model, choose your

engine and browse

through a range of

colours, wheels,

upholstery and more.

All this is done online

or via the Audi

Configurator app.

You can store the

configuration for future

reference and make

changes until you’re

happy to proceed.

02

NURA headphones

For bespoke audio,

these wireless

headphones will play a

series of notes and

listen to your ears’

response. After around

30 seconds, they will

tune to your unique

hearing profile.

03

Browns East

The personalisation of

fashion is being taken

a step further in this

London-based fashion

boutique, with the

development of an app

that tracks online

habits for improved

real-time shopping.

E SPEC I A LLY FO R YO U

When you have created something that you are quite

proud of, do you find yourself taking another look at it,

just to make sure it’s as good as you thought? Perhaps

it’s a piece of really challenging work, or maybe you just

cut the lawn or baked a cake? Whatever the achievement,

there is an undeniable pleasure in checking a successful

project again, and sometimes again and again.

At the recent static unveiling of the new A7 Sportback,

it made me smile to see how Audi Head of Design Marc

Lichte ran his hand over the car’s elegantly long bonnet.

Interior design chief Enzo Rothfuss never tired of opening

the car’s door to give yet another journalist a tour of

the ultra-luxurious, high-technology interior. Even Audi

CEO Rupert Stadler could be seen casting his eye over the

A7 Sportback’s sinuous bodywork during breaks between

television interviews.

Like the all-new Audi A8 Saloon (see page 27), the new

A7 Sportback draws on Audi’s stunning 2014 Prologue

concept car for its styling inspiration. Both models express

Audi’s exciting new design language, but in quite different

ways. Whereas the A8 is the epitome of prestige, the A7 is

the essence of sportiness.

With large surfaces, sharp edges and taut, athletic

lines, the A7 conveys dynamism and progressiveness

from every perspective. Arguably it looks even more

A7 SPORTBACK

Available to order early 2018

Engine 3.0 TFSI V6 340PS

Transmission seven-speed S tronic

Drivetrain quattro all-wheel drive

0-62mph 5.3 seconds

Top speed 155mph

Efficiency 41.5-39.2mpg combined*,

154-163g/km CO2*

* Standard EU test figure for comparative purposes and

may not reflect real driving results

14 AU DI B U SIN E S S

Pride and joyJaw-droppingly stylish, ever so luxurious and fully

alive with AI technology, it’s not so surprising that the

engineers and designers who created the new Audi A7

Sportback are really rather pleased with their work

N E W M O D E L

New Audi A7 models

will be equipped with

a new mild hybrid

system. With the V6

engines this uses a

48-volt primary

electrical system. At

speeds of between 34

and 99mph, the large

coupé can efficiently

coast in freewheeling

mode with the engine

deactivated

stunning at night with its distinctive HD Matrix

headlights and unique rear light strip aglow.

Inside, the A7 Sportback’s spacious, cleanly designed

cabin combines a degree of luxury with a level of

technology that until recently was the preserve of

futuristic concept cars. And it proves to be a very

appealing place to be. As the evening ended and the last

of the journalists left the building, the security guard

faced the rather tricky task of ushering five senior Audi

executives homewards – they were all still sitting, beers

in hand, inside the A7, taking one last look at their work.

ANGUS FRAZER Visit audi.co.uk and click on A7

15B R I E F I N G

In September, the UK final of

the prestigious Audi quattro Cup

was held at Bowood Golf Club,

a picturesque and meticulously

maintained championship

course nestled in the Wiltshire

countryside. Having qualified for

the UK final by winning Centre

rounds and then regional finals,

36 amateur players competed

at Bowood in pairs for the

chance to play in the world final,

held at the stunning Quivira Los

Cabos golf club in Mexico in

December and featuring some

of the world’s best amateur

golfers. Booking their places

in the world final were winners

Jon Ball and Melissa McMahon

representing Taunton Audi and

runners-up James Dedman

(Walton Audi) and Martin

Williams (Epsom Audi).

For details on how to enter next

year’s quattro Cup, contact your

local Audi Centre

DrivingambitionSome of the country’s best

amateur golfers competed for

the chance to play in the

quattro Cup final in Mexico

E V E N T S

AU DI B U SIN E S S16

Science of sleepImproving sleep is big business. Tech companies are

scrambling to develop the latest sleep aid, capitalising on

the fact that people are sleeping less than ever before

How did you sleep last night? If you’re anything like the average

Briton, there’s a high chance you’re sleeping less than ever before.

Matthew Walker, sleep scientist and author of Why We Sleep, recently

told The Guardian that we are in the middle of a ‘catastrophic

sleep-loss epidemic’ which is costing the UK economy more than

£30 billion a year. Lack of sleep has been linked to Alzheimer’s

disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and poor mental health.

It’s a problem that an ever-expanding industry is keen to solve.

From mattress manufacturers such as Casper, eve and Simba to

companies investing in apps and wearables like Fitbit and the Apple

Watch, improving sleep is big business. The global sleep aids market

is expected to reach around £60 billion by 2020.

It’s somewhat ironic, of course, that technology may hold the key

to a good night’s rest. According to Ofcom, we now spend more time

on our digital devices than doing anything else, with 47 per cent of

Brits admitting they sacrifice sleep because of technology. The

availability of sleep data has also led to a rise in orthosomnia (the

unhealthy preoccupation with achieving the perfect night’s sleep),

with some scientists questioning whether such data makes any real

difference. You may know how much time you’ve spent in light, deep

and rapid eye movement (REM) phases, for example, but does that

help you achieve better-quality sleep?

Despite warnings from experts, sleep aids are growing in

popularity. Since 2010, when Fitbit introduced its sleep-tracking

feature, the company estimates wearers have used it to track more

than four billion nights of sleep. It’s time to wake up to the impact

technology can have on our wellbeing. EMMA SHEPPARD

O N T R E N D

01

Beddit, £130

Advertised as ‘the

invisible sleep tracker’,

the Beddit monitor lies

on top of the mattress

at chest level and

partners with an app

via Bluetooth to track

your sleep quality,

heart rate, breathing

and snoring. It only

picks up one person’s

readings, so partners

will need their own.

Apple bought the

company this year.

03

Neuroon Open,

from £150

The Neuroon Open

sleep mask featuring

brain activity sensors

and sleep cycle analysis

can be used for

meditation and

to stimulate lucid

dreaming. The system

also integrates with

smart-home tech to

control heat and light.

02

ZEEQ smart pillow,

£199

This anti-snoring pillow

(when it detects

snoring, the in-built

microphone vibrates to

encourage you to

change position) also

features sleep analysis

via smartphone app, a

smart alarm that wakes

you up at the right

moment in your sleep

cycle and a wireless

speaker to play music

through the pillow.

04

Relax Melodies, free

With more than

30 million users

worldwide, Relax

Melodies claims to be

the world’s leading

sleep app. It uses

music, relaxation

sounds and white noise

to create personalised

soundtracks to help

you nod off naturally.

Best of all, it’s free.

D R E A M O F ELEC TR IC SH EEP

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B R IE F IN G 17

When a 48-year-old mother of three joined

The Spectator magazine as an intern this

autumn it caused a minor sensation. But the

story – which gave rise to interviews on TV,

radio and in print – wasn’t just about a

person filling a coveted role usually reserved

for bright-eyed graduates almost three

decades her junior. The way she landed the

job was interesting, too.

‘What really matters is what you can

do, not what you have done,’ wrote the

magazine’s editor, Fraser Nelson, explaining

his decision to ignore CVs and base the

selection process on candidates’ ability to

carry out relevant tasks. That, he reasoned,

was the best way to get the best person for

the post – irrespective of where they went to

school or whether their godfather had used

the old boys’ network to secure them other

useful experience. And he’s not the only one

coming around to this way of thinking.

‘The résumé has not been shown by any

study that I know of to be predictive of

success,’ says Frida Polli, a neuroscience

PhD who left academia to start Pymetrics, a

company that has devised a series of fun but

rigorous online aptitude tests to replace the

traditional CV-first approach to hiring.

On the other hand, Polli adds, there is

‘plenty of evidence’ to suggest that relying

on CVs allows recruiters’ own biases –

conscious or otherwise – to inform the

process at the expense of capable candidates

with less traditional backgrounds. Part of the

problem may be that the relevant experience

Rules of attractionCompanies are using increasingly creative methods – including

AI – to recruit candidates. Are the days of the CV numbered?

R EC RUI T M E N T

EDWIN SMITH is a

freelance journalist

who writes about culture,

business and tech across

a wide range of media

they have is ignored; a 2012 study revealed

that the average recruiter spends just six

seconds looking at a résumé.

In 2016 Unilever worked with Pymetrics

to trial a new approach to graduate

recruitment in North America. Polli says

the consumer goods giant is now rethinking

the way it provides travel expenses and

relocation budgets in order to reflect the

spread of suitable applicants. They don’t

necessarily come from the same social,

economic and geographic catchment areas

that white-collar-staffed corporates have

historically drawn from.

Internet privacy company iKeepSafe and

newly minted UK ‘unicorn’ Improbable are

among the firms to totally remove or

deprioritise CVs from their hiring process,

even for what a recruiter would describe as

‘experienced hires’.

Sanjeev Agrawal, president and CMO of

another tech company, healthcare software

provider LeanTaas, lost faith in the

usefulness of CVs to such an extent that he

began a recruitment drive by asking people

to email him directly with three stories,

describing times when they had shown some

of the attributes he was most interested in:

perseverance and the ability to learn quickly.

That might seem old-fashioned and

labour-intensive, especially in an age when

some companies claim to be able to use

artificial intelligence to scrape candidates’

details from LinkedIn profiles to make

predictions about their suitability for a role.

But Agrawal is adamant that employment

histories offer limited insight. ‘Being part of

a successful team at an impressive company

– that doesn’t actually tell me what you did,’

he says. ‘And the most competent people on

paper – some of them, at the first sign of

trouble, will run away.’

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AU DI B U SIN E S S18

Cornish

CO R N I S H T R IB U T E 19

tributeWRITER JOHN SILCOX

PHOTOGRAPHER ALEXANDER RHIND

Nestled on the south coast is St Austell, a brewery

that’s been a local institution for more than 150 years.

It now distributes its beer all over the world, but has

maintained its quintessentially Cornish spirit

AU DI B U SIN E S S20

Something rather special is brewing in St Austell on

the south coast of Cornwall. This small town is home

to the award-winning Tribute pale ale, but a great pint

isn’t the only cause for celebration. St Austell Brewery,

the company that makes the stuff, has also sparked

an alternative business revolution based on the theory

that local is best. By sticking to its simple philosophy,

this family-owned organisation has been prospering

for more than 150 years, and developed a successful

beer-based empire as a result.

‘We’re basically super proud to be Cornish,’ explains St

Austell Marketing Director Jeremy Mitchell. ‘Every activity

we do starts off from the grass roots. When we want to

do something, we look at who we can partner with locally

and then go from there. This focus on engaging local

stakeholders means we are built on solid and stable

relationships that thrive through mutual benefit. In terms

of marketing it’s a dream. Consumers are increasingly

identifying with authentic brands that have real stories

and you can’t really get more authentic than us.’

St Austell Brewery was originally founded in 1851 by

Cornishman Walter Hicks, who mortgaged his family

farm to set up the company. With a reputation for

quality beer and great service it quickly expanded until

becoming one of the biggest employers in the region. In

more recent times, increasing demand for British cask

beer and an astute expansion strategy has seen the

business grow exponentially, posting a record turnover

figure of £153 million, according to the latest figures.

It now also employs nearly 1600 people.

At the heart of this success lies Tribute Ale, its 4.2

per cent Cornish pale ale, which represents more than

two thirds of the company’s sales. St Austell Brewery

produced 15,000 barrels of beer in 1999, but enter

Tribute and 14 years later the beer accounted for more

than 60,000 barrels on its own. Now, in 2017, the

brewery outputs nearly 140,000 barrels in total, and its

products sell in 12 different countries including Ireland,

Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Russia and Sweden.

‘Tribute was the brainchild of our head brewer Roger

Ryman,’ explains Jeremy. ‘In 1999 the board of directors

took a bold decision to employ a very young new head

brewer. Roger was only in his thirties and normally

this type of position would be given to a much older

Landlord Alex Williams explains why quality beer is just one part of the mix when running a successful local pub

A perfect pint

Pubs can no longer survive

by selling drinks alone, yet a

quality selection of beers and

ales is still key to attracting

patrons. So says Alex Williams,

the landlord of the Polgooth

Inn near St Austell.

‘Tribute is still the star

of the show,’ he says, pouring

a pint behind his bar. ‘It’s

like a beacon shining out at

customers from the top of the

pump. That’s why we make

sure all of our staff are highly

trained and knowledgeable.

It’s their job to represent the

product to the customer and

make sure it tastes as good

as when it left the brewery.’

Alex and his wife have

been tenant landlords at the

Polgooth Inn for eight years.

The couple rent the building

and buy all their drinks from

St Austell Brewery but are the

owners of the business, which

is mainly focused on cuisine.

‘The kitchen is where we make

most of our revenue but you

can’t separate it from the rest

of the business,’ he explains.

‘Running a pub is a holistic

operation – especially in a rural

area. We play a much bigger

role than simply serving food

and drinks. We are an active

hub for the local community

and offer an increasingly wide

range of services.’

For this reason, quality staff

is something Alex needs to rely

on. However, there isn’t such a

big pool available to pick from

in rural Cornwall.

‘Maintaining good staff

is hard, so when someone is

good at their job it is worth

rewarding them,’ he adds.

‘If you look at it in a slightly

different light, it’s yet

another way of supporting

the local community.’

21CO R N I S H T R IB U T E

employee. They decided that passion and talent

outweighed seniority, and it paid off. Roger created

Tribute to celebrate the solar eclipse later that year

and it went on to be a wild success.’

Innovation continues to fuel the company and the wide

range of beers it makes and sells keeps getting bigger.

The brewery continues to believe in home-grown talent

and encourages its brewing team to experiment with

small batches of beer that is then sent out to local pubs

to test. They are also put into competition at the

brewery’s very own beer festival. So, in effect, St Austell

has managed to jump onto the craft beer trend despite

being an established brand.

Another area of experimentation is ingredients. The

brewery is now supporting local farmers to grow their

barley exclusively for its beer. There are now more than

1000 acres of Cornish land dedicated to providing crops

to make the beer even more local. But brewing is only

one side of this business, as Curator and PR Manager

Chris Knight explains.

‘To understand the whole of our operation it’s best to

look at it as three businesses as one,’ he says. ‘We are

vertically integrated, which means that we own our full

supply chain. It starts off in our brewing business, then

there’s the distribution business where we transport it

to our various retail points. Finally there’s the pubs

business, where we sell it directly to consumers.’

The brewery owns a number of warehouses in the

West, from where a fleet of vans operates, servicing local

businesses. Cornwall is notoriously difficult to deliver

to and many corporations have attempted to set up

distribution networks and failed. In this light, St Austell >>

Consumers are increasingly

identifying with authentic brands

that have real stories and you can’t

really get more authentic than us

Jeremy Mitchell, St Austell Marketing Director

AU DI B U SIN E S S22

St Austell Brewery is not the only local company to extol the virtues of Cornwall and use a love of the region to market its products. Here are just a few more:

Cornish champions

CO R N I S H T R IB U T E

West Cornwall Pasty Co

This fast food chain was

launched back in 1998

and is now present in 51

locations across the UK.

It sells Cornwall’s famed

snack, the pasty, and has

pushed it beyond the

borders of the region to

all areas of the country.

Pendennis Shipyard

Based in Falmouth, this

world-renowned shipyard is

very proud of its Cornish

roots. To date, the shipyard

has created 30 custom-built

boats and undertaken more

than 200 refits. Its client

list is closely guarded but

includes Britain’s richest

woman, Kirsty Bertarelli.

Finisterre

Born over a decade ago

from the needs of hardy

British surfers, Finisterre

designs functional and

sustainable products for

those that share a love

of the sea.

23

got the contract to distribute Carlsberg products too.

The other wing of the business is the pub and

hospitality sector. St Austell Brewery owns a portfolio

of 178 pubs, 30 that are managed and 140 tenanted,

the majority in the South West. This large portfolio of

buildings also makes St Austell the biggest provider of

holiday accommodation in Cornwall and also highlights

its responsibility for maintaining quality in the hotel

trade, as well as caring for the buildings – which are

often centuries-old heritage sites.

The Pier House in the nearby village of Charlestown is

one of these pubs. Located on the seafront of an historic

Georgian world heritage site, it is a prime destination

for tourists visiting the area, something that’s been

increased by the popularity of the television show

Poldark, which is filmed nearby. The landlord Rob Brewer

recently took over operations here and is undertaking

big structural renovation work to update this historic

establishment while keeping it true to its heritage.

‘St Austell works very closely with us to help us realise

our ambitions,’ he says. ‘This site was only purchased last

year and we are currently investing heavily to really help

it realise its full potential and offer a high-quality service

to punters. When all the work is done it will be one of

the brewery’s flagship establishments. It will be a good

reflection of what the company is: a business that

delves into tradition to offer the latest in high-quality

hospitality standards.’

Such an invested interest in the region’s heritage runs

deep through the business, and is as apparent as the

brewery building. The company’s good relationship with

other local stakeholders is also testament to this, as it

sponsors cultural and sporting events. Surprisingly,

St Austell even maintains a good rapport with its direct

rival Sharp’s, the maker of the popular ale Doom Bar,

which is located a few miles down the coast.

‘We actually play Sharp’s quite frequently in a friendly

football game,’ adds Chris. ‘We always try our best to win

but in the end the result doesn’t really matter. It’s more

about opening the dialogue and making sure we’re both

trying to promote local products. When you look at it

closely we’re both cheering for team Cornwall on and off

the pitch, so it can only be mutually beneficial.’

For more information visit staustellbrewery.co.uk

Patrick Gribbin

Property Manager, St Austell Brewery

‘In my job I am constantly on the

road between different locations

owned by the brewery. It’s a lot

of miles, nearly 80,000 a year,

but it’s made much easier by my

Audi A6 2.0 TDI. The car is an

absolute gem to drive and is

also really comfortable, offering

lots of space inside. Even when

I give colleagues a lift, it doesn’t

feel cramped. Reliability has

never been an issue, and for me

there’s nothing else that looks

as good on the road.’

AU DI B U SIN E S S24

C L O W N

C LOW N A RO U N D 25

A R O U N D

Audi’s latest TV advert is a high-jinx

adventure where badly behaved clowns

run riot in the city. We get a ringside seat

for the film shoot on the streets of Prague

WRITER ALAN DANIELS

PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD PARDON

AU DI B U SIN E S S26

Getting people to notice you in a world where brands

compete for a rapidly diminishing share of attention is

one of the biggest challenges businesses face these days.

The power of disruption is vital, which is why Audi’s

latest television advert has made such an impact. The

story features a troupe of clowns wreaking havoc for

other road users. The loud, mad, messy world seems

a long way from Audi’s usual cool-and-controlled,

understated image.

‘We like to keep things simple with Audi – there

are a lot of clowns on the road, and our cars have the

technology needed to stay safe amongst them,’ explains

Ian Heartfield, Creative Director at advertising agency

BBH, whose team dreamed up the concept for the advert.

‘In the ad, we see a series of different Audi models using

state-of-the-art technology such as pre sense, side assist

and adaptive cruise control to deal with dangerous road

users, who we chose to represent as clowns.’

BBH has a long history with Audi, and was the

agency responsible for propagating the brand’s

Vorsprung durch Technik slogan back in the 1980s. Since

then, it has continually strived to find a number of new

and original ways to promote Audi innovations, notably

creating memorable adverts such as the A5 Ugly

Duckling, RS 3 Birth and RS 5 Coupé Nothing to Prove.

For the latest project, the agency handed over the

reins of the operation to acclaimed director Ringan

Ledwidge. The Londoner has a long record of creating

blockbuster-style commercials and was responsible for

last year’s immensely successful Duel advert for the RS 7.

‘The biggest challenge for this project is to get the

tone right,’ he explained. ‘I didn’t want the clowns to

be cheesy – they needed to feel modern so it’s clear that

they and the Audis are part of the same universe. So,

casting clowns who feel cinematic and relevant was really

important, and playing around with their costumes and

make-up has been great fun.’

To achieve the desired outcome, inspiration and visual

references were drawn from the likes of silent-film

legend Buster Keaton and Michael Mann, seen by many

as one of the most talented directors of Hollywood

thrillers. These two may at first seem unlikely bedfellows

when it comes to influence, but Ringan explains that his

aim was always to create something unique. ‘Fingers

crossed we have a memorable and disruptive film on

our hands,’ he says.

C LOW N A RO U N D

Director Ringan Ledwidge

during the Prague shoot for

Audi’s latest blockbuster

TV commercial, which

promotes the A8

27

The new Audi A8, the

world’s first production

car developed for highly

automated driving, has

ground-breaking looks

and some seriously

impressive technology

The new Audi A8 is the most technically

advanced car that Audi has ever created.

Intelligent, luxurious, agile and beguilingly

beautiful, it takes the company’s famed

Vorsprung durch Technik ethos to heights

previously unimaginable.

Truly ground-breaking, the A8 is the first

production car in the world to be developed

specially for highly automated driving. It

arrives in UK Audi Centres early in 2018, and

will later be offered with optional Audi AI

traffic jam pilot. As a result, depending on

national law, drivers will be able to sit back,

relax and let the car take over driving duties

in slow-moving traffic at speeds up to

37mph on major roads (where a physical

barrier separates the two carriageways).

Not only can the A8 take the stress out

of stop-start traffic, but it will also be able

to render the hassle of manoeuvring in and

out of tight parking spaces or garages a

thing of the past, thanks to Audi AI remote

parking pilot and the Audi AI remote garage

pilot, both of which will be available later in

2018. You don’t even have to sit in the car,

as it can be controlled remotely from a

smartphone with the new myAudi app.

With the very latest quattro technology,

the new A8 is also – as you would expect –

an exceptionally fine driving machine. It

is available to order now in both standard

and long-wheelbase L configuration. The

A8 55 TFSI is powered by a 340PS 3.0 TFSI

engine, while the A8 50 TDI features a

286PS 3.0 TDI engine, with a wider choice

becoming available in due course.

KATIE JOHNSTONE Visit audi.co.uk and click

on A8 to find out more

A8 50 TDI QUATTRO

Price from £69,100 OTR

P11D value £68,845

Engine 3.0 V6 TDI 286PS

Transmission 8-speed tiptronic

Drivetrain quattro

0-62mph 5.9 seconds

Top speed 155mph*

Efficiency 50.4mpg

combined**,

145g/km CO2**

* Electronically limited ** Standard EU

test figure for comparative purposes and

may not reflect real driving results. With

18-inch wheels

The intelligence of luxury

Audi’s new AI-infused A8 redefines the concept of premium-classautomotive travel and provides an experience to please the keenest driver

WRITER EDWIN SMITH

ILLUSTRATOR KYLE BEAN

T H E R OA D

T O A N

E L E C T R I C

F U T U R E

AU DI B U SIN E S S28 T H E ROA D TO A N E L EC T R IC F U T U R E 29

The UK Government recently announced its

intention for ‘nearly all new cars and vans to

be zero emission by 2040’ – a step change

that is clearly going to place extra demand

on the supply of electricity. It’s important

to understand, though, that this increase in

demand will not be placed on the energy

industry as it exists today.

In predicting the level of future electricity

consumption, the National Grid has factored

in technologies such as smart chargers that

calculate and implement the most efficient

charging strategies.

With that in mind, it has estimated that

by 2045, if only pure electric vehicles were

for sale, peak demand placed on the system

by EVs would be about 5 gigawatts (GW) – an

increase of around eight per cent on current

peak demand.

The same report predicts that the number

of EVs in the UK could rise to nine million by

2030, from 126,000 on the nation’s roads

today. But an EV running on electricity from a

coal-fired power station is self-defeating; the

need to increase generation from low-carbon

renewables is clear.

With 5.2 million inhabitants owning

100,000 EVs, Norway leads the world in

EV uptake per capita. In fact last year

approximately 40 per cent of new cars sold

in Norway were EVs. The US has more than

60 times the population of Norway, but less

than six times as many EVs. Yet Norway still

has hurdles to overcome.

The number of EVs is only one part of the

equation. ‘The charging infrastructure is

lagging behind,’ says Christina Bu, head of

the Norwegian EV Association. The largest

fast-charging centre in the world, with space

to charge 28 cars simultaneously, opened

north of Oslo in September last year, and

another even larger site south of the capital

is being planned, according to Bu. But

rural areas are still underserved, despite

the potential for extremely generous

government subsidies to be awarded.

This is partly because the business model

for charging stations isn’t yet clear. In the

UK, charging an EV for 100 miles of driving

costs £3-£4 – about a fifth of the cost for

the same mileage in a petrol car. So how

will the stations generate revenue? And

will they be built by utility companies,

car manufacturers or someone else?

Will the technology improve so fast that

installation costs are prohibitive? All these

issues represent challenges that the energy

industry will have to help solve.

Norway’s impressive network of hydro-

electric power sites means that cheap, clean,

sustainable energy is in plentiful supply.

Almost all of its power is generated in this

way. In fact, Norway has so much extra power

that it will soon be piping it to the UK via >>

Electric vehicles are on the rise.

Some projections suggest they could

account for 90 per cent of all cars on UK

roads by 2050. So how is the energy

industry planning to meet the demand?

AU DI B U SIN E S S30 T H E ROA D TO A N E L EC T R IC F U T U R E 31

Audi e-tron quattro concept

Three electric motors

provide more than

800Nm, while the

95kWh battery, which

can be recharged

in around 50 minutes,

provides a range of

up to 310 miles

The story of Audi’s electric mobility programme began back in

the late 1980s, when the company began developing models with

all-electric or hybrid drive. The first Audi production model to

combine a combustion engine with an electric motor was the 1997

A4 Avant-bodied duo. Fast forward to the Frankfurt Motor Show in

2009, where the wraps were pulled off the all-electric Audi R8 e-tron,

which in 2012 stunned the world by setting a record lap time for an

electric car around the fearsome, 12.9-mile Nürburgring racetrack.

Two years later the plug-in hybrid-drive A3 Sportback e-tron made

its debut. Today, the very latest A3 Sportback e-tron can be found on

sale in Audi Centres, combining a 150PS 1.4 TFSI petrol turbocharged

engine with a 75kW electric motor. With a pure electric driving range

of up to 29 miles, it’s perfect for zero-emission, cross-city commutes,

and with a combined range of approximately 536 miles, long journeys

are equally effortless.

The Q7 e-tron arrived in the UK in 2016, combining the ultra-low-

emission driving of a plug-in hybrid with the go-anywhere appeal of

a quattro all-wheel-drive SUV. The luxuriously equipped Q7 e-tron

demonstrates remarkable hybrid efficiency, offering up to 156.9mpg

combined* and CO2 levels from 48g/km*.

Audi has already given a glimpse of things to come with the

futuristic-looking e-tron quattro concept car. Yet that future is a lot

closer than one might think: The company’s first all-electric-drive

vehicle, the Audi e-tron, will be an SUV closely related to the e-tron

quattro concept – and it’ll be in production by the end of 2018.

Visit audi.co.uk and click on e-tron to find out more

Audi e-tron charges forward

the world’s longest undersea interconnector.

In 2016, 34 per cent of the UK’s 100 GW

installed capacity for generating energy

came from renewables. The hope is that

capacity from renewables will have grown to

around 110 GW by 2050, or 60 per cent of

installed capacity. A mix of sources will be

needed to get there, but it seems likely that

a significant portion will come from onshore

wind. The cost of this method of generation

has roughly halved in a decade as composite

materials have replaced steel in the turbine

blades, resulting in lighter weights and more

tolerance for torque in the structures.

At sites such as Scottish Power’s Whitelee

Windfarm near Glasgow, modern control

systems mean it’s possible to alter the angle

of blades to catch the wind in the time it

takes them to complete one rotation,

significantly improving efficiency. But even as

the price of renewable energy falls across the

board (solar energy is projected to reach ‘grid

parity’ with coal and nuclear early in the next

decade), the wind and sun can’t be relied on

to blow and shine when they’re needed.

‘You can’t switch it on and off as easily as

something that runs on fuel,’ says Marcus

Stewart, the National Grid’s head of energy

insights. ‘Up to 2030 and beyond, we’re

moving into a very different energy market;

cars and batteries are going to have a big

part to play in that.’

The cost of storing energy with lithium-ion

batteries has dropped by almost half since

2013 – but the most important technology

to emerge may be ‘vehicle-to-grid’. In this

model, batteries of parked EVs would be

hooked up to the grid and used as a power

source at times of peak demand, with

owners receiving payments in exchange.

A £20m government fund has been

launched to encourage companies to

determine whether this system is viable,

but many in the industry are optimistic that

the source of one of their biggest challenges

could turn out to be its own solution.

Barry Carruthers, Scottish Power’s head of

innovation, says: ‘It feels like something

the system could benefit from. Intuitively,

it feels right.’ EDWIN SMITH

3. Offshore wind Location: London Array,

Thames Estuary

Capacity: 630MW

Operating since: 2013

Turbines: 175

The largest operational offshore

wind farm in the world took 10

years to plan and construct. It

covers an area the size of Bristol.

4. Onshore windLocation: Clyde Wind Farm,

South Lanarkshire

Capacity: 350MW

Operating from: 2012

This site, by the M74 motorway,

has 152 turbines capable of

powering more than 200,000

homes, but an extension was

approved in 2014 which will see

an additional 54 turbines,

boosting capacity to 512MW.

5. TidalLocation: MeyGen,

Pentland Firth

Capacity: 398MW

Operating since: 2016

Turbines: 4

The first large-scale tidal energy

farm in the world was launched

in 2016 when one of its four

turbines was unveiled. The rest

will become operational over

the years to take advantage of

the 11mph currents north of

John O’Groats.

T H E ROA D TO A N E L EC T R IC F U T U R E

2. SolarLocation: Shotwick Solar Park,

north Wales

Capacity: 72MW

Operating since: 2016

Area: 1km2

Built in just over eight weeks,

the site accommodates 180,000

solar panels, each of which has

around 60 individual cells

producing approximately 12

volts. It was built on agricultural

fields with easy access to the

motorway and grid connection.

1. Biomass Location: Teesport near

Redcar, Teesside

Capacity: 300 megawatts (MW)

Operating from: 2020

The £650m plant will be fed

2.5 million tonnes of woodchip

per year and should save 1.2

million tonnes of CO2 annually

when compared to gas and coal

power. The plant is also expected

to generate hundreds of jobs.

A green future How the UK invests in renewable energy

The UK has launched a host

of innovative renewable energy

initiatives to make the most of

the power of natural resources.

From onshore and offshore wind

farms to the largest tidal energy

operation in the world, the

future looks bright.

AU DI B U SIN E S S32 33

34 AU DI B U SIN E S S M IL E S TO N E S

Advance!Audi’s designers in the 1970s were

determined to ‘think outside the

box’ – the traditional five-door box

of the conventional estate car, that

is. And so, the stylish, sporting and

lifestyle-oriented Avant was born

As the lady in the photograph’s highly polished red boots and her companion’s

matching red cap prove, fashions do tend to come and go – in some cases,

thankfully, never to be seen again. Some trends, though, do have staying power

and none more so than the Audi Avant. The first example was introduced 40 years

ago, based on the second-generation Audi 100. Its sleek five-door format added

a third choice for customers alongside the two-door coupé and four-door saloon

models. It was not, however, an estate car in the traditional, square-tailed,

wardrobe-hauling sense – one glance at the rakish, razor-sharp, swept rear lines

confirm that. The design was way ahead of its time and made a clear statement

of intent. Yes, the new Avant was functional and practical, offering generous load

space easily accessible via the rear hatchback door, but it was also sporting and

athletic, more leisure and lifestyle-oriented than utilitarian load-lugger. The

name, Avant, also brought a sparkle of glamour from the Romance languages.

In Italian, for example, ‘avanti’ translates as ‘forwards’, while in French ‘en avant’

means ‘go’, ‘ahead’ or ‘forwards’. And with Avant models still meeting modern

lifestyle demands in the A4 and A6 ranges today, the phenomenon has certainly

lived up to the name. Happily, other trends that surfaced in the 1970s have not

proved so resilient. ANGUS FRAZER

1977

What to wear and what

to drive to a high society

weekend in the country

in West Germany, 1977

AUDI UK LIMITED Yeomans Drive, Blakelands Milton Keynes, MK14 5AN0800 699 888audi.co.uk

Head of Audi UK Fleet Tom Brennan07803 511292Tom.Brennan@audi.co.uk

Communications Manager Laura Ayers07900 761955 Laura.Ayers@audi.co.uk

Fleet Business Development Manager Ruth Austin07801 198897 Ruth.Austin@audi.co.uk

CONTRACT HIRE AND

LEASING TEAM

National Contract Hire

and Leasing Manager

Edward Jones07917 836188Edward.Jones@audi.co.uk

Contract Hire and Leasing Manager (North)

Keith Anderson07808 730921 Keith.Anderson@audi.co.uk

Contract Hire and Leasing Manager (South)

Charlie Rowney07803 511288 Charlie.Rowney@audi.co.uk

Fleet Aftersales Business

Development Manager

Nick Mitchell07703 404271 Nick.Mitchell@audi.co.uk

Rental Manager

Kate Wright07468 764655 Kate.Wright@audi.co.uk

Rental Executive

Claire Winning01908 548344 Claire.Winning@audi.co.uk

FLEET SUPPORT TEAM

0800 975 7841

Direct Sales Manager

Gina Blaauw01908 601167 Gina.Blaauw@audi.co.uk

Direct Sales Executive

Michelle Munt01908 601174 Michelle.Munt@audi.co.uk

Public Sector Sales Executive

Sean Batchelor01908 601132 Sean.Batchelor@audi.co.uk

AUDI UK FLEET TEAM

AND AREA CODES

At Audi, our dedicated Fleet Team is here to provide the best service, advice and support for your fleet operation. The contact details for your personal Audi Fleet Sales Manager are shown below, and the map displays the corresponding areas covered by each.

KEY ACCOUNT

CONTACTS

Key Account Manager

Jack Bowes07919 545685 Jack.Bowes@audi.co.uk

Central Fleet Manager North

Jake Okeleke01908 548743 Jake.Okeleke@audi.co.uk

Central Fleet Manager South

Sean Parrock01908 601097 Sean.Parrock@audi.co.uk

SNI

NE

NW

MD

SW

EA

SE

SNI

Northern England/Northern Ireland/Scotland

Sandy Dougal07947 988991Sandy.Dougal@audi.co.uk

AB, BT, CA, DD, DG, DH, DL, EH, FK,

G, HS, IV, KA, KW, KY, ML, NE, PA,

PH, SR, TD, TS, ZE

NW

North West England / Wales

Daryl Barlow07500 075692 Daryl.Barlow@audi.co.uk

BB, BD, BL, CH, CW, HD, HX, IM, L,

LA, LL, M, OL, PR, SK, ST13, SY14,

WA, WF, WN

NE

North East England

Debbie Lloyd07789 946203 Debbie.Lloyd@audi.co.uk

CV13, DE1–11, DE13–75, DN, HG,

HU, LE1–14, LE17–67, LN, LS, NG,

PE11–38, S, YO

MD

Midlands / Wales

Barbara O’Neill-Joyce07908 797064 Barbara.ONeill-Joyce@audi.co.uk

B, CV1–12, CV21–47, DE12, DY,

GL1–4, GL10, GL14–20, GL50–56,

HP18, HR, LD, NN13, NP7–8, NP25,

OX1–9, OX49, RG13–20, RG28,

SP10–11, ST1–12, ST14–21, ST55,

SY1–13, SY15–22, SY24, TF, WR,

WS, WV

EA

Eastern England

Lisa Plater07831 167613Lisa.Plater@audi.co.uk

AL, CB, CM, CO, E, E1W, EC1A–B, E,

H, M–V, Y, EC2A–B, M–V, Y, EC3A–B,

M–R, V, EC4M–V, EC99, EN, HA,

HP1–11, HP13, HP15–17, HP19–27,

IG, IP, LE15–16, LE94, LU, MK, N,

N1C, NN1–12, NN14–29, NR, NW,

NW1W, PE1–10, RM, SG1–19, SL9,

SS, WO, WD

SE

London / South East England

Steve Griffiths07983 552411 Steve.Griffiths@audi.co.uk

BN, BR, CR, CT, DA, EC4A, GU2–5,

GU7–27, GU30–35, HP12, HP14,

KT1–23, ME, OX10, PO22, RG1–12,

RG30–45, RH, SE, SL 0–8, SM,

SW1–19, 1A, 1E, 1H, 1P, 1V–Y,

SW20–99, TN, TW, UB1–11, UB18,

W1–8, W11–14, W1A–K, W1M–Y,

W44, WC1A–B, WC1E, WC1H,

WC1N, WC1R–V, WC1X, WC2A–B,

WC2E, WC2H, WC2N, WC2R, WC99

SW

South West England / South Wales

Chris Stephens07867 341205 Chris.Stephens@audi.co.uk

BA, BH, BS, CF, DT, EX, GL5–9,

GL11–13, GU28–29, KT24, NP1–24,

NP26–44, PL, PO1–21, PO30–41,

RG21–23, RG25–27, RG29, SN, SO,

SP1–9, SY23, SY25, TA, TQ, TR