by Sugar, Alan
Johnnie was a proud and honest man, even if his values sometimes seemed crazy. Apart from his religion, his main love was his family, and this love was reciprocated by all of them. As I said to Minnie, ‘He died a wealthy man, with all the love and respect he got from his two children, five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.’
I really believe that, compared to materialistic wealth, I would take what he had anytime.
*
In May 2010 Labour lost the general election and that brought an end to my role as government adviser. Having worked with Gordon Brown since 1997, it felt like the end of an era seeing him leave office as Prime Minister. Like most people, I was touched to see the pictures of him leaving Downing Street with his family. I waited a week or so and spoke to Gordon to see how he was getting on, as he had taken a battering in the past months. He was in surprising fine spirits and thanked me for the assistance and support I had given him over the past thirteen years. He followed that up by writing a very kind note to Ann and myself.
Britain entered a new era in the political world with a coalition government formed between the Conservative and the Liberal Democrat parties. I found this marriage quite funny, inasmuch as I had witnessed them in the House of Lords tearing strips off each other in the past. I guess it’s a case of watch this space.
It sometimes occurs to me that I’m getting close to the age most people retire but I’m not ready to sit back and relax – not as long as there are new challenges out there to spark my enthusiasm. I am sure there will be more to tell one day but this is the end of my story for now. It describes my long and eventful journey from Clapton to Clapton. That’s Lord Sugar of Clapton – not Lord Beaverbrook!
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank Ivor Spital, my longest serving employee, who has worked with me for many years, for all his research into the archives and his input on my text; Michele Kurland, Nick Hewer and Alan Watts for reading an early draft and giving me their helpful suggestions; Mark Bateman for reminding me that some good came out of my years at Spurs. And above all, my wife and children for encouraging me throughout the writing of this book.
Index
Note: AS stands for Alan Sugar.
A M S Trading Company see Amstrad
AB Electronics ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Accenti, Ettore ref 1
Adamson, Dan ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
Adler brothers ref 1, ref 2
Akihabara (Japan) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4
Alba ref 1, ref 2
Alexiou, Douglas ref 1, ref 2
Allaghan, Bernard ref 1
Allen, Michael ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
Allsopp, Kirstie ref 1
Alps ref 1
Ambrose, Simon ref 1
Amscreen ref 1
Amsprop ref 1
Amstrad
acquisition of by BSkyB and handover meeting ref 1
acquisition of shares in Betacom ref 1
advertising and marketing ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
American subsidiary ref 1
appointment of Rogers as chief executive and master plan implemented ref 1
attitude towards retailers ref 1
audio business
amplifiers and tuners ref 1, ref 2
Amstrad 8000 amplifier ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
and BPI copyright case ref 1
car aerials ref 1, ref 2
car stereos ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5,ref 6
CB radios ref 1
as Dolby licensee ref 1
‘executive series’ ref 1
exhibition stands at hi-fi shows ref 1
exporting of audio equipment to Spain ref 1
Fircastle acquisition ref 1
Funai-Amstrad fiasco ref 1
headphones ref 1
hi-fi cassette deck market ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
IC2000 amplifier ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
importation of televisions from South Korea ref 1
Kingsway Stores (Nigeria) deal ref 1, ref 2
magnetic cartridges ref 1
and Pioneer copyright issue ref 1
plinth and cover enterprise ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
reaching saturation point on products ref 1
selling of record-players ref 1
speaker cabinets ref 1, ref 2
tower systems ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8
transistor radios ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
VCRs ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Audiotronic acquisition proposal and failure ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
awards won ref 1
break-up of ref 1, ref 2
closing down of overseas subsidiaries ref 1, ref 2
computer business
CPC464 awarded Product of the Year Award ref 1
CPC464 development and sale of ref 1, ref 2
CPC6128 American version and flop of launch ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
CPC6128 brought out with floppy disk drive ref 1
criticism of PC1512 by IBM over not having a fan ref 1
demise of ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
exhibitions ref 1
inclusion of Microsoft in products deal ref 1
lack of components problem ref 1
licence agreement with IBM ref 1, ref 2
PC1512 development and launch ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4
PC1640 model introduced ref 1
PC2000 series failure ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7
PC3000 series ref 1
PCW8256 American version and dealings with Sears World Trade ref 1
PCW8256 word processor development and sale of ref 1, ref 2
PCW8512 ref 1
Seagate court case ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
selling of PC1512 to Russia ref 1
Sinclair acquisition deal and launch of Amstrad Sinclair ref 1, ref 2
Western Digital court case ref 1, ref 2
and corporate entertaining ref 1
creation of New Amstrad company ref 1
criticism of AS by shareholders and media ref 1
dealings with Japanese and Far Eastern suppliers ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10, ref 11, ref 12, ref 13, ref 14, ref 15
digital screen advertising market and Comtech acquisition ref 1
disposing of B-grade merchandise ref 1
early takings ref 1
email phone ref 1, ref 2
expansion of executive staff ref 1
exports ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
fall in profits and share price ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
fax machines ref 1
Fidelity acquisition ref 1
first Amstrad-named products sold ref 1
floating of on stock market and share price ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7
formation of limited company ref 1, ref 2
goods stolen in early days ref 1
growth and success of ref 1, ref 2
image ref 1
impact of football issues on running of ref 1, ref 2
Indescomp acquisition ref 1
lack of enthusiasm for supplying wholesalers ref 1
lack of financial control of ref 1
and media ref 1
mobile phone market ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
OEM trading ref 1
opens first office in Far East ref 1
organising of fire sale to reduce inventory during demise ref 1, ref 2
overseas subsidiaries opened ref 1, ref 2
PenPad ref 1, ref 2
premises and offices ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7
privatisation failure and restructuring ref 1
problems at Dancall ref 1
problems with overseas subsidiaries and cost-cutting exercises ref 1
product range ref 1, ref 2
profit margin philosophy ref 1
profits and turnover ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4,
ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8
property business ref 1
Psion negotiations over takeover but pulling out of deal ref 1
racist incident against black employee ref 1
rights issue (1984) ref 1
satellite business ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
and BSB-Sky merger ref 1
contract with Murdoch to manufacture satellite receivers ref 1
dealing with Thomson ref 1
design and production of receivers ref 1
and Dixons ref 1, ref 2
granted licence from Thomson to incorporate VideoCrypt technology in satellite receivers ref 1
receiver decoders and contract with Murdoch to manufacture ref 1, ref 2
relationship with BSkyB ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
Sky Italia deal ref 1
and Sky+ box ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
slowing down of production ref 1
smartcard system ref 1
and scheme of arrangement ref 1
selling of Dancall to Bosch ref 1
setting up of A M S Trading Company ref 1
setting up of first European subsidiary (Amstrad SARL) ref 1
share dealing issue ref 1
share option scheme for staff ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
share price of New Amstrad ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
‘special investors’ meetings ref 1
speech to London’s City University ref 1
staff relations ref 1
telephone market ref 1, ref 2
and three-day week ref 1
Viglen acquisition ref 1
Amstrad Distribution ref 1
Amstrad Japan ref 1
Amstrad SARL ref 1
Anderton, Darren ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Angel, Simon ref 1
Another Level ref 1
Ansbacher bank ref 1
Apple ref 1
Apple, Aaron ref 1
Apple, John ref 1
Apprentice: You’re Hired ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Apprentice, The, see Sugar, Alan: The Apprentice
Apprentice, The (USA) ref 1, ref 2
Ardiles, Ossie ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9
Armstrong, Chris ref 1, ref 2
Arnesen, Frank ref 1, ref 2
Arrowcraft ref 1
Arsenal ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6
Arvida, ref 1
Ashby, Eddie ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9
Ashcroft, Ken ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4
Aspel, Michael ref 1
Astra ref 1
Atkins, Clint ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Audio Supplies ref 1, ref 2
Audiotronic ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Audiovox, ref 1
Australia
Amstrad subsidiary in ref 1, ref 2
Avnet ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Avon Electric ref 1
Baker, Colin ref 1
Baker, Danny ref 1, ref 2
Balcombe, Paul ref 1
Balding, Clare ref 1
Ball, Tony ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Balls, Ed ref 1
Barclays ref 1
Barmby, Nick ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Barnes, Peter ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6
Baron, Mark ref 1
Bates, Ken ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Bayern Munich ref 1
Baylin, Dennis ref 1, ref 2
BBC ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6
BBC Trust ref 1
Beadle, Jeremy ref 1, ref 2
Beattie, John ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Becker, Norman ref 1, ref 2
Beckett, Michael ref 1, ref 2
Beenhakker, Leo ref 1, ref 2
Bell, Robert ref 1
Beloff, Michael ref 1
Bennett, Jana ref 1, ref 2
Bergkamp, Dennis ref 1
Berry, Tony ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8
Betacom ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6
Bhoyrul, Anil ref 1, ref 2
Binatone, ref 1
Blackburn Rovers FC, ref 1
Blair, Tony ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Bland, Martin, ref 1
Bloch, Andrew, ref 1
Blue Beat label ref 1
Bobroff, Paul ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4
Bolan, Marc, ref 1
Booth, Mark ref 1, ref 2
Bosch ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Bose, Mihir, ref 1
Boulton, Adam, ref 1
Bourne, Clive ref 1
‘Boxer’ ref 1
BPI (British Phonographic Industry) ref 1
Brady Club ref 1
Brady, Karren ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4
Braham, Mr ref 1
Brand, Jo ref 1, ref 2
Brand, Russell ref 1
Branson, Richard ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9, ref 10
British Electrotechnical Approvals Board (BEAB), ref 1
British Steel Corporation ref 1
British Telecom, ref 1
Brooke House School (Joseph Priestley Secondary School) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4
Brown, Gordon ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5, ref 6, ref 7, ref 8, ref 9
Brown, Terry, ref 1
Brunel University, ref 1
BSB ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting) ref 1
acquisition of Amstrad ref 1
creation of ref 1
development of PVR (Sky+) ref 1
and email phone ref 1
and Premier League television rights ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4
relationship with Amstrad/AS ref 1, ref 2, ref 3, ref 4, ref 5
BSR France, ref 1
Buchler, David, ref 1
Burford, Derek, ref 1
Burley, Kay ref 1, ref 2
Burnett, Mark ref 1, ref 2
Bush ref 1
Business Council ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Business Link Centres ref 1
Cala di Volpe Hotel (Sardinia) ref 1
Callard, Richard ref 1, ref 2
Cameron, David ref 1, ref 2
Campbell, Alastair ref 1, ref 2
Campbell, Sol, ref 1
Campbell, Tim ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Caparo Industries ref 1
Carlton Communications ref 1
Carr, Alan ref 1
CB radio ref 1
Celebrity Apprentice (Comic Relief) ref 1, ref 2, ref 3
Celebrity Apprentice (Sports Relief) ref 1
Celebrity Apprentice (USA) ref 1