Gerald Ratner

Twenty years on, Gerald Ratner’s gaffe is still famous in the British retail industry as an example of the value of branding and image over quality. Such gaffes are now often referred to as “Doing a Ratner.”

Gerald Ratner, once CEO of a family jewellery chain, orchestrated its expansion from 130 stores with sales of £13m to a public company with 2,500 stores and sales of over £1.2bn. His public slip in calling some of his products "total crap" led to a notorious fall from grace, forcing him to spend 18 months in damage control before selling the business. This narrative continues to serve as a cautionary tale in retail circles about the impact of public perception on business success.

After his departure from the jewellery chain, Ratner founded an online jewellery business named GeraldOnline, which now reports a turnover of £25m and is preparing to go public. He has since transformed his earlier missteps into powerful lessons on resilience and recovery, delivering talks aimed at audiences facing challenging situations. His approach is both humorous and motivational, providing valuable insights into overcoming setbacks. Today, he is often in the press for his business successes rather than his past errors, and his journey has been featured in various media, including a musical documentary and a TV series.