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A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings (both residential and commercial), utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company. The term is used in the US and UK to refer to a town or city where loyalty to the company that is perceived to be responsible for its success is expected and that company is, or was, a major employer in the area.

Overview[link]

Traditional settings for company towns were where extractive industries — coal, metal mines, lumber — had established a monopoly franchise. Dam sites and war-industry camps founded other company towns. Since company stores tend to have a monopoly in company towns, it was not uncommon for truck systems to emerge in isolated company towns.

Typically, a company town will be isolated from neighbors and centered (figuratively, if not literally) around a large production factory such as a lumber or steel mill or an automobile plant; and the citizens of the town will either work in the factory, work in one of the smaller businesses, or be a family member of someone who does. The company may also operate parks, host cultural events such as concerts, and so on. If the owning company cuts back or goes out of business, the economic effect on the company town is devastating, and often fatal.

Company towns sometimes become regular public cities and towns as they grow. Other times, a town may not officially be a company town, but it may be a town where the majority of citizens are employed by a single company, thus creating a similar situation to a company town (especially in regard to the town's economy).

United States[link]

At their peak there were more than 2,500 company towns, housing 3% of the US population.^[1][2]

One of the first company towns in the United States was Pullman, Chicago, developed in the 1880s just outside the Chicago city limits. The town, entirely company-owned, provided housing, markets, a library, churches and entertainment for the 6,000 company employees and an equal number of dependents. Employees were required to live in Pullman, despite the fact that cheaper rentals could be found in nearby communities. In 1898 the Illinois Supreme Court required Pullman to dissolve their ownership of the town.

Another famous company town was McDonald, Ohio, which was created by the Carnegie Steel Company to house and serve the needs of its employees in the Youngstown, Ohio area.

In the present day United States, it is relatively rare for any place in which a single company owns all the property to be granted status as an incorporated municipality. Rather, companies will normally prefer their wholly owned communities to remain unincorporated as this permits administration of the community to be carried out by appointed company officers rather than elected officials. However, there are incorporated municipalities that are heavily dependent upon a single industry or organization and may be loosely considered a "company town", even though the company does not technically own the town.

A different type of company town has appeared in the U.S. since the 1960s, where real estate companies started developing uninhabited tracts of unincorporated lands into huge master-planned communities. These can be called company towns since they were not developed as part of a city, but completely on their own. Often these towns then grow into full fledged cities and then become incorporated, such as Irvine, California.

The adjacent cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, near Orlando, Florida in the Reedy Creek Improvement District, are most widely known as the location of Walt Disney World Resort. Being company towns, they are entirely owned by Disney-related companies. A few token persons reside on the site; all are either employees of Disney or their immediate family members.

Outside the United States[link]

The French city of Le Creusot, the German city of Ludwigshafen and the Japanese City of Kitakyushu are said to be company-towns. In Spain the boom of industrial factories propelled "colonias" like Sedó or Guell.

Paternalism[link]

Paternalism, a subtle form of social engineering, refers to the control of workers by their employers who sought to force middle-class ideals upon their working-class employees. Paternalism was considered by many nineteenth century businessmen as a moral responsibility, or often a religious obligation, which would advance society whilst furthering their own business interests. Accordingly, the company town offered a unique opportunity to achieve such ends.

Although many prominent examples of company towns portray their founders as "capitalists with a conscience", for example George Cadbury's Bournville, if viewed cynically the company town was often an economically viable ploy to attract and retain workers. Additionally, for-profit shops within company towns were usually owned by the company which were unavoidable to its isolated workers thus resulting in a monopoly for the owners.^[3]

Although economically successful, company towns sometimes failed politically due to a lack of elected officials and municipally owned services.^[4] Accordingly, workers often had no say in local affairs and therefore felt dictated to. Ultimately, this political climate caused resentment amongst workers and resulted in many residents eventually losing long-term affection for their towns; such was the case at Pullman.

The Pullman lesson[link]

Pullman, Chicago was a model company town founded by the Pullman Palace Car Company in the 1880s. The town operated successfully until the economic panic of 1893 when demands for the company’s products declined and employee wages had to be lowered accordingly. Despite this the company refused to lower rents in the town or the price of goods at its shops, thus resulting in the Pullman Strike of 1894.^[5] A national commission formed to investigate the causes of the strikes found that Pullman’s paternalism was partly to blame and labelled it ‘un-American’.^[6]

However, government observers maintained that Pullman’s principles were accurate, in that he provided his employees with a quality of life otherwise unattainable to them, but recognised that his excessive paternalism was inappropriate for a large-scale corporate economy and thus caused the town’s downfall. Accordingly, government observers and social reformers alike saw the need for a balance between control and well-designed towns concluding that a model company town would only succeed if independent professionals, acting as a buffer between employers and employees, took a role in conception, planning, and management of these towns.^[7]

Thus the Pullman Strike did not kill the concept of a company town but rather initiated a new chapter in their existence. Over the next thirty years the old model of paternalism was abandoned in favour of new professionally designed company towns with architects, landscape architects, and planners translating “new concepts of industrial relations and social welfare into new physical forms”.^[8] This suited capitalists of the day who were obviously keen to avoid the experiences of Pullman. The first real example of this occurred at Indian Hill-North Village, Massachusetts in 1915.^[9]

Model company towns[link]

During the late nineteenth century, model company towns materialised as enlightened industrialists recognised that many poor workers were living in appalling conditions.^[10] These industrialists wished to combat the unsanitary and congested conditions common to working class districts in order to create better living conditions for workers.^[11] Model company towns such as Port Sunlight (1888) and Bournville (1895) were influential in regards to their building and planning innovation.^[12] The ideas generated from these model towns are regarded as having a significant influence on the Garden City movement.^[13]

The model company town is concerned with creating a productive and prosperous company.^[14] Enlightened industrialists believed this could be achieved by providing a healthier residential environment for their employees.^[15] Planning a model company town involved the fusion of new notions of house design and layout.^[16] The paternalism of the enlightened industrialist was exhibited in his desire to provide an environment for his employees that was aesthetically appealing and which included well-designed residences, parks, schools, libraries and meeting halls.^[17] The industrialist also wished to contribute to his workers’ wellbeing by providing social programs such as sporting events and functions.^[18] This however, highlights the power and immense control possessed by the company owner who could shape the lifestyle and activities of his employees to serve his own interests and those of the company.^[19]

The creation of model company towns was particularly evident in Britain during the latter half of the nineteenth century with the creation of Saltaire, Bournville, Port Sunlight, Creswell and New Earswick, and coincided with the housing reform movement which emphasised the improvement of housing for the working class.^[20] These model towns contrasted with the overcrowded conditions in British working class districts which were often characterised by congested housing, unsanitary conditions, poor provision of open space and facilities.^[21] Model company towns promoted the idea of orderly, planned town development as well as the notion of planning for the needs of the community in order to provide healthier living conditions.^[22]

Model company towns in Britain[link]

Model company towns around the mid-nineteenth century such as Copley (1849) near Halifax, and Saltaire (1853) close to Bradford were characterised by improved dwellings for workers which contrasted with working-class housing in other industrial villages and cities.^[23] These model company towns prompted the creation of others such as Port Sunlight, Bourneville and Creswell within an environment of reform.^[24]

Port Sunlight (1888) in Cheshire, was established by William Hesketh Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) of Lever Brothers – a soap and tallow manufacturer.^[25] The earlier layout of this model company town was planned to suit the undulating topography of the site.^[26] Port Sunlight catered for the Lever Brothers employees through the provision of improved housing (cottages of varying designs and materials) and gardens, as well as social and community facilities including an auditorium, school, tennis courts and bowling greens.^[27] Port Sunlight combined the use of formal and informal planning elements such as straight streets close to the town centre and curved streets in the residential areas.^[28] This combination of the formal and informal represented a new feature of British town planning.^[29]

Bournville (1895) near Birmingham, was established by the Cadbury brothers, George and Richard.^[30] George and Richard Cadbury chose to transfer the Cadbury factory to this new site in order to provide their employees with improved living conditions and a country environment that they could enjoy - a far cry from the busy, smoky city centre of Birmingham.^[31] The firm provided education in the form of a compulsory academic course and workers were given the opportunity to complete commercial or technical training.^[32] Cadburys also encouraged their workers to get involved in the social life of Bournville through the provision of sports facilities, athletic and cultural clubs, as well as social events such as summer parties.^[33] George Cadbury, a Quaker, preached Christian values such as respectability, thrift and sobriety and sought to unify the Bournville community through rituals such as gift giving between employer and employee.^[34] The firm also established work councils such as the Women’s Works Council and supported trade unions.^[35]

Bournville represented the union of industry and nature as the company town boasted the attractiveness of the countryside and low-density development characterised by well-built and visually appealing dwellings.^[36] Unlike Port Sunlight, Bournville catered for a mixed community where residences were not restricted to the workforce only.^[37] Bournville illustrated how, towards the end of the nineteenth century, low-density development was being emphasised along with the provision of open air, space and sunlight.^[38] Bournville’s gardens, parks, tree-lined streets, its sense of spaciousness and country setting enhanced its aesthetic appeal and demonstrated George Cadbury’s endeavour to provide workers with a healthy, beautiful and well-ventilated environment.^[39]

The Bolsover Company developed two exemplary mining communities in Derbyshire during the late nineteenth century, Bolsover (1891) and Creswell (1896).^[40] The Bolsover Company aimed to provide improved living conditions for the miners and their families in these model industrial villages.^[41] The houses at Creswell were built in concentric circles, and within these circles was large open parkland and a bandstand.^[42] Not only did the Bolsover Company aim to provide better housing, but they also wished to improve workers’ moral fibre, believing that the provision of facilities and the promotion of workers’ welfare would discourage drunkenness, gambling and bad language.^[43] The Bolsover Company provided facilities deemed beneficial for employees at both villages including clubhouses, bowling greens, cooperative society stores, cricket pitches and schools.^[44] During the early years of these model industrial villages, the Bolsover Company organised various events intended to enhance community life such as flower shows, lectures, sporting events, concerts, teas and dances.^[45]

The decline of American company towns[link]

By the 1920s the need for company towns had declined significantly due to increased national affluence. Despite income inequalities and a relatively low standard of living conditions amongst factory labourers, the prosperity of the 1920s saw workers’ material well-being improve significantly. A strong post-war American economy meant instalment buying was accessible to low-wage earners who could now purchase previously unattainable goods like automobiles and radios. Moreover, workers were no longer dependent on employers for healthcare and education.

By the 1920s the widespread nature of the automobile meant workers no longer needed to live near their work places and now had access to more employment opportunities. A combination of the freedom that came with private transport and the mass communication of radio saw the isolation of company towns lessen and the social basis of the company town become less necessary.

Furthermore, the accessibility of the working class to private transport also marked a step of equality as they had previously only been accessible to the wealthy. As access to surrounding municipalities increased, residents of company towns gained access to an increasing amount of government-funded public resources such as schools, libraries, and parks. Accordingly, there was no longer a need for the amenities of company towns which, prior to welfare capitalism, had previously been unattainable to the working class.^[46]

This new found freedom saw a change in the mindset of workers who began to look on welfare capitalism as demeaning rather than an incentive. Accordingly, many employees began to request additional pay in lieu of welfare programs. This was well received by some employers as the idea of ‘laissez-faire’ individualism, which promoted entrepreneurial virtues of hard-work being rewarded rather than direct charity, began to shape new-age paternalism.^[47]

Modernisation and the increase in material well-being had also lessened the perceived need for paternalism and moral reform. Accordingly, the economic downturn of the early 1930s saw some businesses do away with employee welfare schemes to reduce costs. However, the Roosevelt Administration’s New Deal dealt the final blow to end American company towns by raising minimum wages, encouraging industrial self-governance, and pushing for the owners of company towns to “consider the question of plans for eventual employee ownership of homes”.^[48] To a lesser extent the New Deal also reduced the need for employee housing by transforming housing finance to a lower-interest, lower-deposit system making home ownership more accessible to the working class.

See also[link]

• List of company towns
• College town
• Commission on Industrial Relations
• Corporate republic
• Ghost town
• Industrial paternalism
• Mill town
• Monotown, a similar phenomenon in Russia
• Railway town

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Carlson, L. (2003). Company Towns of the Pacific Northwest, ISBN 0-295-98332-9 [1]
• Crawford, M (1995). Building the Workingman's Paradise: The Design of American Company Towns. London & New York: Verso. ISBN 0-86091-695-2. 
• Cherry, G.E. (1979). The town planning movement and the late Victorian city. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 4, 306-319.
• Dellheim, C. (1987). The creation of company culture: Cadburys, 1861-1931. The American Historical Review, 92, 13-44.
• Garner, J.S. (1982). The model company town. Massachusetts: The University of Massachusetts Press.
• Garner, J.S. (1992). The company town: Architecture and society in the early industrial age. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
• Gaskell, M. (1979). Model industrial villages in S. Yorkshire/N. Derbyshire and the early town planning movement. The Town Planning Review, 50, 437-458.
• Hebblethwaite, R. (1987). The municipal housing programme in Sheffield before 1914. Architectural History, 30, 143-179.
• Jackson, F. (1985). Sir Raymond Unwin: Architect, planner and visionary. London: A. Zwemmer Ltd.
• Parsons, K.C. (1985). Review of the model company town: Urban design through private enterprise in nineteenth-century New England. The New England Quarterly, 58, 639-643.

Andrew William Burrows (born 30 June 1979, Winchester, England) is a British musician. He was the drummer in the band Razorlight from 2004 to 2009, and has been guest drummer with We Are Scientists since 2009. He has also released music with I Am Arrows and with Tom Smith from Editors under the monkier "Smith & Burrows". More recently he has released music under his own name including the 2012 single "Keep On Moving On".

Razorlight[link]

He joined the band in May 2004. He was discovered in open audition to replace the original drummer for the band, who left in early 2004. Since he joined Razorlight, the group have released three albums, Up All Night which reached #3 in the UK Albums Chart; Razorlight which debuted at #1 in the UK chart and Slipway Fires which debuted at #4. His first performance with Razorlight was at London's Bull and Gate on 25 May 2004.

Burrows has been a key figure in shaping Razorlight's sound and songs, having co written the hits "America"and "Before I Fall to Pieces", and more recently from the latest album Slipway Fires – "Hostage of Love", "Burbery Blue Eyes", "60 Thompson" and "Stinger" with Johnny Borrell.

On 5 March 2009, Burrows left Razorlight with immediate effect, after playing for five years with the band. Burrows explained that there were "personal reasons" for the split.^[1]

I Am Arrows[link]

Eleven days after he left Razorlight, it was revealed that Burrows had signed to Universal Records, the same record label as his ex-band.^[2] The Sun has reported that Burrows, along with a backing band he is currently organising, could be ready to begin recording by the end of summer.^[3] 6 months later Burrows new band I am arrows played their first ever show^[4] With Burrows' debut album out on the 16th August.

Andy Burrows released a solo album, The Colour of my Dreams, on 26 May 2008. The album was released to raise awareness and funds for the "Jack's Place" Appeal at Naomi House, a hospice for children in his home town of Winchester.

The Colour of my Dreams was written and recorded at home by Andy during the recent Razorlight downtime, after he stumbled cross a book of poems by an old family friend and set about putting them to music. Using just 'Garageband' he began work in his flat and the convergence of the childs-eye view poems and Andy's lo-fi acoustic guitar approach came together beautifully. He sings and plays all the instruments on the LP.

Andy Burrows revealed that he was working with Noah and the Whale producer Eliot James and the album "Sun comes up again" was released in August 2010 & reached Number 38 in the UK Album charts.

Smith & Burrows[link]

Editors frontman Tom Smith teamed up with Andy - they released their debut album "funny looking angels" in December 2011, an album of winter songs featuring the single "when the thames froze".

New Projects[link]

Burrows released a new single "Keep On Moving On" in May 2012 on Play It Again Sam. The track is taken from a forthcoming album to be released by the same label.

Film Soundtracks[link]

Burrows Played drums on the 'Arthur' soundtrack produced by Mark Ronson One of the songs is currently the theme tune to the ITV Jonathan Ross chat-show. His drumming also features on the Ilan Eshkeri soundtrack to Johnny English Reborn.

"Nice try" , from his I Am Arrows album features in the movie 'friends with benefits.

Other contributions[link]

Burrows also played drums on both The Boy Least Likely To albums The Best Party Ever and The Law Of The Playground and played drums on the Chris T-T album 'CAPITAL' on the track "4am (the day the earth stood still pt 2). He is also working with Melanie Chisholm on her 5th solo album.

Andy has recently worked with Delilah drumming & co-writing on some of her debut album.

Solo albums[link]

For Andy Burrows work in Razorlight, see Razorlight discography

• The Colour of my Dreams.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Andy's Twitter page
• Andy Burrows official Facebook page
• Andy Burrows at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website

Template:Smith and Burrows Template:I Am Arrows

Mary Portas aka Mary Queen of Shops (born 28 May 1960),^[1] is an English businesswoman, retail expert, and broadcaster, best-known for her retail and business related television shows, and most recently for her appointment by the British prime minister to lead a review into the future of Britain's high streets.

Early life and education[link]

Portas was born and brought up in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, in a family of five children. She was educated at St Joan of Arc Catholic School, Rickmansworth.^[2] Her mother died of meningits when Portas was aged 16, and her father, a sales director of Brooke Bond, the tea manufacturer,^[3] died of a heart attack two years later forcing Portas, aged 18, to turn down a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in order to look after her younger brother.

Career[link]

Portas started her career in retail with a Saturday job in John Lewis. She then had a part-time, and later a full-time, job with Harrods where she was responsible for window displays for about three years,^[2] before joining TopShop as display manager. While in this job, she was spotted by Burton Group chairman Sir Ralph Halpern.^[4]

Her next role brought Portas her first taste of fame and public acclaim, as creative director of Harvey Nichols. Portas is credited with turning Harvey Nichols into a leading modern fashion brand.^[5] She created the groundbreaking Harvey Nichols window displays that became part of the guided tours of London — one of her most famous displays was "Autumn Intrusion" - a commission by artist Thomas Heatherwick that won a D&AD Gold award in 1997.^[6][7] She then persuaded the store's owners to use younger designers, and gained publicity in the BBC’s Absolutely Fabulous series in the 1990s, after promising writer and star of the show Jennifer Saunders the run of the store for research in return for Saunders namechecking the business.^[8] By the age of 30, Portas was a member of the company's board.

Portas left Harvey Nichols in 1997 to launch Yellowdoor, a Retail & Brand agency that she now runs with Peter Cross. Yellowdoor advises retail, fashion, luxury, and consumer brands on Strategy, Communications, and Marketing.^[9] Yellowdoor's current clients include, Westfield London, Westfield Stratford City, Clarks, Swarovski, Havaianas and Australian retail brands Sportsgirl and Sussan.^[9]

Yellowdoor has worked with many retail and luxury brands, including Patek Phillipe, Boden, John Smedley^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Holland & Holland, Clinique, Louis Vuitton, Oasis, Radley, House of Fraser Acne and Matalan.

Portas is claimed to be one of the UK's foremost authorities on retail and brand communication.^[10][11] She regularly travels around the world advising on retail strategy and frequently lectures on the theme of brands and retail. Notably, Portas spoke alongside Neil Armstrong at the Cannes Palais Festivals in October 2007, ^[12][13] and is due to speak at the Yorkshire International Business Convention with the Dalai Lama in June 2012 ^[14].

Notable career milestones[link]

Before the age of 30, Portas became a member of the board at Harvey Nichols.

In 1997 Portas left Harvey Nichols to launch her consultancy business, Yellowdoor. When asked in Radio Times interview why she left Harvey Nichols, Portas is quoted to have said "I wanted to create my own world. I wanted freedom."

Mary's first television appearance was a a guest on Richard & Judy in 2005, where she was spotted by television producer Patricia Llewellyn who would go on to sign Portas to production company Optomen Television.

Portas began writing her weekly 'Shop!' column for the Telegraph Magazine in 2005, in which she reviews a different retailer every week.

The column is said to have inspired Mary's first television series, Mary Queen of Shops, which aired on BBC2 on 31st May 2007.

On 19 June 2009, in a ceremony at Galashiels, Heriot-Watt University awarded Portas a Doctorate of Letters in recognition of her career and her contribution to the advancement of marketing and brand communications within the retail sector.

In December 2009, Portas opened her first permanent 'Living & Giving Shop' in support of charity Save the Children. She was also named as the charity's Glabal Retail Ambassador.

In 2011, Portas moved from BBC to Channel 4. Her first series for the channel was 'Mary Portas: Secret Shopper' which aired in January 2011.

In August 2011, Portas opened her own shop, called "Mary & House of Fraser" within UK department store House of Fraser's Oxford Street flagship. The store stocks her first fashion collection, called 'Mary Portas', as well as other product collaborations including a footwear collection with Clarks - "Mary & Clarks", and a hoisery collection with Charnos - "Mary & Charnos". Portas also launched a new product innovation, 'Armery', which is a hoisery-type garment for the arms. The product is designed to "banish bingo wings".

In the December 2011 issue of fashion industry journal Drapers, Mary was named as the 6th most influential person in fashion.

On the 13th December 2011, Mary published The Portas Review, an independant report into the future of Britain's high streets. She was appointed in May 2011 by British Prime Minister, David Cameron. The report sets out 28 key recommendations to rescue Britains high streets.

Books[link]

Portas' first book, Windows - the Art of Retail Display, ISBN 978-0500019443 was published in five languages by Thames & Hudson.

Her second book, How to Shop with Mary, Queen of Shops, ISBN 978-1846072147 was published by BBC Books in 2007 to accompany the television series. The book was co-authored by Peter Cross, Josh Sims and Melanie Rickey.

Journalism[link]

Since 2005 Mary has written a weekly column Shop!, for the Daily Telegraph magazine, reviewing shops across the country. She started writing the column in 2005 and it was her critiquing of shops that was the inspiration for the BBC documentary and accompanying book.^[15] Each week, Portas reviews shop based on their shopability, service and website - awarding retailers marks out of 10.

Portas' top-rated shops include Louis Vuitton, Reiss, John Lewis, Liberty and APC.

Between 2008 and 2010 Portas wrote a weekly column for consumer fashion magazine Grazia, offering career advice and mentoring to the magazine's readers.

Television career[link]

Portas' programmes are shown in over 20 international territories, including on Australia's Lifestyle Channel.

Mary Queen of Shops (2007 - 2010) was Portas' first series. The format follows Mary helping struggling independent shops by offering retail and business advice. As part of the process, retailers also received a full shop-fit redesign overseen by Portas.

Series Guide:

• Series 1 (4 episodes): 31st May - 21st June 2007 - this series saw Portas visit 4 failing independent fashion boutiques aiming to revitalize their businesses. The BBC published a tie-in book entitled How to Shop with Mary Queen of Shops.
• Series 2 (6 episodes): 9th June - 14th July 2008
• Series 3 (6 episodes): 7th June - 12th July 2009 - this series saw Mary broaden her focus from fashion boutiques to saving key shops on the high street. Retailers inluded a local shop, a greengrocer, a baker, an interiors shop, a hairdressers, and a hardware shop. Notably, the first episode in the series featured a Wimbledon based bakery whose owner refused to accept any of Mary's recommendations. The series earned Portas a nomination for the British Academy Television Awards's Best Feature award, which was eventually won by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's series Hugh's Fish Fight.

Mary Queen of Charity Shops (5th November - 19th November 2009) saw Portas apply the business makeover format to the Orpington branch of Save the Children's network of Charity shops. By the end of the series Mary had successfully turned this worst-performing store into the best.

Mary Portas: Secret Shopper (19th January - 9th February 2011; 6 episodes)was Portas' first series following her move to Channel 4, and saw her using different disguises and secret filming to reveal bad customer service in UK shops.

Mary Queen of Frocks (4th October - 18th October 2011; 3 episodes) was a departure from the produced shows that Mary had presented previously, and instead was an observational documentary that followed Mary as she tried to launch her own shop aimed at 40+ women with UK retailer House of Fraser.

Mary's Bottom Line (March 2012; 3 episodes) shows Portas try to revitalize the UK's manufacturing industry by reopening an underwear factory in Manchester ^[16].

Other television appearances[link]

Mary hosted an episode of The Money Programme called Mary Portas: Save Our Shops in June 2009.

She appeared in the Panorama documentary On The Rack which exposed unethical production practices by fast fashion retailer Primark; and has appeared on The Apprentice: You're Fired four times.

In March 2011, Portas regularly appeared in the Channel 4 series Lily Allen: From Riches to Rags, in which she advised the pop star on her venture into fashion retail.

Mary's Living and Giving Shops for Save the Children[link]

Following the BBC2 series Mary Queen of Charity Shops in June 2009, Mary was appointed as Global Retail Ambassador for Save the Children.^[17] She developed the "Living & Giving" concept as a new type of charity shop that puts the local community at its heart - "not just a shop, but a place to inspire, share, create, meet and discover".^[18] The first Living & Giving shop Portas opened was a three-week-long pop up at Westfield London, earning the charity over £190,000.^[19] Portas has gone on to open five permanent Living & Giving shops, in Edinburgh, Westbourne Grove, Primrose Hill and Parson's Green and Barnes.^[18][19][20]

Retail venture[link]

In August 2011 she opened her first retail shop as a concession in House of Fraser's Oxford Street branch.^[21] The shop, named Mary & House of Fraser, sells clothing and lifestyle products aimed at the 40+ female market,^[22] and was filmed for a Channel 4 documentary Mary Queen of Frocks that aired in October 2011.

Government appointment[link]

The embedded lists in this article may contain items that are not encyclopedic. Please help out by removing such elements and incorporating appropriate items into the main body of the article. (December 2011)

In May 2011 she was appointed by the Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to lead an independent review into the future of the high street. She published her report "The Portas Review" on 13 December 2011.^[23] Portas states the aim of her review to "put the heart back into the centre of our High Streets, re-imagined as destinations for socialising, culture, health, wellbeing, creativity and learning".^[24] The review goes on to detail 28 specific recommendations^[25] -

1. Put in place a “Town Team”: a visionary, strategic and strong operational management team for high streets

2. Empower successful Business Improvement Districts to take on more responsibilities and powers and become “Super-BIDs”

3. Legislate to allow landlords to become high street investors by contributing to their Business Improvement District

4. Establish a new “National Market Day” where budding shopkeepers can try their hand at operating a low-cost retail business

5. Make it easier for people to become market traders by removing unnecessary regulations so that anyone can trade on the high street unless there is a valid reason why not

6. Government should consider whether business rates can better support small businesses and independent retailers

7. Local authorities should use their new discretionary powers to give business rate concessions to new local businesses

8. Make business rates work for business by reviewing the use of the RPI with a view to changing the calculation to CPI

9. Local areas should implement free controlled parking schemes that work for their town centres and we should have a new parking league table

10. Town Teams should focus on making high streets accessible, attractive and safe

11. Government should include high street deregulation as part of their ongoing work on freeing up red tape

12. Address the restrictive aspects of the ‘Use Class’ system to make it easier to change the uses of key properties on the high street

13. Put betting shops into a separate ‘Use Class’ of their own

14. Make explicit a presumption in favour of town centre development in the wording of the National Planning Policy Framework

15. Introduce Secretary of State “exceptional sign off ” for all new out-of-town developments and require all large new developments to have an “affordable shops” quota

16. Large retailers should support and mentor local businesses and independent retailers

17. Retailers should report on their support of local high streets in their annual report

18. Encourage a contract of care between landlords and their commercial tenants by promoting the leasing code and supporting the use of lease structures other than upward only rent reviews, especially for small businesses

19. Explore further disincentives to prevent landlords from leaving units vacant

20. Banks who own empty property on the high street should either administer these assets well or be required to sell them

21. Local authorities should make more proactive use of Compulsory Purchase Order powers to encourage the redevelopment of key high street retail space

22. Empower local authorities to step in when landlords are negligent with new “Empty Shop Management Orders”

23. Introduce a public register of high street landlords

24. Run a high profile campaign to get people involved in Neighbourhood Plans

25. Promote the inclusion of the High Street in Neighbourhood Plans

26. Developers should make a financial contribution to ensure that the local community has a strong voice in the planning system

27. Support imaginative community use of empty properties through Community Right to Buy, Meanwhile Use and a new “Community Right to Try”

28. Run a number of High Street Pilots to test proof of concept

On 13 December the Prime Minister David Cameron issued a statement thanking Portas for her review and explaining that the Government would respond to her recommendations in Spring 2012.^[26] Cameron said "I am delighted that Mary Portas has produced such a clear vision of how we can create vibrant and diverse town centres and breathe life back into our high streets."^[26]

Portas Pilot towns[link]

On 4 February 2012 the minister for local government, Grant Shapps, announced that towns across England could bid to become Portas pilot areas. A total of 12 towns were to receive a share of £1m, as well as the support of the Minister, Whitehall, and Mary Portas.^[27][28] In May 2012 the twelve towns to be helped were announced as: Bedford, Croydon, Dartford, Greater Bedminster, Liskeard, Margate, Market Rasen, Nelson, Lancashire, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees and Wolverhampton.^[29]

Twitter[link]

She was named as one of the top 100 Tweeters in the UK by The Independent in 2011.

Personal life[link]

Portas was married to chemical engineer and Unilever executive Graham Portas for 14 years and together they had son Mylo (born 19 January 1994)^[30] and daughter Verity.^[2][31] Portas now lives with her civil partner,^[32] Grazia magazine fashion features editor Melanie Rickey, in Maida Vale with her children, after an amicable divorce from her husband.^[3] In 2012 it was announced in The Times that Rickey was pregnant with her first child.^[31]

She spends her money on art, wine, theatre and chocolate, and enjoys gardening.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Portas' website
• Shop!, The Telegraph's Saturday magazine
• Channel 4 website
• Portas' Twitter
• Yellowdoor - Portas' retail consultancy
• Mary Portas at the Internet Movie Database