BENJYS

00.00
a franchisee: someone who has a franchise: a permission to sell a company’s goods or
services
a chain (store): series of shops owned by the same organisation, = a multiple
a sandwich: belegde boterham
to be in control of their own operation or business
venture capital: money that is lent to someone so that they can start a business (risicokapitaal)
a venture capital company: a company that does this
to raise money: geld bij elkaar krijgen
the money required or needed
to initiate something: to start something
a series of changes

We meet Ian and Emma Rickwood, who own and run the Benjys sandwich chain.
Before they had been franchisees of a …rival sandwich chain But now they wanted to be
control of their own operation
How did they get the money to buy the company?
a venture capital company helped them raise the 20 million pounds to buy the company.
The new management team to un the company and initiate a series of radical and what
they saw a necessary. changes.

0.30
a disparate brand: very different, not connected with each other
the high street: the main street of a town where most of the shops and businesses are
what we stand for
well-known: bekend
better-known, best-known
he’s the best-known writer of this century
to qualify from a course: to pass the exam of a course
they can offer a good level of customer service: they can offer the customers a good amount
of service

When they bought it is was a very disparate brand : what does she mean by this? The
brand was not popular there were a lot o problems.

She wanted people to recognised what we stood for

What does the chain stand for? Value, quality and variety

What needs improving? Being quick and efficient and friendly

To do this every staff member has to qualify from a language training programme
This means they will be able to offer a good level of customer service to support our
people.

1.00
to establish a company: firma oprichten
profitable: making a profit
potential to grow: possibilities for growing
no infrastructure: basic structures an organisation needs to work properly such as buildings,
telephone, etc.
no unified identity: one, a single identity, the same image
an outdated system: verouderd system
to deal with suppliers: to do business with suppliers
to commission a research programme: opdracht geven voor
a marketing campaign
the range of products on offer: het gamma producten dat verkocht wordt
to make changes to sth.
to stay one step ahead of the competition

Benjys was been established back in 1989, it was a profitable company and had potential
to grow
However, head office …consisted just three people, with no infrastructure or control over
the business
They had an outdated system of dealing with suppliers
What did they base the changes they made on?
About a research programme to understand what customers wanted
How did they make sure their market share went up?
They introduced a new logo and look for the stores and expanded the range of products
All these changes were necessary because the competition is growing very quickly
and they wanted to stay …one step ahead of them
Describe the shop: what do you see, what kind of shop is it, what products are on offer? (you
may have to watch the rest of the video to get the full picture)
It looks a normal shops with an open kitchen and a lot of fridges
They offer different bread, chips, drinks, breakfast, desserts, quick lunches,

1.45
to take over a business: een zaak overnemen
a takeover
to inherit: erven
your inheritance
an heir: erfgenaam
30 shops throughout the UK: all over the UK
it paid off: it was successful
a dramatic change: a very big change
their core business:a business that makes the most money for the company and that is
considered to be its most important and central one
to centralise production: produce in one, central place
to increase output: to make production go up

3 years ago Ian and Emma took over the business.

What shows they have been successful?
In the past there were only 32 shops’ now grown to 52 and in the future there will be
another 30 more stores
So, the revolution seems to have paid off
But the most dramatic change that the Rickwoods have initiated is not the way benjys is
run but in its core business : food making
They wanted to centralise production, improve health and increase safety standards and
increase output and speed
To do this they spent 1million pounds to rebuild the company’s factory in Bow, Eat
London
What do we see the people in the factory doing? Describe in detail
They are making bread with vegetables on ( mayo, cucumber)
How can you see in the factory that health and safety standards are important?
Yes, because every employ wears protection clothes

2.27
a significant change: belangrijke, aanmerkelijke verandering
to go through (a stage in development, here a programme): doormaken
unrecognisable: can’t be recognised
an entrepreneur
they bit off more than they realised: they tried to do more than they realised
it required more intensity: it needed …

Ian says: I’ve never seen a change programme as significant at his business has had to go
through in the last three years, it’s unrecognisable what it was 3 years ago.
From about 175 suppliers when they first bought the business down to 40 now, They
optimistic more than they realised and therefore it required even more intensity in terms of
management time and in terms of capital fixes

2.53
production rocketed: went up rapidly
10,000 items: 10,000 pieces: sandwiches
to double this amount of output: to double production
a loaf of bread, two loaves: een brood
two tonnes of tuna: 2 ton tonijn
a lot of money down the drain: a lot of money wasted

But fix it they did: how can you see this? yes
Production has rocketed from just 10,000 items a day to 35,000
The new factory gas the capacity to double this amount of output in the future
How can you describe their output?
40,000 loaves of bread and two tonnes of tuna

What is the risk in all this?

It’s a lot of food and a lot of money down the drain if it isn’t all sold

3.16
to keep a tight control on sth.: to keep it under strict, firm control
to run a tight system: to run a strict system
to charge a price: een prijs aanrekenen
to make a profit
a sophisticated IT system: an advanced computer system
IT: information technology
a recipe: recept
every single recipe: every recipe without exception
the daily requirements: what is needed per day (dagelijkse behoefte)
a just-in-time (JIT) ordering system: goods are bought or produced only just before they are
needed, reducing the cost for a firm of keeping them for a longer period
short shelf-life products: bederfbare goederen
a product’s shelf life: zijn houdbaarheidsperiode
on a daily basis: every day

It is essential to keep a very tight control in order to be able to charge the prices we do and
make any profit
What helps them to do this and how?
Sophisticated IT system that calculates through every single recipe of ever sandwich the
absolute daily requirements.
They also use or operate a just- in- time system.
Especially short shelf - life products come in and get used on the day
3.45
to overhaul a business: to change everything in the business to make it better, more efficient
record profits: highest profits ever
expansion plans: uitbreidingsplannen
a change for the better – a change for the worse: a change that makes things better – worse

Ian and Emma Rickwood have overhauling the business. This was clearly a success. How
can you see this?
This is really a change for the better

Fill in the gaps in this vocabulary exercise

- His work is (bekend) ………known………….. all over………………. the world.
- What products does the shop sell or what products are ……
- She changed the colour and style of her hair, she was completely …make- over……………
…, but I really think it was a change …of style…………….
- Their company used an (verouderd) ……outdated…………… IT system so they invested
in a very (advanced) ……sophisticated…………… system, in order to (de concurrentie een
stap voorblijven) …………one step ahead…………….
- Sales went up very quickly or sales ………rocketed………….
- He passed the language exam or he …qualify ……………………… the language course.
- They still have a lot of possibility or …opportunity ……………… to grow.
- They wasted the money on publicity but it was all money …venture capital………………
….., they failed anyway.
- The shop sells a lot of (bederfbare goederen) ………food down the drain……………..
- What you need every day are your …daily requirements…………………………..
- The company was set up or …………established……….. in 1989 and sells a wide (gamma)
………offer…………..
- She (erfde) ……………inherited………… a large fortune.
- The production of a company can also be called its outputs…………….
- If we want to (winst maken) ………make profit………… we have to (aanrekenen) ………
………… a higher price per (stuk) ……item ……………