Time to think about some protection for the Liverpool brand

Apr 16 2008 by Bill Gleeson, Liverpool Daily Post

THERE are few places quite like Liverpool's waterfront to get a sense of the scale and scope of the city's regeneration.

From the south end, travelling towards the Pier Head, the cityscape is changing all the time. Albert Dock – for so long a solitary outpost of waterfront regeneration, but now set to celebrate 20 years in business with its anchor tenant Tate Liverpool – is now almost consumed by new-build projects.

ACC Liverpool and new hotels on one side, Liverpool One across the road and the new museum taking its distinctive shape at Mann Island. Then there is the new Ferry Terminal, the Canal link and the cruise liner landing stage all contributing to the feeling of a vibrant city centre.

A little farther north, beyond the new offices at Princes Dock, new residential towers occupy the skyline.

The jury may still be out on the aesthetic and architectural appeal of some of these towers. Glass and stainless steel may be the materials of choice favoured by today's building designers, but how well they will weather and survive the elements down there remains to be seen.

Among these apartment developments is one where interiors have been designed by none other than Sir Terence Conran. In the crowded market of city centre apartment development, a unique selling point such as this can make the difference for a wavering buyer.

Sir Terence is the doyen of British designers. He has been designing professionally since 1951 when he first worked on the Festival of Britain.

He has since gone on to become an internationally-recognised by-word for design quality and foresight. He started the Habitat retail chain in the 1960s and then his own Conran stores under the control of the Storehouse Group.

A number of business ventures have followed – not all of them successful.

Now, one of the most famous names in the design business finds himself at the centre of a fascinating tussle over the renowned brand which bears that name.

Sir Terence sold rights to the name of his company in the early1990s, but he is now involved in a heated debate over plans to expand the brand internationally.

At the core of the issue is use of the name Conran Design Group, now owned by a major French advertising company. The Gallic owners see the strength of the name and plan to use it. Surprisingly, Sir Terence has been left somewhat exposed, claiming to the BBC that the French plans are nothing to do with design or integrity.

What's clear now, though, is the need for any business to have a clear understanding of the value of its brand and what needs to be done to protect it.

The same applies to a city like Liverpool, which is reinventing itself through regeneration. It's one of the strongest brands in the world – but who is its guardian, I wonder?

MATT JOHNSON is chairman of Mando Group