Working in Athens this week (well 'working') I'm struck by the Olympic fashion in which the local SP business has left the once Coe-like Team GB spluttering in its dusty wake. Ok sure we Brits keep winning international awards, but these campaigns are a diminishing minorty sport in which we once held sway, like curling or billiards - they often have little to do with true SALES promotion and are only out there because those involved fancied the idea of having a bit of fun with shareholders' money, rather than doing something effective. To feel the true heartbeat of SP wherever I go I always head for a supermarket - it's an instant yardstick by which to judge the fitness of the indigenous sector. I have to say, the three Greek stores I've visited so far were positively teeming with offers, most notably the thought of 'free withs' and bandeds that once made UK supermarkets a fun place to shop. Now, ruled by a dirty dozen godlike buyers who strike down brave new SKUs with thunderbolts from their biros, the British store is a relative SP desert, bereft of offers that would actually put a consumer in danger of switching brands. Am I being sentimental, or is it just the raki?
