Progress.
Globalisation has opened up the world and brought both prosperity and dire consequences. ‘Glocal’ solutions are needed and an economic motive beyond profit maximisation. Systemic corruption and resource inequalities add further colour to a complex global scene. Totalitarian shadows, those of empire, and xenophobia haunt diplomacy and erode trust, as superpowers vie for centre stage. Can emerging nations help and what does it mean to be ‘a nation under God’?
Glocal solutions - a case study.
In the 1960s the Holborns owned a Fish ‘n Chip shop in the suburbs of London. Mum, Dad and four children. They worked hard to make ends meet. The business collapsed when a greengrocers next door caught fire and gutted the entire block of shops! Undaunted, but hurting, the family started again, Dad using his retail skills, trying a Burger bar and then founding a Tobacconist & Confectionary shop in 1974, back at their roots. They knew the locals and quickly felt part of the community. Celebrating fifty years in 2024, with two ‘convenience’ stores and a blooming florist’s enterprise, this is their story…
Resilience.
Resilience is a hallmark and Covid-19 proved, beyond doubt, how valuable is the network of a local shop, built around a social conscience. With lockdown, a need for vigilance among the vulnerable, reduced mobility and fear of the unknown at supermarkets, Holborns provided a safe, reliable space, a lifeline to many, when so much was being called into question.