Lockdown diaries: Appear Here’s Ross Bailey

Ross Bailey is the founder of retail marketplace Appear Here. He shares a day at the end of June, from a secret backyard lunch to a new strategy for growth and diversity in the recovery from lockdown. It’s 7am and I lie in bed and brace myself for the day. I’ve found during lockdown I need a good half an hour to build up energy to get out of bed. Today is a big day. We’ve booked out our executive teams’ calendars for a day of workshops to discuss the plan for recovery as we move into the third quarter.  The last time our global executive team was together was in January, when we brought our teams to London to plan the year ahead. Together we celebrated launching more stores in 2019 than the previous four years combined.  Six weeks later, it was all irrelevant. We suddenly ended up in a business where, essentially, it was illegal to open a store, and our offices in London, Paris and NYC were shut. The strategy for today is all about moving away from that initial response phase to the recovery, and then putting in a plan to thrive. My working day starts with a walk from Hackney to the Appear Here office in Clerkenwell. I walk with my dog Eddie down Regents Canal. Half the walk is a quiet moment to contemplate the day, and the other I take a few calls. This daily ritual gives insight into life re-opening. As time has gone on, I’ve seen shops and cafes slowly come back to life. I stop off and order a couple of coffees for myself and our chief strategy officer Dan Horner at the only coffee shop open on Exmouth Market, and get to the office around 8.30am. Just the two of us are currently working from Appear Here HQ. It’s so strange, being in a place usually full of people and energy which is now silent.  At 9.30am British PR guru Matthew Freud joins us on Zoom. I’ve asked Matthew to give an external perspective on the business and opportunity ahead. His main point is that now we are moving from a humanitarian crisis to an economic one, and in that time Appear Here becomes an essential service enabling SMEs to start and grow. Next up, we hear from tech entrepreneur Hugo Burge, the creator of Cheapflights and Momondo Group. He tells the story of rebuilding a business coming out of the 2008 crisis. Hugo asks the team to think deeply about what was broken and how we can use this time to build better. This is the kickstart to the day that gets everyone excited, focused and back aligned – finally – on the future. At lunch, Dan and I disappear to an incredible French restaurant and pub near our office. During lockdown they’ve opened up the courtyard and put out a little garden table for two, shutting the gate behind, prohibition-style. In lockdown, you realise how simple moments like having lunch create much needed routine. Back to the office. We follow on from the morning with a team discussion on our mission. There is a focus on key neighbourhoods (a trend we have seen massively accelerate) and distribution of supply outside of the city centres. We plan on accelerating our international efforts, doubling down on pricing and supporting new entrepreneurs. The biggest thing we believe we can do better is building deep, meaningful relationships, as a key partner to our major landlords – especially in London. Every afternoon we have a call with a new or existing landlord or brand.  Pricing is one of the biggest concerns from both sides right now. Brands care about affordability and landlords need to figure how best to retain value. We are rolling dynamic, real-time pricing to help here. With more availability on our streets and people staying closer to home, this is a real opportunity for a renaissance of our high streets and town centres. Later in the day, we have a call on how to improve diversity within our industry and on high streets. Our mission has always been that we want to make it possible for anyone with an idea to bring that to life. The word ‘anyone’ is really important to us, and our belief in levelling the playing field. Around 30% of Appear Here come from different ethnicities that are underrepresented and 10% are Black. We always wanted to create a company culture where everyone feels like they belong. On a personal note, my grandma came here on Windrush from Jamaica seeking opportunity. My mum had her own little shop where she opened a hairdressers, which gave me opportunity. With Appear Here we want to help thousands more on their own journeys, especially entrepreneurs from the Black community. Every month, we’ve been running online events for our community. The last one was about diversity in retail. We listened to Black entrepreneurs who had tried to launch a store and been rejected multiple times, but said Appear Here had finally given them a platform to begin. Having a fairer society starts with giving more people access and making it easier for anyone to have their voice heard. We all have the opportunity to define our streets and cities, especially landlords, and streets can truly define our culture.  At 6.30pm we close up the office. I get Eddie and start my three-mile walk home, past the parks and people sat drinking wine on the side of the canal. It’s busier than ever. As lockdown eases people want to regain human connections, and you can see it on the street.