Category: News

Following the sold-out success of the first Barrafina Invita with Xavier Pellicer, Chamber Benefactor Barrafina and restaurant booking platform Resy are proud to announce Borja Marrero of MuXgo in Gran Canaria as the second guest chef in the quarterly series.

 

Barrafina Invita is a quarterly series where Barrafina’s Executive Chefs, Antonio Gonzales Milla and Francisco Jose Torrico, invite the best Spanish chefs or chefs cooking Spanish food, over to cook a special menu at a Barrafina for two days. The series aims to showcase the breadth and quality of Spanish cooking from all over Spain and the rest of the world.

 

June’s guest chef, Borja Marrero, was born and raised in Gran Canaria where he first learned about the local cuisine and ingredients that his island home has to offer. He began his career by studying at Barcelona’s prestigious Hofmann School before travelling to the USA and Mexico where he opened his own restaurant while also working for Mexican hotel groups and private clients.

On return to his native Las Palmas, he began his ‘closed circle’ KM0 project, looking to exclusively use produce sourced from within a 1km area, centred on his two sustainable farms in Tejeda, which look over the volcanic peaks and the Tormentadas.

 

In 2022, Borja opened his sustainable restaurant MuXgo on the rooftop of the Hotel Sostenible Catalina Plaza in the heart of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where he uses the ingredients from his farms and those of hyper local producers, combining his KM0 approach and his extensive cooking experience to offer a taste of all the remote flavours of the peaks of Gran Canaria. Muxgo has been recognised with a Michelin Green Star in 2022 and a Spanish Repsol in 2023.

 

Barrafina co-Executive Chef, Francisco Jose Torrico says, “We are honoured that Borja will be joining us in June and offering our guests a special showcase of the specific flavours of Gran Canaria. We are inspired by his hyper-local approach to sourcing and have deep respect for his skills as a chef.”

 

Borja Marrero will be cooking a special set menu at Barrafina Borough Yards on the evenings of 13th and 14th June. Bookings are available via Resy for the 13th July and 14th July.

 

The experience is priced at £80 and includes a set menu. Drinks and service not included.

 

Click here to book your tickets: https://shorturl.at/yIJQ7  

 

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK gathers its Members at the historical Palacio de Santoña in Madrid

The networking event brought a number of esteemed guests from both private and public institutions together

 

Yesterday evening, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom held its II Annual Business Reception in Spain, which took place at the historically significant Palacio de Santoña in Madrid. The event allowed Chamber Members to network amongst the wider Spanish-British business community, and included representatives from other regional Chambers of Commerce across Spain.

 

The event was attended by both H.E. the Ambassador of Spain, Mr. José Pascual Marco, and H.E. the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Mr. Hugh Elliott, as well as the Excmo. Sr. Pascual Navarro, the Minister for the European Union of the Spanish Government, amongst other esteemed guests.

 

Since its establishment in 1886, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce continues to grow and prosper, this year has been no exception. The evening was a pertinent example of the institution’s ability to successfully connect British-Spanish businesses, as well as to bridge the gap between both public and private institutions. This was exemplified by the attendance of important Spanish investors, representatives from several ministries, large and small companies, regional Chambers of Commerce and the wider civil society.

 

Acquired by the Dukes of Santoña in the 19th Century, around the same period that the Chamber itself was established, the Palacio de Santoña proved an excellent venue for this occasion, superbly embodying the historical significance and longevity of the institution. The palace is particularly recognised for its artistic value and decorative richness in all of its rooms.

 

The president of the Madrid Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Ángel Asensio gave an introductory speech to inaugurate the event. He expressed his wish to “agradecer la relación institucional y colaboración entre la Cámara de España en Reino Unido y la Cámara de Madrid con el fin de impulsar la internacionalización de nuestras empresas potenciando las relaciones comerciales entre ambos países. España y Reino Unido somos socios comerciales de primer nivel, un 46% de nuestro tejido empresarial tiene relación comercial con el mercado británico, siendo Madrid el principal destino de la inversión británica”.

 

The Chamber boasts an extensive network of Members and 45 Patrons, many of which were in attendance yesterday evening. During his speech Mr. Eduardo Barrachina, President of the Spanish Chamber, stated that “esta Cámara sigue creciendo en número de Socios, de Patronos, sigue creciendo en número de actos y actividades y sobre todo, crece en influencia”. The President highlighted the importance of the British market for Spain, emphasising that “nuestras empresas son parte de la transformación económica del Reino Unido”.

 

The Chamber’s close relationship with the Embassy of Spain in the United Kingdom was exemplified by the attendance of H.E the Ambassador of Spain. Mr. José Pascual Marco. During his speech, the Ambassador expressed that “en el último año y medio la Cámara de Comercio en Londres ha adquirido un 30% más de miembros. El trabajo que hace junto con la embajada creo que es un ejemplo de colaboración público-privada y demuestra el valor del modelo asociativo cámara”.

 

H.E the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Mr. Hugh Elliott, acknowledged the importance of British-Spanish bilateral relations, both culturally and economically. He called attention to “la colaboración excelente entre las dos embajadas”. It was evident that the relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as that of the Chamber and the British Embassy, have never been stronger. The Ambassador added that “seguiremos trabajando para asegurar que la colaboración siga existiendo”.

 

This sentiment was expressed further by the Excmo. Sr. Pascual Navarro, the Secretario de Estado para la Unión Europea of the Spanish Government, who posited that “estamos en una nueva etapa de las relaciones entre España y el Reino Unido”. The Minister took the time to congratulate the Spanish Chamber for it’s recent 135th Anniversary.

 

With its continued growth and visibility, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK intends to carry on with promoting and furthering the economic and commercial relationships between Spain and the United Kingdom. The event was commemorative of how far the Chamber has come and its firm commitment to supporting Spanish companies that are looking to enter the British market.

 

Blog post written by Xabier Gómez Meabe – Foreign Trade Assistant

On Thursday the 2nd of March, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom organised a wine-tasting event for 20 wineries from the region of Castilla-La Mancha and a group of 25 importers in the United Kingdom for the Instituto de Promoción Exterior de Castilla-La Mancha (IPEX).

Castilla-La Mancha is located in the heartland of Spain, with five provinces (Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Toledo) that make up this large autonomous community, best known as the home of the Castilian ‘knight’ Don Quixote de la Mancha. The Castilla-La Mancha region is a very important food producer in Spain, well known for the quality and appeal of their Manchego Cheese and their premium Saffron. It may come as surprise to learn that Castilla-La Mancha is also home to important vineyards. The region has witnessed an increase in both high-quality olive oil and wine production for just over a decade.

What’s more, DO La Mancha is the largest wine region in Spain. Traditionally seen only as a high-volume producer of wines, Castilla-La Mancha has adapted modern vinification techniques to produce clean, stable wines that are increasingly popular in the international market. Fresh, crisp, delicately fruity whites, and more complex, mature reds are well worth seeking out, as wine lovers increasingly discover. Moreover, there are nine controlled denominations (PDO or DO in Spanish),  the most common of which are La Mancha, Valdepeñas, and Vino de la Tierra de Castilla.

The event took place in Chamber’s Member Hispania London’s restaurant, in the heart of the City. Twenty handpicked wine producers from the region offered their wines to a selection of Wholesalers and Importers from the United Kingdom, as the wineries are currently seeking opportunities to expand their wine distribution in the United Kingdom. The attendees had the opportunity to taste an extensive variety of wines made with a selection of local grapes, such as Airen for white wine, Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante bouche), Monastrell, Bobal, Tempranillo (for red wine). As well as wine made with international varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Verdejo. In order to further promote the product of the region, there were an assortment of delicious canapés provided by Hispania’s accredited Chef Marcos Morán (one Michelin Star and three Soles Repsol) prepared with ingredients from Castilla-La Mancha.

 

This was the fourth face-to-face meeting with wine importers in the United Kingdom, organised by IPEX as part of their promotional scheme abroad. Since 2015, IPEX has conducted wine tastings for Castilla-La Mancha wine producers in many markets within the European Union (Belgium, Poland, Denmark, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands) as well as in the United Kingdom.

The institution’s motivation for targeting the United Kingdom is primarily due to the scope and size of the wine market, as well as UK importers’ increasing interest in Spanish wine. The market is expanding and has increased by 25% from 2010 to 2020. The pandemic and Brexit have led to a total reorganisation of the sector, with many changes both in consumer habits and in the distribution structure. Nonetheless, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (ACC) signed in December 2020 to regulate relations between the United Kingdom and the EU after Brexit has dispelled the difficulties of tariffs and hard technical barriers that threatened access to European wines.

Furthermore, the British have shown greater demand for higher-quality products, whilst at the same time, wine sales have increased their shares each year, particularly with regards to total consumption of alcoholic beverages in the last five years. The wine market in the United Kingdom is one of the leaders in the sector worldwide, being the second largest importer in value, only behind the United States, with 3,429 million euros during the past year 2020.

Finally, we are very pleased that IPEX has trusted the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom as their partner to organise the wine tasting. The Spanish Chamber has been helping Spanish companies to reach the British market since its foundation in 1886, as well as collaborating with other Spanish organisations to promote Spanish food and beverages in the United Kingdom and help producers to establish commercial partnerships with British importers.

 

Blog Post Written By Chamber Member FACEPHI BEYOND BIOMETRICS LIMITED

 

Pension scams and fraud

 

While the banking and financial services sector is commonly the hardest hit by fraud, the size and scope of the problem in the pensions industry specifically can be surprising to many. Nonetheless, the issue is significant and increasing due to continually evolving schemes. In the UK, for example, fraud and error in the national benefits system are estimated to have led to £8.6 billion in overpayment during the financial year of 2021 to 2022. Even following recoveries, the net government loss remained a staggering £7.6 billion – or 3.5% of total benefit expenditure(1).

Because of the size of the assets on average, pension funds make naturally high-value targets for fraudsters. At the same time, pension holders are particularly susceptible to online fraud. They’re often poorly equipped to deal with identity theft and at risk of accepting unsolicited offers online. A recent FCA study found that 72% of pension holders could not identify a common sign of a pension scam(2).

The exorbitant monetary and reputational cost of pension fraud and error makes it imperative for insurance providers to offer enhanced safeguards for data accuracy and the movement of funds, without creating negative experiences for the pension holder.

With biometric technology, pension providers can boost overall security and customer experience, while cutting operational costs.

 

Biometric tech shields pension holders and providers

 

Fraudsters may obtain a pension holder’s account and identity information through elaborate scams and theft. This information may then be used to access a pension holder’s account to change information and ultimately transfer funds.

Pension funds are often secured with legacy knowledge-based authentication methods (like passwords and security questions based on personal info) – something a user knows.

This authentication method is impractical, as the knowledge is often forgotten or time-consuming to submit, and offers a poor protection level, as fraudsters can glean the information through a variety of means (some as easy as simply perusing social media).

Although many pension providers have moved onto multi-factor authentication (MFA), incorporating something a user has (email or a device), it is still prone to hacking.

Biometric technology, on the other hand, relies on something a user is, which enables a far more secure and convenient method for customer authentication. This is because, biometric features, like a face or fingerprints, are unique to each person and are therefore virtually impossible to replicate.

Attempts to trick the system with fake artefacts (a picture of a face or a video) are prevented with passive liveness checks, which ensures the person in front of the authenticating device is live and present. Biometric data is also hard for bad actors to leverage, as it’s converted into numeric patterns, securely encrypted, and then time-stamped at the time of capturing with no possibility of reverse engineering.

In addition to account takeovers, pension providers must deal with the risk of fake or stolen identities being used by bad actors to join pension schemes for the purposes of fraud, tax evasion, or money laundering. This issue is particularly problematic when a pension provider doesn’t have sufficient means to accurately verify new members and their documents who are onboarding remotely.

With biometric technology, pension providers can accurately verify the identity of new members onboarding remotely. While facial recognition technology with passive liveness ensures the authenticity of the person, NFC reading or Machine Learning-based algorithms confirm the validity of the ID documents.

 

Biometric tech boosts data accuracy and prevent overpayments

 

Recent regulatory developments mandate that pension providers to prioritise accurate data management. Not only does inaccurate data result in costly payment errors and subsequent rectification, but it could also lead to significant reputational damage and severe legal challenges.

Biometric-based digital onboarding enables automated and accurate data capture during new member onboarding. With real-time OCR, the information provided on the submitted documents is accurately populated into the data fields. Any changes to a pension holder’s personal information can be done with an instant and secure biometric-based member authentication.

Inaccurate data might also lead to overpayments, including failure to notify the pension provider of a member’s passing.

As pension providers are naturally unaware of the full extent of overpayments, it’s hard to estimate the full scope of the issue, but account investigations and recouping funds are doubtlessly a very costly and inefficient business.

Fortunately, with liveness checks, pension providers can significantly mitigate overpayments by making sure the claims are made by the genuine (and alive) pension holder.

 

Biometric tech offers a superior customer experience

 

In a fiercely competitive environment, customer experience often becomes the deciding factor for commercial success. Pension providers that fail to provide a good customer experience risk losing members to competitors and suffering reputational losses. The trouble is that increasing security requirements often add to customer experience friction.

Biometric technology enables the ultimate end-to-end customer experience for pension holders, radically simplifying and streamlining the onboarding and authentication processes.

To register, new pension holders only need to capture their ID document with their device camera (the OCR automatically captures their info in real-time) and snap a selfie for verification. With good biometric identity verification solutions, the average onboarding time is under 5 seconds.

Thereafter secure and reliable user authentication is virtually instant. Authentication for the purposes of accessing pension dashboards, changing personal details, making claims etc. is as simple as looking at the camera. Lengthy passwords are not required, and pension providers can rest assured that their member accounts are well-protected from fraud.

Naturally, in addition to nifty onboarding and authentication, the ultimate customer experience for a pension holder is to truly be able to trust a pension provider with their savings. Pension providers must therefore prove that member account security is always at the forefront of their concerns. By adopting the right biometric technology, pension providers can fulfil the highest level of customer protection and satisfaction.

 

SOURCES 

1. UK Government. (2022) Background information: Fraud and error in the benefit system statistics, 2021 to 2022 estimates. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-financial-year-2021-to-2022-estimates/background-information-fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system-statistics-2021-to-2022-estimates

2. Financial Conduct Authority. (2021) Scammers target over £2 million in pension pots in the last five months. Available at: https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/scammers-target-pension-pots

 

 

Dear Members and Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce that Plain Concepts has recently become a Patron of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United Kingdom.

Plain Concepts is a global IT professional services company that specialises in helping companies transform using the latest technology.
 
After spending over ten years at Plain Concepts as Operations Director, Quique Martinez Alén has been promoted to CEO to lead the company’s internationalisation efforts. 
 
Plain Concepts are driven by an enthusiasm for technology and are dedicated to finding the best solutions for their customers. Their main goal is to develop comprehensive and ground-breaking solutions, such as data-driven, cloud-native applications, with game-changing technologies like AI. They collaborate closely with their clients, upholding agile principles, and providing high-caliber software without outsourcing.
 
Their doors are open to people from all countries and cultures, allowing them to acquire the best talent from around the world. With the intention of assisting businesses in implementing new technologies for increased productivity and procedures, Plain Concepts are firmly committed to agile culture and principles. Their expertise lies in disruptive developments in AI, Mixed Reality, Big Data, Blockchain, IoT, and Cloud, with a mission to offer customised and innovative solutions for all digital needs.
 
With offices in the US, UK, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, and Romania, and a team comprising of over 500 employees, Plain Concepts have completed over 2,000 projects for companies across a variety of industries.
 
They have partnered at the highest level with key organisations, such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Intel, Boston Dynamics, Leica, and Fluke, as a result of their extensive technological knowledge.
 
Plain Concept’s understanding of numerous industries and company sizes has allowed them to be a reference in Spain, with a current ambition to be a reference throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
 
Quote from Joan Sintes, European Country Lead:
 
“We enjoy working actively in partnership with the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK. We still have a lot to learn about the UK market after five years, but we are confident that we also have a lot to offer. As a result, this partnership with the Spanish Chamber of Commerce is a fantastic chance for us to strengthen and expand our presence in the country.”

The contact details of Plain Concepts are as follows:

Name: Joan Sintes
Address: Plain Concepts LTD, 2nd Floor, 354 Grays Inn Rd, London WC1X 8B
Telephone: +44204566809
Email: jsintes@plainconcepts.com
Website: www.plainconcepts.com

Please join us in welcoming Plain Concepts to the Spanish Chamber!

 

 

Barrafina Invita: Xavier Pellicer, 7-8th March 2023

 

Barrafina and restaurant booking platform Resy are proud to announce the first Barrafina Invita, a new quarterly series where Barrafina’s Michelin-starred Chef Director Angel Zapata Martin, invites the best Spanish chefs or chefs cooking Spanish food, over to cook a special menu at a Barrafina for two days.

 

The series will showcase the breadth and quality of Spanish cooking from all over Spain and the rest of the world.

 

The first guest chef in the series is Xavier Pellicer, whose eponymous restaurant in Barcelona is known for its focus on biodynamic, organic vegetables, its respect for ingredients and those who produce them. Xavier Pellicer was awarded the Best Vegetable Restaurant in the World 2018 prize by We’re Smart Green Guide, and is recognised for its balance between the ‘pleasure of ingestion and the wellbeing of digestion.’

 

Xavier himself previously honed his skills working as Chef de Cuisine with the late Santi Santamaria at Can Fabes, Barcelona’s first 3 Michelin Star restaurant. Barrafina’s Chef Director, Angel, was also a protegee of the legendary Santi, heading up his Ossiano restaurant in Dubai, before his career took him to Ibiza and then Barrafina in London.

 

Angel Zapata Martin says, ‘I’m so excited to bring this new, exciting event to Barrafina guests, and to showcase all that Spanish cooking has to offer. Xavier is a brave cook who isn’t easily pigeonholed. His light, vegetable-led food will show British people that there is a vibrant, vital side to Spanish food that can be profound. Xavier’s career evolution has been a source of great inspiration to me and I can’t wait to welcome him here.’

 

Xavier Pellicer will be cooking a special set menu at Barrafina Borough Yards on the evenings of 7th and 8th March.

 

Bookings are available via Resy for the 7th March: https://resy.com/cities/ldn/venues/barrafina-borough-yards/events/barrafina-invita-xavier-pellicer-2023-03-07 and 8th March: https://resy.com/cities/ldn/venues/barrafina-borough-yards/events/barrafina-invita-xavier-pellicer-2023-03-08

 

The experience is priced at £70 and includes a set menu.

 

 

 

 

Blog Post Written By Chamber Member SCORNIK GERSTEIN LLP

 

SPANISH START UP LAW: DIGITAL NOMAD VISA, TAX INCENTIVES, ENHANCEMENT OF BECKHAM LAW AND BENEFITS FOR INVESTORS.

 

On 22nd of December 2022, the Spanish Parliament approved the ‘Ley 28/2022, de 21 de diciembre, de fomento del ecosistema de las empresas emergentes’, or commonly known as the Start-Up Law (SUL).

 

SUL seeks making Spain a leading destination country for innovative companies and digital nomads.

 

SUL is an ambitious piece of regulation bringing innovative measures at multiple levels, such as corporate, tax and immigration.

 

To provide a response to the important legal implications introduced by SUL, Scornik Gerstein LLP has launched a hub, led by its Managing Partner Antonio Arenas, where his team of expert lawyers will provide advice on the following key areas:

 

SPANISH DIGITAL NOMAD VISA:

 

– Who qualifies for the Spanish nomad visa?

– Where must a digital nomad working from Spain pay its taxes?

 

 

TAX INCENTIVES:

 

– What tax reliefs are available when investing in Spanish start-ups?

– During how many tax periods could I benefit from those tax incentives?

– Which companies qualify for the tax incentives provided by SUL?

 

 

ENHANCEMENT OF BECKHAM LAW:

 

– Who qualifies for the so-called Beckham tax regime?

– Can a Spanish Nomad Visa holder apply for the so-called Beckham tax regime?

– When this special tax regime must be applied for?

 

 

BENEFITS FOR INVESTORS

 

The requirements for investors investing in start-ups that will not reside in Spain are simplified, as they will no longer require obtaining a foreigner identity number (NIE); and the company incorporation process is eased, and for specific cases, lower notary and registry fees would apply.

 

– How to set up my company through the new online system that Start-up Law provides?

– How to apply to NIF through this new system?

 

This new legal hub not only redefines the way legal services are delivered, it also provides value to its users by providing free access to publications explaining the changes brought by SUL. If you are interested in receiving the said publications, send an email to laura.gallego@scornik.com

 

 

Written by Chamber Patron ONTIER LLP.

The legal industry stands on a bedrock of precedents, examples of the past enabling lawyers to predict the future. But what about when it hasn’t been done before? What about when definitions don’t even exist? What makes a disruptive lawyer is their ability to push through the unknown, to call for clarity when there is none and to challenge the industrial status quo.

This is exactly what global law firm Ontier has been doing for the last three years, with Ontier’s London team acting for Bitcoin’s inventor Satoshi Nakamoto (Dr Craig Wright), the author of The Bitcoin Whitepaper. Through multiple defamation trials to multibillion dollar asset recovery cases and commercial advice, the firm has been lighting the way for litigation in this embryonic and tumultuous sector.

A welcomed recent UK breakthrough has been HMRC’s (UK tax) definition of Bitcoin and other related assets. Depending on their use they can be defined as property or security and treated as any other asset. This fact allows for the use of many tools within the litigator’s arsenal including worldwide freezing orders and injunctions. Tools that ONTIER were already well-versed in. And though much of the sector remains unregulated globally, case by case ONTIER are laying down new precedents that will ultimately help to shape the regulatory landscape.

However, it doesn’t stop with litigation, the fusion of the firm’s broad sector expertise married with their now established track record in disruptive technologies (digital law), has enabled the interdisciplinary team to branch into new exciting areas of law. The firm regularly gather to collaborate on all things digital law, with two “Bitlaw Summits” this year alone, London and Naples.

In Italy, the team led by Luca Pardo, recently completed a tokenization project for luxury fashion brand Bulgari and from this have become go-to advisors on all things NFT and metaverse.

In Spain, the team led by Daniel Gutiérrez successfully advised an American AI company specialized in sports, and is working closely with Spanish sport clubs and federations to secure their intellectual property rights while implementing new entertainment strategies based on tokenization.

In USA, the team attended Miami Fashion Week’s digital fashion event and briefed entrepreneurs and influencers on the opportunities of perpetual royalties flowing from their creative endeavors and decentralisation within the metaverse.

In a profession designed to keep the peace or at least safeguard it, disruption is often unwelcome. The law can often be seen as reactive, rarely future focused: Ontier not only keeps up, but predicts, plans and future-proofs the successes of their clients. Because after all, disruptive technologies call for disruptive lawyers, ones that do not accept the trend but design and define new ways of interpreting the law.

To find out more about Ontier’s disruption into the blockchain sphere, see their digital law website: www.ontier.digital. 

 

 

Blog post written by Xabier Gómez Meabe – Foreign Trade Assistant

To kick start 2023, we teamed up with Chamber Member Brandlond to hold an exclusive and rigorously planned #retailtourexperience in Central London, led and designed by their CEO Marc Guitart. With him, we visited several of the most exciting stores in the area and learned how they use the shopping experience to increase their customer’s loyalty.

Marc is an award-winning designer and founder of brandcelona® in 2006 and brandlond® in 2018. He is also a branding lecturer at several universities, and the digital magazine CEO Monthly recognised him as the Most Innovative Brand Marketing CEO in 2022.

The event consisted of a guided and commented tour through selected brands that focus on their point of sale as a part of their business model, positioning themselves as a leader in it. The carefully planned route began at the Spanish Chamber office in Marylebone at 09:00 am and took us through Marylebone High Street.

Our first stop on the Tour was Conran Shop, three floors of elegant, contemporary furnishings, iconic designs, one-of-a-kind vintage furniture pieces, art and design books, fashion accessories, and innovative gifts. Marc emphasised the importance of considering store layout and contemporary design, aspects that have been mastered by and are strongly associated with Conran Shop.

We continued with Aésop, a skincare brand, and Le Labo, a New York-based perfume house that has become iconic for its collection of hand-made perfumes using the highest quality raw ingredients. Marc highlighted the intelligent use of lighting in the two boutiques, namely that it added a homely ambiance to both stores, emulating a feeling of comfort to the customer as well as drawing attention to certain products. The significance of store positioning and urbanism on a high street was also emphasised. In addition, regarding Le Labo’s bags, Marc stressed the importance of the luxurious touch and feel of products and accessories, which enhance both customer satisfaction and the quality of the brand.

Next, Marc took us to Bayley & Sage, a store where they deliver the highest quality, knowledge and provenance of fruit, vegetables, meat or the delicious seasonal dishes prepared in their kitchens. To finish with the Marylebone High Street, we visited one of the finest cheesemongers in London, La Fromagerie and Ottolenghi restaurant, where we learnt about the display of the softened with cosy, natural wooden finish space and the large and transparent windows that provides splendour to the brand.

We soon transitioned from the small boutiques of Marylebone into the landmark destination and social hub, Selfridges on Oxford Street. We visited the Korean sunglasses store, Gentle Monster where Marc stressed how the retail tour allows us to see which tools are competitive in the market, emphasising ‘The Giant’ by Gentle Monster, a large kinetic sculpture of a hyper realistic human face. The kinetic sculpture provides a unique and surreal experience for visitors and certainly differentiates the brand from their competition. This is particularly important in a store like Selfridges, where brands must be innovative in order to stand out in a room filled with quality products and brands.

Finally, the tour came to an end in Mercato Mayfair, where Chamber Benefactor and Non-Executive Chairman of Mercato, Julio Bruno, kindly hosted us in the crypt of this breath-taking, grade-1 listed building, explaining the concept of the popular food market in depth. The Mercato Metropolitano is a cultural hub of sustainable and authentic food that is locally sourced, as well as being a great community space and a more affordable location for a quality lunch or dinner in Mayfair.

We had a great time with Marc, and we want to thank everyone that attended and made the day special! We had attendees from some of our Member companies: Basque Trade and Investment, Ria Money Transfer, Cuatrecasas, Gómez Acebo & Pombo, and Diversitas Institute.