Pie-maker misses out in BBC show finale
After a lengthy process, with plenty of doubts along the way, Bognor Regis pie man Phil Turner came up centimetres short in the final episode of BBC One’s The Apprentice.
Despite racking up the biggest losing streak in Apprentice history over the last few months, and in defiance of all the voices calling to have him sacked, Phil Turner – who owns West Sussex bakery Turner’s Pies – found himself in the final of this year’s series of The Apprentice, vying for a £250,000 contract with Sir Alan Sugar himself.
He had hoped to use the money to expand his businesses’ Pies by Post service, which ships hand-made, artisanal pies to hungry customers all over the country, thereby making Turner’s Pies – which is already a household name in Bognor Regis and Chichester – a national treasure.
But it was Rachel Woolford who went home with the swish new contract, winning Lord Sugar over with her plans to build new fitness studios in cities across the North, expanding on a precedent set by her already-successful Leeds boutique.
Still, there was plenty of reason to be proud of Bognor’s home-grown talent. His pies, which are almost universally adored here in West Sussex, received high praise from Lord Sugar, Tim Campbell and Karren Brady, and wooed an intimidating swathe of industry experts.
It was a difference of opinion – rather than the power of his pies – that cost Phil the win, then. Lord Alan seemed to think Phil should be looking to build more shops, rather than grow his Pies by Post service, which only accounts for ten per cent of his annual revenue. Phil, though, stuck to his guns, that an onlinefirst business model was the way to go, to the point of telling Sugar that profits weren’t the only thing he cared about in business. He made clear that he was willing to work with Sugar and acknowledge his experience but, by the end of their chat, it was clear Sugar’s mind was made up – and a difficult financial year for Turner’s Pies only made Rachel’s eventual win that much more likely.
It’s a shame to see Phil fall at the last hurdle, but we’re proud of him. He had a rocky run through the tasks but it’s clear he’s a clear-headed, capable and honest businessman with a real sense of his own convictions and a fantastic product at his back.