Youles Motorcycles has pulled off a bit of a coup by organising an open evening with the outspoken business guru, peer and former government minister and ex-CBI chief Lord Digby Jones.
The Triumph Motorcycles non-executive chairman was attending the Hinckley manufacturer’s conference when he struck up a conversation with Philip Youles, owner of the dealerships in Blackburn and Manchester.
“My wife was in conversation with another dealer’s wife so I thought I would look for Lord Jones,” said Youles. “I was just walking past him and he started to chat. I just got on with him. I didn’t spend ages talking to him but there was that affinity.
“He said he would come to Blackburn to give a talk but I didn’t really think he would.
“Anyway, when I got back to the office I got a phone call from his business manager saying he genuinely wanted to do it.”
Lord Jones has waived his usual fee and the evening – also to be attended by Bruno Tagliaferri, Triumph’s national sales manager – will be in aid of the peer’s chosen charity, benefiting ovarian cancer.
The 180 tickets for the evening, on Wednesday 16 January, are selling well.
“Ticket sales are split between bikers who want to come to see Bruno and others – local businessmen – who want to hear what Lord Jones is saying. I also want to give young people a chance to attend so I will be approaching local schools.
“It will be a brilliant evening, an opportunity to get people into the showroom who are not bikers,” said Youles.
Lord Jones is never far from the headlines and was recently applauded for his speech at the Tory conference attacking Boris Johnson’s attitude to business.
He also hails the prime minister for standing up to EU “bully boys” who criticised her Chequers plan for post-Brexit trade.