Timpson is one of the most recognizable brands in the whole of the United Kingdom. With 2, 000 stores they have a presence on every single high street. They employ 6, 000 people and what you might not realize is 10 percent of those are prison leavers.

It's a remarkable statistic and James explains to us how they actually teach people how best to rob them.

Timpsons was started in 1865 by shoemaker William Timpson and his brother-in-law, Walter Joyce, in Manchester. To give you an idea of the legacy Timpson has in the UK, it was listed on the Stock Exchange in 1929.

150 years on, it has over 2,000 shops across the UK with brands including Johnson's The Cleaners, Snappy Snaps, Jeeves of Belgravia, The Watch Lab and Flock Inns.

Today I'll be talking to James Timpson, in one of their flagship stores and chatting a bit about his new book, The Happy Index, which looks at upside-down management.

We speak about the rules of success of a business that has seen itself go through two world wars, a pandemic, and the changing nature of the high street to create one of the most endearing brands in the United Kingdom.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices