Bosses stay positive while braced for the curveballs
Business owners may wish for a “normal” year in 2024, but they are readying themselves for the inevitable curveballs. Houthi rebels in Yemen firing at freight ships passing through the Red Sea have already caused container prices to jump fivefold, logistics companies say, and a lacklustre domestic economy, potential pre-election surprises in the March budget and the outcome of the presidential election in the United States in November are all creating further uncertainty.
Ben Francis, the 31-year-old co-founder, majority owner and chief executive of Gymshark, describes himself as “confident, but wary”. That confidence comes in part from the success of the athleisure brand’s trading in the autumn. He had worried that pre-Christmas sales would involve rivals discounting heavily to shift stock, but demand for
