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ANGIE COOMBS, GENERAL MANAGER, DUCHY OF CORNWALL NURSERY
Prince Charles is keen on sustainable products and local crafts, says the woman he has recruited to focus no less sharply on something else he holds dear - profitability.
Angie Coombs, the new general manager of Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, has a bigjob ahead, and knows it.The nursery, within 10km of the Eden Project, is undergoing a huge redevelopment following a fire that caused massive damage.
Right now it is not good to be sinking cash into ventures that could prove risky even if your boss is the future king of England. Falling back on a brand name as big as Prince Charles is a complacency she cannot, and will not, afford.
"We are starting from scratch, people's expectations are high and we can't rest on our laurels," she says. "There's a lot of kudos behind the Duchy brand but we need to broaden our appeal from the acknowledged Duchy demographic."
That demographic is narrow and predominant: local women in their 50s and 60s. Coombs wants more families, youngsters and professionals such as landscapers to head for Lostwithiel,...