Meet the maker: Giles Fuchs

Douglas Blyde speaks to an A-level failure turned serial entrepreneur about his canned Gunner cocktail, available at his restored art deco hotel and sporting venues UK-wide…

How important was conventional education to your success in business?

Not very. I didn’t work very hard at school and was too interested in playing sports. As a result, I only got one A-level at E grade. However, the school instilled in me a lot of discipline and confidence which I carry to this day.

Who has been a memorable mentor to you?

My father was an inspiration to me, and I have never met a better man nor a cleverer one. He lived (as I do now) by our family motto, “Confer and Triumph”. The essence of this motto is that by talking ideas through with as many people as possible you get to the best possible answer. It teaches you to be open-minded.

What was the worst advice you have ever been given?

“Take the next right…!” by my SatNav.

What was your first job?

From the fifth form I wanted to be an estate agent, mainly because there was no need for qualifications, and they appeared to be well-paid and drive nice cars! I was very shallow in those days. It was enormous fun and taught me everything that I needed to know about people and business, and at 21 I opened my own estate agency. Proof that ignorance is bliss.

What is “OSiT” (Office Space in Town) of which you are the founder and CEO?

It started as a property company which specialised in the buying and refurbishment of central London office buildings and then running them as serviced offices. It owns and runs five buildings in zone one with a gross value of £220m. But due to its success, OSiT is also a family office and owns other businesses including Burgh Island Hotel, Gunner cocktails, an office cleaning company which now cleans over 30 buildings in London, and a small residential development company.

How did you come to acquire the Burgh Island Hotel, and what steps did you take to restore it?

I met a chap who had found out that Burgh Island was for sale and grandly told me he was buying it. To my shame I had never heard of it but when he showed me a picture of it, I immediately fell in love. It is the most beautiful thing. A week later he called me and said most of his funding had fallen out of bed and would I be interested in buying it? Without hesitation, I said yes. That week me and my girlfriend and sister went and mystery shopped it.  It was in need of a lot of work and was understaffed but it had bags of potential and after all it was an island. We have spent millions so far on bringing it back to its former glory, but we still have a long way to go – the sea and wind ravage her daily. But I am glad to say it runs at very high occupancy and has thousands of returning guests each year.

What can be done to solve the labour crisis in hospitality?

Providing businesses working in hospitality with easier access to the EU and to staff from around the world who want to work in the UK in hospitality. We are a sponsor for EU citizens so that is helping.

How important is the drinks offering at the hotel?

We are all about the glamour, so cocktails are a must and as is the good and varied wine list as our guests are very discerning. We drink gin in industrial quantities, so we have just created our own Burgh Island gin which is exceptional, and guests can’t resist buying a bottle as they leave or on our website (burghisland.com/burgh-island-gin). Of course, not everyone is a drinker so we offer our own non-alcoholic cocktail in a can called a “Gunner Saint” (those in the know will understand what it is immediately!)

What inspired your Gunner canned cocktail collection?

Many years ago, whenever I had finished playing tennis, a sailing regatta or a round of golf everyone would order a Gunner cocktail which had to be made by the poor bartender. This meant waiting an age for a drink and worse they were inconsistent. A Gunner should be equal measures of ginger beer and ginger ale with drops of Angostura bitters and lime. So, after years saying that someone should put it in a tin, I got fed up and did it myself with a friend. We registered it in as many countries around the world as we could and created the taste of the best Gunner. A friend then designed the brand which I truly believe encapsulates what the drink is. We now sell it at distinguished clubs, pubs, and events and through our webshop. We truly believe that this is the next big thing in drinks.

What else will you add to the range?

The low-sugar Skinny Saint.

Where can we buy Gunner?

At many stylish bars, clubs and events including Masterpiece, on the banks of the Solent at Royal Lymington Yacht Club, the tennis lawns of The Hurlingham Club, the links of Royal St. Georges in Sandwich, and many, many more. Availability of Gunner has tripled across the hospitality sector, and we expect to sell between 500,000–750,000 cans next year! We are working with lots of exciting stockists and in the meantime, you can also buy cans of Gunner on our web shop (gunnerscocktails.co.uk).

Tell us something surprising about yourself?

I live in a Church with a working organ and have lived without a TV for the last five months.

Given your interest in property and design, would you rather share a long lunch with Harry Hyams, Richard Rogers or Zaha Hadid?

None of these – I’d prefer to eat with my family!