Tossed is a new salad bar chain set up by twenty-something entrepreneur Vincent McKevitt in the teeth of catastrophic economic conditions. Will the credit crunch make or break his new business?
HEALTHY EATING: Vincent set up his first salad bar in 2005. His aim is to sell "healthy eating" - nutritious food but packaged in attractive ways.
HOW TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR: Vincent started young - seliing ice cubes to his sisters! He funded his new business with loans from friends, family - anywhere he could get the money. He works from five in the morning until bedtime, seven days a week.
BAKER STREET GOES LIVE: Against the odds, Tossed opens a new store at London's Baker Street - on time. Customers seem impressed with the product. A key attraction is they can choose what they want in their salad. But there's a worldwide financial crisis underway and this brings Tossed problems - but also opportunities.
MARKETING & BRANDING: The big challenge - how does Tossed make itself stand out in the crowd, in other words, differentiate itself from the competition? The answer - a store with bright colours, lively designs and "cheeky" messages.
The design agency Honey Creative explains the thinking behind Tossed's appearance in the high street.
CRUNCH TIME: But the store faces financial problems. Tossed's accountant Nigel Harris is concerned that they may be moving too fast. What about cash flow? Where's the money going to come from to finance their rapid expansion? And is this the right time for Vincent to be talking about taking out ¡ê50,000 as a personal bonus?
A SALAD BAR TOO FAR? To generate the cash he needs to run his business Vincent is counting on the opening of another store at the huge new Westfield shopping centre. But operating in the shopping centre is a big challenge, and requires a different type of store. Will Vincent's gamble come off?
THE FRANCHISE: Meanwhile, there are problems at the Baker Street store, too. This store is a franchise and Vincent is worried the franchise holder isn't up to scratch. Sales are dead in the evening and the store isn't being kept stocked up.
FIRST DAY MADNESS: The new Westfield shopping centre opens and so does the newest Tossed outlet. Chaos breaks out, queues form, and Vincent is worried that customer service isn't as good as it should be.
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