Make it quick, I've presents to deliver

Trevor Bish-Jones knows the adage about it being better to give than to receive. But, despite being a tough, straighttalking businessman, there is just a chance he has written to Santa this Christmas.

That is because Bish-Jones is chief executive of Woolworths, a store with a special place in the public's affections, but which has been struggling for some time.

He would very much like Santa to bring him a sales bonanza. Good, or even fair, Christmas figures are vital to convince the City that its recovery is still on track.

But like everyone else, Bish-Jones, 43, will have to wait to find out if Santa heard his plea. 'Even if I wanted to tell you how we are doing - which I don't - I can't anyway,' says Bish-Jones. 'The Christmas season gets later every year and we won't know how we did until the very last moment.'

Bish-Jones does not like speaking to the Press and makes it clear he would rather be working than promoting his business. 'I'm not into all that profile-raising stuff,' he says. 'The greatest value I can offer to this organisation is if I am out doing things for the business.

'I don't have a huge ego. I am a normal guy, with a normal life who just wants to get on with making things work. There is the thick end of 40,000 people out there working for Woolworths and I owe them my best.'

Mind you, how many normal guys own a Ducati motorbike and an old Porsche with personalised number plates? And let's not forget Buster, the horse he keeps at his Bedfordshire estate.

Bish-Jones is short but wellbuilt-with piercing blue eyes and his dress sense is as no-nonsense and utilitarian as his attitude to the business.

The jury is still out on whether it will take more than a 'normal guy' to make Woolworths darling of the High Street again, but he appears to be on track.

Its demerger from retail conglomerate Kingfisher two years ago was an unspectacular affair. Floated at 25p a share, the City said it had potential as a ' recovery play', then lost interest. Woolworths had lost its way under Kingfisher. Bish-Jones inherited a massive stock overhang and a black hole where management should have been when he joined from Dixons early in 2002.

Woolworths' first independent Christmas was dreadful and was followed by a profits warning. Worse was to follow. In spring last year, Woolworths, famed for its confectionery, ran out of Easter eggs, a gaffe that allowed the supermarkets to nip in and grab the trade. This led Deutsche Bank to declare that recovery 'would take years rather than months'.

Bish-Jones has weathered the storm. 'It was never realistic to say we'd turn round an organisation as complex as Woolworths within months,' he says.

'We've always said the recovery

plan would take time, but there are opportunities to make significant growth in profits and I am very happy with our progress.'

In September, Bish-Jones produced the first signs that things were looking up. Though confectionery sales, which produce a tenth of revenues, were disappointing - blamed on the long, hot summer - shares rose 14% after he outlined narrower losses for the first half-year.

Analysts noted the improvement, saying the losses of £36 million in the 26 weeks to the beginning of August were better than expected and 21% lower than last year.

Bish-Jones's strategy is simple: to make Woolworths famous for its appeal to children and famous for celebrations - a mantra that punctuates nearly every sentence. As a married man with two young daughters, he thinks the key is to appeal to mothers.

The strategy has involved ditching non-core products such as binliners and cotton reels in favour of boosting the range of toys, children's clothes and gifts. At the same time, the stores are getting a facelift, making them more navigable for children's buggies.

Bish-Jones has merged the buying teams for Woolworths with the team for the group's large format Big W stores and says this has been a success. Big W has been the subject of some speculation after the battle for Safeway. Logic has it that with little largescale retail property available, Big W's portfolio of large sheds would be ideal for Safeway's thwarted suitors.

Bish-Jones dismisses the suggestion: 'It is simply not up for sale. Big W is a key part of our strategy. This rumourmongering is unhelpful.'

While telling the Woolworths story is clearly a chore, Bish-Jones's drive and ambition for the chain to succeed are unmistakable. Now all he, and the City, must do is wait until January to see just how wonderful

Christmas has been for Woolies.