Gerald Ratner was born in London and based his philosophy of business on his experiences as a boy in Petticoat Lane Market. He observed that "the people who shouted the loudest and appeared to give the best offers sold the most”.

Ratner joined the family business in 1966 and built up an extremely successful chain of jewellers during the 1980s, of which he was chief executive. The shops shocked the formerly staid jewellery industry by displaying fluorescent orange posters advertising cut-price bargains and by offering low price ranges. The Ratners Group consisted of Ratners, H. Samuel, Ernest Jones, Leslie Davis, Watches of Switzerland and over 1000 shops in the US including Kays. Ratners was one of the few British retailers to succeed in the US.

Gerald Ratner was, until 1991, one of the UK's most successful and well-known businessmen. Unfortunately he went down in history when, at a corporate speaking engagement for the Institute of Directors, he jokingly described one of his products as 'total crap' and compared another to an M&S prawn sandwich; suggesting the sandwich would last longer.

This, now infamous speech, spelled disaster for both Gerald and his company, Ratners Group, the world's largest jewellery retail company which included H Samuel and Ernest Jones, of which he was the Chairman and Chief Executive. However, Gerald's story of how he dealt with the aftermath and returned over a decade later to become, once-again, a major player in the online retail sector is a remarkable journey of perseverance, passion, entrepreneurial skill and a remarkable lesson in overcoming crisis and adversity.