I'm a little startled by Boots. What on earth did they see in that product? I'm still not even sure what its function was. At first I thought it was somewhere to store your book (at the appropriate page) when you go off for a swim or to fetch a drink. But isn't that why book marks were invented?

Then I thought it was to hold the book open for you to give your arms a rest but reading from that angle would give you a cric in the neck and wouldn't you have to take the book out from its holder each time you needed to turn the page?!

That together with being far to flimsy and top heavy (beaches are usually windier than most places) to me meant that you'd use the thing once only, before learning it was a waste of money. What about the sun? You'd usually read lying on your front so you can have it in shade. Will it do newspapers, so the Brit abroad can keep up with sport and celeb gossip? There is a book holder already available, called hands.

I think it's function was supposed to be the same as a lecturn or more like a sheet music holder. An open book prop.

As these aren't real products the companies don't place real orders. Maybe the Boots team were trying to be realistic in what they would do if this was real i.e they would work to re-design, possibly totally. But in a company their size, the buyers might like it, someone higher up might veto it as it's not a single dept. choice.

Not forgetting the fact that most people are slowly turning to the Kindle which this product certainly wouldn't hold, madness.

They may have just been asked by the production team to throw it out there to add some spice, make a 'moment' for the program and to see what their reaction would be.

My first thought was the same as you....how are you going to turn the pages when it's contained in this plastic holder ! Amazed no-one challenged them on that !

TBH, you would have to be seriously challenged by trying to get comfortable in different positions with a book before you would consider taking that attention drawing, ridiculous gadget to the beach!

No one seemed to take into account that those who can't get comy with a book will soon be turning to one touch e-readers, no need for fumbling page turning and easier to prop hands free under your chin on the sunbed

The word is slowly and some not at all. Paper books are not just so low tech they will always work but THE legacy product. Not going away for many many decades.

Might be something in that Afterall it was John Lewis asking for exclusivity that placed the largest 'order' every seen on the Apprentice (and won the task hands down). Can't remember if that came up in all the earlier series. But it is something that big chains would reasonably want normally.

I agree and other than the free publicity it would have been given due to appearing on The Apprentice , I can't figure out why a major shop would offer to stock such a product as it comes across as pointless , bulky and silly.
I'm not the beach type but surely people just use their hands?! Or a bookmark if leaving their lounger for a swim?!

I quite liked the basic idea as i'm always struggling to get comfortable reading when i'm lying down, whether on the beach or just in bed, although i'm not sure i'd ever be bothered enough to spend money on a some kind of stand.

And the actual product they designed was really poor but I wouldn't expect any better given the time they have to create them. I can't think of any teams on previous years that have come up with a really decent product that anyone would actually buy.

Well, there is the body rocka - I'd buy that.

I just didn't get the whole concept of this product at all. I'd certainly never need it. Who'd won't to be fiddling about with fibreglass rods on the beach just to read a book? It wasn't as bad as that nasty black box Ben invented last year, but getting there.

Perhaps Boots could see the market potential in its multi-purpose use.

It could be developed as a wind-breaker, a kite or even a small tent.

I wonder how much influence the production team have on the retailers' responses to the pitches, I surely do smell a rat with this one!
"Book-eeze"?! Do us a favour!

Boots' representatives aren't going to sit there and be out and out rude whilst appearing on the Apprentice. I would imagine in reality Boots are pitched hundreds of products, they make some encouraging comments, perhaps float the "exclusivity" concept, but are never in a million years actually planning to buy any units. A bunch of drunk holiday makers on an Ibiza beach could have come up with a better product than the Bookeeze.

There are plenty of plastic cookery book stands, that could be adapted easily. I don't think even as a concept its that unique.

As was suggested on Your Fired, I suspect they liked the name, and possibly the general category of a book support, and would have thrown Apollo's design away and provided their own.

Thats what I thought, use the name for a well designed bit of kit.

That festival sled Tim came up with in Junior Apprentice was pretty good, too.

And I know it's not a product they invented from scratch but the soap the girls made where they put the wrong oil in the year that Yasmina won was a very good product. Even Surallen said so himself.

I was seriously underwhelmed by both products - the teams usually seem to lack imagination and creativity. They either come up with something completely useless, designed to satisfy a need which doesn't exist, or are just deeply deeply cack.

Having said that, it's hilarious viewing, if only for the expressions on the faces of the buyers as they try to think just how an umbrella which doubles as a potato peeler, or a multigym with attached cocktail shaker is going to fit into their product range. Especially when they are a bike shop.

To be fair, though, they have a couple of hours from hearing what they've got to do to having to have finalised their product design. It's really not easy to come up with any kind of product in that time, let alone find some major gap in the market that is screaming out for a solution but which nobody in else in the world has ever noticed before. And don't forget that the teams get told off and the buyers are unimpressed if there actually already is a product that's remotely similar.

I know it's fun to laugh and point (why else would any of us be watching the programme?), but that is a very, very tough task.

I can't believe they named their product after a betting shop.

Was there a previous task a few series ago where the team accepted or offered exclusivity and Sugar was really cross with them back in the boardroom? I feel like there was but I can't remember the details at all. I wondered if Laura remembered something like that and so thought saying no was the right thing.

I thought it was a really difficult task and I didn't think the cuuli (awful name) was that bad for a few hours to think of it. I have no idea what I'd have done. I think the book stand was a bad idea, nobody wants one, but I was imagining something like the stand you can get for cookery books, perhaps one that folded up. I think they all knew as soon as they saw the self-assembly bits of plastic that they were in trouble.

You're thinking of the ice cream task (geek/ Series 4 week 5 /geek off). In that they were selling someone else's products so had no right to offer or later accept any exclusive deals without consulting.
In Series 5 exact same task (fitness thingy) agreeing to the big retailler's request for exclusivity gave them the win with a massive and unbeatable order. That time it was John Lewis and on first asking PM Debra went 'errr we'd have to consult' as they'd probably not discussed the possibilty beforehand (why not?) John Lewis press them again, Philip waffles and they too nearly lose it until Yasmina jumps in with a concrete amount (and without an invisible calculator either). John Lewis aren't that impressed but at least they've started negotiations. No one rejected the retailler's advances.

Laura should have seen that more recent series, but you would hope that candidates have more real knowledge than watching The Apprentice! Often it seems not or they are too often swayed by it.

The entire panel were women.

Thank you!

I thought that the task was really hard. How many new products for the beach have been designed in recent years?

Although everyone pooh-poohed the idea of a hand on a stick to apply suncream, I didn't think it was such a bad idea, if it had been developed properly. People do go on holiday alone, and even as a couple my OH and myself aren't joined at the hip for two weeks, (in fact he goes off exploring and I like to sit and read - an e-reader actually - so having a device to apply suncream to my back would be somthing I would buy.

Loving this series and loving this thread.

Chessie x