Small beer for the homeless

Offices to impress potential and existing clients were an Eighties essential. The Cordiant-owned (at least, for now) CME.KHBB’s central London base at Charing Cross Road is among the best sites but in the caring Nineties its sheltered doorway has also become popular among some casualties of Eighties greed – the homeless.

A story reaches the Diary about an incident two weeks ago when just before the arrival of Carlsberg-Tetley – one of KHBB’s biggest clients – it was realised that a group of homeless people were at the front, drinking.

A source claims the group were paid to leave – 10 per head. “Nobody seems to remember this,” says KHBB chairman Hamish Pringle, “but what we say to the regular Big Issue seller outside the office is that he is welcome to sell the magazine but when we have important client meetings we agree that he moves on for perhaps half an hour. I did move someone on the day of the Big Steak Pubs pitch but nobody remembers the Carlsberg case.” The source, however, is adamant. Perhaps KHBB amnesia is down to the homeless drinkers not drinking Carlsberg.