Leo Caplan is proving to be a sharp operator, god knows this industry needs more of them - says editor Andrew Davies...

When entrepreneur Leo Caplan stepped in and rescued Smallbone of Devizes and Mark Wilkinson Furniture from the perils of administration he wasn't shy about giving the reasons why.

"People need to understand that by the time I turned up there were two choices," he said. "Either someone saves the company or it disappears forever."

That sounds like an act of kindness, but when it comes to business Caplan is clearly no philanthropist - he knew they had potential to make money in the long run.

"Every time I come across less profitable working practices, or duplication, or ways of doing things better, it's music to my ears because it makes it easy," he says. "There are clearly benefits and cost savings to be made which will allow us to concentrate on improving the quality of the product and making it cost effective and therefore the company as profitable as possible."

And now he's picked up Alternative Plans with, presumably, all the same reasons and intentions.

Like Smallbone and Mark Wilkinson, it's a strong brand within its core market - in this case London architects - it has heritage, excellent reputation for design and, interestingly, fronted and founded by well known and enigmatic individuals.

The sudden administration of Alternative Plans was a shock but it proves that no one is immune. And for those with the cash, like Caplan, it's like the closing moves of a game of Monopoly when the players on the way out start selling property to those on the way up for too-good-to-refuse prices.

But while organisational changes can make a huge difference, the underlying reason why those companies have suffered hasn't gone away. The market is still terrible and any recovery is going to be slow and drawn out.

Cost savings and streamlining are all well and good but if the developer market doesn't pick up any time soon, just how successful can Alternative Plans be?

Caplan is a shrewd guy though and the more forward thinking entrepreneurial business types we can get involved in this industry the better. If his ilk can help drag this often antiquated industry into the 21st century then I'm all for it.

The real question is who has he got his eye on next?

What do you think? Email me direct on andrew@kbbreview.com