Take on the Blackfriar business quiz of 2019 to win a Bettys Gift Box

Please email your answers to [email protected] to arrive no later than January 6.

We will alert the winner by email and Bettys will send the prize to your address so please include it in your email.

We will publish the correct answers in the New Year.

Good luck everyone!

2019 has been a busy year for Yorkshire firms and we have run a lot of quirky stories. So which ones do you remember?

1. We revealed in October that Yorkshire-based luxury cashmere retailer N. Peal was asked to create new pieces for two characters in the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die, which is due to be released on April 3, 2020.

Who are these two characters?

a. James Bond and Dr Madeleine Swann

b. Ernst Stavro Blofeld and Hinx

c. Q and Miss Moneypenny

2. The year didn’t get off to the best of starts for David Paynter, founder of cricket shoe brand Payntr.

The business had part of its shipment stolen in January when thieves broke into a lorry. How many cricket shoes did Mr Paynter estimate were stolen?

a. 6,700

b. 4,000

c. 7,000

3. Channel 4 has begun its move to the region but which landmark building, currently undergoing redevelopment in the city centre, has the broadcaster chosen as its new home in Leeds?

a. The Majestic

b. Temple Works

c. Broadcasting Tower

4. Which two grocers did Kantar say were the worst performing big four supermarkets as shoppers held back on festive spending in the all-important run-up to Christmas?

a. Tesco and Sainsbury’s

b. Morrisons and Asda

c. Morrisons and Sainsbury’s

5. Which betting giant agreed to buy the owner of Leeds-based Sky Betting & Gaming, The Stars Group, in October this year?

a. Ladbrokes Coral

b. Betfred

c. Flutter Entertainment

6. Who was named Entrepreneur of the Year at The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2019 after judges praised them for practicing what they preach?

a. Anna Sutton – The Data Shed

b. Jack Tordoff – JCT600

c. Michael Szlas – OTTY

7. Clipper Logistics, which distributes goods for retailers such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Morrisons, reported record trading over which major event in the retail calendar?

a. Valentine’s Day

b. Yorkshire Day on August 1

c. The Black Friday weekend

8. Black Friday is an American tradition that harks back to the bank holiday on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

There are two theories as to how this tradition came to be known as Black Friday.

Which of these is a wrong theory that we have completely made up?

a. The streets were black with fumes as shoppers piled into their cars to grab deals

b. This was the first day of the year retailers went into profit (into the black)

c. All discounted items were displayed using black ticket labels rather the customary white ones

9. Which major retailer was said to be threatening tens of thousands of workers with the sack if they didn’t sign “punishing” new contracts?

a. Asda

b. Bonmarche

c. The Card Factory

10. Luxury retailer Burberry is planning further investment in its three sites in Yorkshire and said it is fully committed to its two manufacturing sites which make the world famous Burberry trench coats.

Which of these is NOT a Burberry manufacturing site?

a. Castleford

b. Keighley

c. Leeds

11. Which firm failed to take over Bradford-based credit lender Provident Financial in a protracted, bitter £1.3bn hostile takeover bid?

At the time Blackfriar described it as “one of those merger/takeover stories that make you want to bang your head against a brick wall”.

a. Non-Standard Finance

b. Morses Club

c. Amigo Loans

12. In April, Asda’s £12bn merger with Sainsbury’s was blocked by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Blackfriar had long predicted this and believes the two firms would have been better off listening to his advice than paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds to legal and competition advisers.

The deal was blocked on the grounds that it would result in:

a. Higher prices for consumers

b. Sainsbury’s staff being forced to wear flat caps

c. Asda staff being forced to learn the Queen’s English

13. Leeds City College opened the doors to its new Quarry Hill campus this year.

Originally, the college expected the campus to accommodate around 3,000 students. How many did it actually take in?

a. 2,300

b. 6,000

c. 3,800

The lucky winner of the Blackfriar quiz will receive a Taste of Yorkshire Gift Box from our friends at Bettys.

2019 has been a great year for the firm as it celebrated its 100th anniversary.

The prize is a themed gift box that makes an ideal gift for Bettys lovers and proud Yorkshire folk. The contents include a Yorkshire Tea Fruit Cake, Yorkshire Gingerbread, Yorkshire Shortbread Box, Timothy Taylors Landlord Beer and a Milk Chocolate Guinea.

Bettys said it was proud to team up with The Yorkshire Post to offer the 2019 prize.

The firm said: “Yorkshire has been our home since 1919, and we simply adore it. These classic Bettys treats celebrate the flavours of our beautiful county: from shortbread and beer to our cake made with Yorkshire Tea. It’s all about traditional treats made with honest ingredients and time-honoured methods.”

The story of Bettys began in Switzerland. In 1907, a young Swiss baker and confectioner, Fritz Bützer, left his home to travel to England with a dream of establishing his own business. He spent his first night in the waiting room of Bradford station – penniless, jobless and unable to speak a word of English.

He settled in Harrogate, where his luck started to change. He fell in love and later married his landlady’s daughter. In July 1919, the first Bettys opened for business.

The origin of the Bettys name is unknown. The possibilities include Betty Lupton, a former manager of the Harrogate Spa, and a child called Betty who interrupted a meeting to discuss the firm’s name.