Amex chose black for Centurion as the gold and platinum card market has been devalued: US card issuers have launched in the UK and offered premium cards to pretty much anyone who earns over pounds 20,000 a year. And the marketing people want to encourage them to use the cards as a one-stop advice shop. All three offer a global concierge service to get you tickets to “sold-out shows”, reservations at “hot” restaurants and tips on where to play golf. These super- luxe cards are targeted at CEOs, top execs, the famous and sundry jetsetters – just 1 to 5 per cent of the market.

So just how much money do you need for this plastic? “It’s used for getting orchids flown in from Japan for your daughter’s wedding,” says Matt Sansom of Amex’s Centurion card, citing a real case. And the market is growing – the “by invitation only” World Signia (from Mastercard/Europay) and Centurion (American Express) cards are being joined by Visa’s Infinite. The first UK bank to launch a super-premium card is set to launch its package within days. The seriously rich are approached by word of mouth or via carefully written, personalised letters.

You’re no one if you haven’t been asked to take out a credit card “by invitation only”. And that doesn’t include a junk mailshot offering a free clock. The City shop, for example, is serving a different market to that in Covent Garden, while the clientele in Kingston and at future shops could be different again.Jo says that the plan is to keep the core concept while altering the emphasis as required. But she and her mother will be watching carefully and trusting their managers to spot what appeals and what does not.. The family aspect is strengthened by the presence of various relatives among the current workforce of about 40.But both Kathy and Jo recognise that significant challenges lie ahead.

Though they both get involved in certain aspects, they are “quite amazingly able to leave work behind” when socialising, says Jo, who has had two children while the business has been finding its feet. Kathy adds that although both of them had worked in retail in the past, they “recognised their strengths and realised we needed expertise”.Now Jo concentrates on marketing while Kathy focuses on buying. They say the separation of responsibilities helps to stop the conflicts that might otherwise plague their rather unusual partnership. Conscious that many entrepreneurs struggle to take their fledgling businesses beyond the start-up stage, Jo says Mr Fitzgibbon’s arrival means she and her mother can “get back to focusing on what we’re good at”.

He has extensive experience of roll-out programmes in a 20-year retail career that includes spells with Sock Shop during its expansionary phase, and with the sports company, Olympus. Recognising that a powerful brand would help establish a presence in the high street, they called in the design company Rodney Fitch to create a logo; they came up with the Bureau name themselves.The readiness to plan for the future also led to this year’s decision to appoint Mark Fitzgibbon as managing director. But Jo says the intention was always to create a bigger business.While she and her mother started with only a few thousand pounds accumulated through personal savings and bank loans, a significant amount of this went into “setting things up” to enable the business to grow. Mr Taee saw the original shop and liked it so much he organised a financing round.All these developments might appear rash, given that Kathy and Jo seemed to have started off just looking for an alternative way of making a living. The pace could hot up considerably in the new year since the company has plans for up to 100 additional stores around the country. It also intends putting its mail-order service on the internet.The expansion has been made possible by the fund-raising efforts of Andrew Taee of Dial House Consultants, which backed the Seattle Coffee Company.