Desert Island Discord is a series of podcasts where private investor Mark Atkinson talks about the aspects of investing that really grinds his gears. In this episode he discusses the problems caused for businesses when consumers cherry-pick things to boycott based on out-of-date information and moral flexibility.

If your own investment journey has been tainted by some poor practice that you think Mark should drag through the mud in a future episode, use the form on our website at https://www.thedesertislandinvestor.co.uk to recommend a topic.

Desert Island Discord and The Desert Island Investor are generously hosted by London City based analysts Progressive Equity Research at https://www.progressive-research.com. You'll also find us on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music and all leading podcasting channels.

Created by Mark Atkinson | Produced by Paul Kerin | SFX from Freesound (CC-BY). Sword Fight SFX: FunWithSound.

Desert Island Discord intro music by Paul Kerin and The Parrots of the Caribbean. (c) 2026

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is provided for general information only and the opinions expressed by Mark, his guests and the producers of the podcast do not constitute financial advice. Before purchasing financial products it is advisable to seek the guidance of a professional financial advisor.

Fundsmith, under the guidance of portfolio manager Terry Smith, invest in equities on a global basis. Mark has been invested in Fundsmith for many years and regularly attends their annual shareholder meetings. In this episode he reports back from the 2026 event in London.

Links:
Fundsmith: https://www.fundsmith.co.uk

The Desert Island Investor is generously hosted by London City based analysts Progressive Equity Research at https://www.progressive-research.com. You'll also find us on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music and all leading podcasting channels.

Created by Mark Atkinson | Produced by Paul Kerin | SFX from Freesound (CC-BY): Waves: juskiddink.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/yeti-music/peaceful-morning
License code: L0TLWWJDT28JVSTX

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is provided for general information only and the opinions expressed by Mark, his guests and the producers of the podcast do not constitute financial advice. Before purchasing financial products it is advisable to seek the guidance of a professional financial advisor.

James Halstead is a UK-based manufacturer and distributor of commercial flooring products. They offer high-quality vinyl flooring solutions under their flagship brand Polyflor, plus they are the company behind 12 other well known brands in the commercial flooring market. The company was formed in 1915 and went public in 1948 where it has gained considerable kudos for having raised its investor dividend for 49 consecutive years. In this episode of the podcast Mark provides an updated review of the company and explains why he took the unusual step of commandeering the microphone at the 2025 AGM.

Links:

James Halstead: https://jameshalstead.com

The Desert Island Investor is generously hosted by London City based analysts Progressive Equity Research at https://www.progressive-research.com. You'll also find us on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music and all leading podcasting channels.

Created by Mark Atkinson | Produced by Paul Kerin | SFX from Freesound (CC-BY): Waves: juskiddink.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/yeti-music/peaceful-morning
License code: L0TLWWJDT28JVSTX

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is provided for general information only and the opinions expressed by Mark, his guests and the producers of the podcast do not constitute financial advice. Before purchasing financial products it is advisable to seek the guidance of a professional financial advisor.