YOUR WEALTH: Question time Mike France; NATALIE GRAHAM talks to Mike

WHAT was your favourite toy as a child?

NO doubt about it, my Hornby 00 train set.

HOW many children do you have?

TWO - Jenny, aged 13, and Katie, aged 11.

WHAT is their favourite Early Learning Centre toy?

KATIE loves Furby, and Jenny is a fan of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. They think running a toy business doesn't count as a real job.

WHAT is the chain's most popular toy?

THE Furby, a furry animal that talks to you.

WHAT was your biggest break?

MY father convincing me to stick to retailing when after a month of stacking shelves in a food hall I was ready to pack it in.

WHAT do you like best about your job?

BEING in a position to let people become successful by listening and then helping them arrive at their own solutions.

WHAT are you most proud of?

HELPING to transform the Early Learning Centre over the past two years.

WHAT'S your advice to entrepreneurs?

ALWAYS be curious, think big and believe anything is possible.

WHO is your business hero?

SAM Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. From small beginnings, he is now one of the biggest retailers in the world.

WHAT issue are you concentrating on now?

MAKING www.elc.co.uk the best online toyshop in the world.

WHY launch a website?

TO make Early Learning Centre toys accessible to more people. Toy sales on the web in the States are huge.

WHAT'S your next goal?

TURNING Early Learning Centre into a truly global brand - starting with the United States.

WHAT was your best day in business?

THE day in l990 I was appointed to the board of Bhs, less than 12 months after being made redundant by Bhs.

YOUR worst?

THE day I was made redundant by Bhs by mistake. A new chief executive from the States got rid of a layer of management. They then looked at the performance of the individual managers and asked me back.

HOW do you relax after work?

CRASH out on the sofa and watch TV.

WHAT'S your idea of the perfect holiday?

A TUSCAN villa close to Siena.

HOW do you get to work?

DRIVE in a navy blue BMW.

WHAT would you do if you weren't running ELC?

SPEND more time at Warner Sports, the sportswear retail business where I am a shareholder.

WHAT'S your favourite film?

ANNIE Hall with Woody Allen. He is a genius.

WHAT do you usually drink?

LAGER and red wine - but not simultaneously.

YOUR idea of the perfect day?

A MORNING round of golf followed by seeing Everton win the FA Cup Final at Wembley. In the evening, it would be attending a Bob Dylan concert before snuggling up to Lorraine my wife to watch the FA Cup highlights on Match of the Day. Pure bliss.

WHAT'S the best TV series you have ever seen?

BEHIND Closed Doors - The Watergate Scandal. I was intrigued such a crook could become the most powerful man in the world.

YOUR favourite book?

A PATCHWORK Planet, by Anne Tyler. She makes incredible observations on life, and there are traits in the heroes I recognise in myself.

PERFECT pub to go to with friends?

THE Wild Duck at Wen in Gloucestershire which serves really amazing food.

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