Jeweller Gerald Ratner, the man whose infamous cr*p remark wiped £500 million off his business, has expressed surprise that high-speed trains have not done more to turn Kent and Ashford into a booming area.

Mr Ratner was guest speaker at B2B 2013, the 27th annual business expo run by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce and held in Ashford International Hotel.

He told a large audience how he bounced back from the financial disaster after his jokes in a speech in the Royal Albert Hall in 1991 backfired.

Mr Ratner lives in Maidenhead and travelled to Ashford on the HS1 Javelin train.

"The service was unbelievable and a huge plus for the area," he said.

"I’m surprised it hasn’t had more effect. Crossrail is coming to Maidenhead in five years and it has already put up house prices."

He added: "Bearing in mind the benefits of high speed rail to the area and business, I don't think I was aware of it until I came down here.

It's been a learning curve for me and I'm going back with a very high opinion of the place. I'm very impressed. But I don't think that's come over to people who don't come down here. It's all to do with marketing. That's the key to everything."

But, taking a 10-year view, Mr Ratner said high speed trains would "do wonders for the area.”

After spending time at many of the 100 stands, Mr Ratner added: "From what I’ve seen, there are some great innovative companies here. People have a good feeling about Kent

'From what I’ve seen, there are some great innovative companies here. People have a good feeling about Kent'

. They don’t make jokes about Kent. It has a nice feel about it. it’s the Garden of England, a lively area with a hard-nosed business approach."

Mr Ratner, former boss of jewellery chains Ratners, Ernest Jones and H Samuel, lost everything after he joked that his product was sold for such a low price "because it’s total cr*p." In another joke, he said some of the firm’s earrings were “cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but probably won’t last as long." The words frequently top polls of all-time biggest gaffes.

But Mr Ratner, once 'the poster boy for failure' now runs the successful Gerald Online jewellery business with sales of £35 million. He had his audience riveted by a frank account of what happened, laced throughout with black humour, and inspirational words for anyone who has faced difficulties in business.

Meanwhile, Andrew Aves, of the Federation of Small Businesses in Kent and Medway, praised the expo.

"There’s a good buzz and excellent atmosphere," he said.

"We have got a lot of very good inquiries and leads. We’re very pleased. We see good prospects for Kent and people who are proactive that are here today."