Creating a New Society - Q&A with Debbie & Phil

Phil Ponsonby (00:00:11:05 – 00:00:16:03)
Hello everyone. I'm Phil Ponsonby, Chief Executive of The Midcounties Co-operative.

Debbie Robinson (00:00:16:05 – 00:00:51:10)
Hello there. I'm Debbie Robinson, the CEO at Central Co-op, and I hope that you're all keeping safe and well. Welcome to the return of our joint podcast. We're here at the Central Co-op County Cricket Ground, home of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. It's a fantastic setting — clear blue sky, beautifully manicured green behind us — but it's pretty nippy too, to say the least.

Debbie Robinson (00:00:51:12 – 00:01:18:01)
We're here because we've got the Central Co-op Men’s Voices event. It's the fifth year we've run it, inspired by our President, Elaine Dean. We've had women’s events for some time, and it's fantastic to have this event for men — a chance for them to share their concerns and how they're feeling.

Debbie Robinson (00:01:18:01 – 00:01:37:08)
Things have been pretty tough out there. There's a brilliant set of initiatives in place today — practical workshops including yoga and a chance to play on a county cricket pitch. Plenty of colleagues are looking forward to that.

Phil Ponsonby (00:01:37:10 – 00:01:58:11)
I've joined some of the men upstairs who are here for the event and talked to them — both colleagues and members. It’s open to all, and they're all giving very positive feedback. I've got my badge, given by your President, as part of attending the event. It's a really good event, and in its fifth year it's clearly well attended and making a big difference.

Phil Ponsonby (00:01:58:11 – 00:02:07:12)
It seems to be a really good event and is obviously making a big impact on the men who attend.

Debbie Robinson (00:02:07:14 – 00:02:25:08)
It is really important to us. And James does a brilliant job getting more people to attend every year, and tackling the issues that matter to our male colleagues and members.

Phil Ponsonby (00:02:25:09 – 00:02:35:20)
And it's clever hosting it at a sports ground. You're more likely to get men to show up if it's at a cricket or football ground. Good idea.

Debbie Robinson (00:02:35:22 – 00:03:03:07)
Sport is so associated with co-ops throughout our history. Derbyshire County Cricket Club is deeply involved in the local community and grassroots, with a very active youth program. The first match we sponsored here featured the England women’s team — who’ve gone on to great things.

Debbie Robinson (00:03:03:09 – 00:03:16:17)
So for our colleagues in future, you'll have access to tickets to attend events here. We're looking forward to hosting more colleagues in the coming months.

Phil Ponsonby (00:03:16:17 – 00:03:22:15)
And of course we were here last night for your very important members' meeting, weren’t we?

Debbie Robinson (00:03:22:17 – 00:03:50:01)
Yes. It was time for our members to vote on bringing together our two great societies. I'm delighted to say we had over a 92% majority voting in favour — a huge endorsement for creating one society for the future.

Debbie Robinson (00:03:50:01 – 00:03:58:22)
We can build on our great foundations and create something really special that stands the test of time.

Phil Ponsonby (00:03:58:23 – 00:04:26:20)
And what a brilliant endorsement on both sides — Midcounties’ members voted 96% in favour on Monday. Over 90% in both meetings is a resounding endorsement. It was great that our President Irene Kirkman was here with me to answer questions alongside you and your President Elaine Dean. Members could see us all working together, and the questions at both meetings were very similar — showing our members’ concerns and interests align.

Phil Ponsonby (00:04:26:20 – 00:04:45:14)
Colleagues also joined those meetings and asked good questions. I enjoyed being here last night — maybe less pressure than Monday! It was a great meeting. Well done.

Debbie Robinson (00:04:45:14 – 00:05:13:14)
Well done to you too. And to all the teams involved — our society secretaries, membership teams encouraging participation — their work led to great turnout and fantastic results. True co-operation for the future.

Phil Ponsonby (00:05:13:17 – 00:05:23:04)
Even the people behind the scenes here, behind the camera and doing the prompting — they were part of it too. Good job, everyone.

Debbie Robinson (00:05:23:08 – 00:05:39:21)
I really want to echo that. I'm new to podcasting, and you make it so easy. Great briefing, great preparation — real professionals. Thank you.

Phil Ponsonby (00:05:39:23 – 00:05:55:07)
It was a brilliant event, but it was freezing when we arrived last night! I'm glad the heaters were on. Snow on the ground, cold weather — but that's the time of year.

Phil Ponsonby (00:05:55:08 – 00:06:12:17)
Unless you're one of our travel team — who will be in warmer climates at your travel conference, talking to suppliers and planning for next year. Hope you're having a good time in the warm! Debbie, any message for the travel team?

Debbie Robinson (00:06:19:17 – 00:06:56:11)
Absolutely. I hope you're enjoying your time in warmer climates and sharing the work we're doing to bring two fantastic societies together. Thank you for supporting us with a £1,000 voucher promotion through November — a great way to raise awareness of your fantastic holiday range.

Debbie Robinson (00:06:56:11 – 00:07:13:20)
And I can imagine how much more we'll be able to do in the future. On a cold day like this, people will be thinking of warmer climes — hopefully booking their summer holidays.

Phil Ponsonby (00:07:13:22 – 00:07:31:20)
January is a hugely important time for travel. It’s going to be very competitive, with tour operators offering more discounts. Our consortium partners, Personal Travel Agents, and retail teams are all planning for this key period. Good luck with your planning and have a great conference.

Debbie Robinson (00:07:53:07 – 00:08:14:17)
We have in-store radio in our food stores — it would be great to run travel ads in January. I've noticed how much radio advertising you do. Perhaps we can lift some of the external ads and put them on in-store radio to boost sales and delight members with great co-operative holidays.

Phil Ponsonby (00:08:14:19 – 00:08:36:06)
We don’t have in-store radio across most Midcounties stores, so that’s an opportunity next year. Our travel colleagues will be delighted to know their adverts will be in Central Co-op stores — and hopefully next year across 500 stores as we come together.

Debbie Robinson (00:08:59:07 – 00:09:19:10)
It's an amazing opportunity. We must think of ourselves as media owners — with reach to a million members. That’s a huge asset and could generate income to reinvest in marketing and communications.

Phil Ponsonby (00:09:31:19 – 00:09:39:07)
Exactly — and with strong footfall at our sites, there are big advertising opportunities.

Debbie Robinson (00:09:39:09 – 00:09:59:23)
Back to the questions. We keep receiving this one: how will we prioritise regenerations and new sites in the future?

Debbie Robinson (00:10:00:00 – 00:10:30:16)
From a Central perspective, if there are dilapidations — broken fridges, faulty doors — these must be addressed. No one should worry about standards. For new sites, it's simply about where we get the best return.

Debbie Robinson (00:10:30:18 – 00:10:55:22)
Some new stores perform incredibly well from day one. Others in new developments may take time because homes aren’t yet occupied. We’ll be more selective and look for stronger starts.

Debbie Robinson (00:10:55:24 – 00:11:20:23)
We'll review our programs side by side and prioritise the best opportunities. And one of the best points you made last night, Phil, was about integration — the benefits far outweigh any other individual activities. Delivering synergy benefits and growing top-line sales must be our priority.

Phil Ponsonby (00:11:21:00 – 00:12:07:08)
We currently appraise sites differently, so merging these processes offers an opportunity to improve how we respond to challenges across stores, nurseries, travel branches, and funeral homes.

Phil Ponsonby (00:12:07:08 – 00:12:26:11)
Another recurring question: continuation of length of service. To reiterate — your length of service will absolutely be maintained. If you've completed 20 years with either society, that carries forward.

Debbie Robinson (00:12:26:13 – 00:13:09:09)
Thank you to all our long-service colleagues. It's incredible to think the majority of your working life has been dedicated to co-ops. We value you deeply. And we’ll also bring through younger colleagues via apprenticeships and degree schemes — blending experience with new ideas.

Phil Ponsonby (00:13:17:07 – 00:13:18:14)
Absolutely.

Debbie Robinson (00:13:18:16 – 00:13:39:11)
Thank you for tuning in. If you've missed past podcasts, check your usual platforms. There's also a question and answer section covering more questions than we can here. Please keep them coming — they help shape our future direction.

Phil Ponsonby (00:13:45:06 – 00:14:07:12)
And Midcounties colleagues — the second confirmatory meeting is on the 2nd of December. Please register if you haven’t. You can attend online if that's easier. Thank you for your continued support for our customers, members, and community. Thank you.