Store visits, Co-op’s UK CEO visit & the King’s Coronation
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Published 7 Apr 2023 in Phil's blog
Out and about – visiting our Food stores
Since taking over direct Executive responsibility for our Food business at the end of last year, I have spent a lot of time visiting stores with Sarah Yates, Head of Trading and Mark Taylor, Head of Operations. The visits are designed to understand the challenges faced by our Food teams and look at the opportunities for growing sales, which I have set as an absolute priority for this year. The results for period 1 show that this focus is paying off with strong growth over the same period last year. Very encouraging to see.
Last Friday, I joined Mark Taylor on visits to a few food stores as part of this approach. At Sutton Road, Walsall, I met with Store Manager, Stephanie Cook and some of her team to discuss the difficult challenges they have had with a spate of armed robberies and what our ‘Safe Stores’ team have been doing to support them and what more needed to be done. They are one of six stores trialling ‘bodycams’ for the first time. This is just one of many new approaches being deployed to combat retail crime.
Meeting Store Manager, Wendy Parkes (second left) at Brewood in Staffordshire along with her fantastic team
With Store Manager, Sam Cox at Cheslyn Hay in Staffordshire
I also visited Cheslyn Hay in Staffordshire where Store Manager, Sam Cox was keen to share her thoughts on how sales could be improved. This included more local lines, a better display of the bakery and new impulse sales fixtures at the till points; I am pleased to say these ideas are already being actioned. Finally, I met with Store Manager, Wendy Parkes at Brewood in Staffordshire and her team. There is no greater example of the commitment to grow membership than as demonstrated by Wendy and her team who are achieving over 50% participation. This a brilliant achievement for this small village store and just shows what can be done when the entire team get behind this important objective.
A visit from Rose Marley, CEO at Co-operatives UK
On Monday this week, I was joined by Rose Marley, CEO at Co-operatives UK.
A vital network for all UK co-op’s, they work very closely with us to provide support, knowledge and ultimately help grow our Society. Aligning with our values and principles, they also help lobby many of our campaigns, develop and unite our movement with specialised events like the Co-op Retail Conference last month.
It was great to welcome Rose to our Warwick support office and visit some of our trading area sites. We had the chance to visit our new nursery at Warwick Gates and our Food store at Cape Road Warwick, where Rose was very impressed. Later that evening, Rose met with our Board of Directors and talked about how digital platform co-ops are developing and what we could do to provide support.
Meeting Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK
King Charles III’s Coronation – Update
As we countdown to the historic ceremony of King Charles III’s coronation, this week we updated all colleagues about the additional bank holiday that takes place on 8 May. So please share and refer to the communication for full details & FAQs here.
With wider plans already in motion across trading areas including in-store promotions and the celebration, the official coronation will take place on Saturday 6 May in Westminster Abbey and conclude with the ‘Big Help out’ volunteering push on Monday 8 May.
Keep an eye out for further updates soon.
Easter Pay Day weekend and Colleague Pulse Survey
With pay day earlier due to the Good Friday bank holiday, there are many fantastic offers in our Food stores over the Easter weekend including 20% off a selection of wines. As a reminder, don’t forget that the enhanced colleague benefits continue in Food with 20% off your shop. Plus, if you are starting to plan that summer getaway, we have up to £500 off your booking with Your Co-op Travel. To find out more, click here.
Finally, the latest colleague pulse survey has gone live and closes on 16 April, so if you haven’t already, it’s your chance to let us know your views by taking part. All you need to do is log in via Colleagues Connect, and the survey link will be shown in your notifications.
Taking part in the survey ensures we gain a rounded view of what you, our colleagues, think and from this, we can make positive changes for the better. I encourage everyone to take part and ask that you share the survey with your fellow colleagues. Entries are anonymous, and if you take part, you have a chance to win one of five £20 Your Co-op Vouchers. To find out more, click here.
Easter Greetings
Finally, the Easter weekend is upon us and is one of my favourite times of the year. It’s similar to Christmas in that it’s a good time for reflection and time to spend with family and friends, but perhaps without the pressure and costs attached to the Christmas season. At Easter, when the daffodils are blooming, the lambs are in the fields and the evenings are getting lighter, we start to think of summer and the joy that it brings.
Easter is always a busy time for our Food stores, particularly our convenience stores on Easter Sunday when the big shops are all closed. I know that our colleagues will be working extremely hard to ensure that our customers and members can get all the things they need to enjoy their Easter weekend.
So, whatever you’re doing this weekend, I hope you have an enjoyable time and that the promised sunshine makes it all the more special.
Happy Easter to you and your families.
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