Vaccine Rollout, 12 Days of Christmas starts & NHS Together Campaign

You will have probably heard the news that the first UK vaccine was administered this week to 90-year-old Margaret Keenan in Coventry. This is fantastic news and will go down in history for being the start of something that will help us continue our fight against the pandemic. My thanks go out to all the NHS Staff who are continuing to help keep our people well as well as the scientists who have delivered this breakthrough news. Quite ironically, the second vaccine was delivered to a fellow Warwickshire man aptly named ‘William Shakespeare’, they both were the first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that will be dispensed in the coming weeks in the UK.

12 Days of Christmas begins this weekend & 20% colleague discount starts

This Sunday sees the start of our colleague giveaway in the 12 Days of Christmas. With over 50 prizes to share with our colleagues, the countdown will reveal a random prize draw for colleagues each day. Having read about some of the fantastic prizes on offer, I am sure the lucky winners will appreciate the extra gifts this Christmas. Showing our appreciation for your hard work and dedication this year, there are a number of rewards for all colleagues to take advantage of this festive period. From tomorrow, colleagues can receive 20% discount in all Food stores between 12^th-24^th December, have a look through the Food Christmas Showcase Colleague magazine to help you plan your Christmas. Click here to find out more information on all Colleague rewards.

As an equal feature, this year, we are not just recognising our colleagues but also our incredible charity partners. As unsung heroes, they have truly done some fantastic things in a tough last few months. From all the invaluable work they do on a daily basis to the team members who work tirelessly behind the scenes; they support the most vulnerable communities to ensure their safety and security. That’s why we decided as a Society to reward them for all the hard work and commitment throughout the year which I’m sure they are ecstatic to receive! Keep an eye out for their updates during the 12 Days of Christmas.

NHS Together Campaign

As released earlier this week, we are pleased to continue showing our support for NHS key workers this Christmas by partnering with other Co-op Society’s and some well-known brands to raise funds as part of an NHS Together Campaign. Alongside brands including Starbucks, Swarovski and John Lewis, we will be donating £1 from the sale of every Christmas flower bouquet towards this great initiative. For more information on buying the bouquets and to watch the TV advert please click here.

Janice Cook’s 40 Year Service

[Janice Cook, second left, with her 40-year service award and fellow colleagues at Longlevens Food store]

This week I was honoured to join colleagues in recognising the fantastic achievement of Longlevens Food store colleague, Janice Cook, who has now reached 40 years of service with the Society.

Like many of my store visits, I was scheduled to meet Janice in person but due to our current circumstances, this wasn’t possible.

Board Meetings for the Association of Convenience Stores and the Federal Retail Trading Services

This week I attended Board Meetings for the Association of Convenience Stores and the Federal Retail Trading Services which oversees the buying and distribution for 4000 Co-op stores across the UK. You won't be surprised to hear that Brexit dominated much of the discussion. We are obviously facing into significant uncertainty with the absence of a trade deal and have therefore invested significant time and money in preparation for any outcome, this includes a large increase in stockholding across the national distribution network and the securing of additional local suppliers in fresh food and produce.

We will wait to see what happens over the next few days! 

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