Women in Retail: Young Talent within the Society
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Published 15 Jul 2021 in Raising Awareness
As our Women in Retail spotlight continues, this week Martina Crespin, Store Manager at Old Town Swindon met with Clare Moore, our Chief HR Officer to discuss their careers, how they strike a good work/life balance and their aspirations for the future.
Martina Crespin - Old Town Store Manager
Martina is Midcounties’ youngest Store Manager. She began running our Thame supermarket at the age of just 21 and now manages the largest store in District 10, at just 23 years old.
She says it’s amazing seeing her store flourishing and that it’s not just a job to her, it’s something she really loves. Martina says, “At Midcounties, it’s not about who you are, it doesn’t matter about your age or your gender, it’s about whether you can do it or not.”
0:00 - Intro - 0:13 - How did you become store manager? - 4:15 - Have you faced any barriers? - 6:05 - How well supported are you in your role? - 7:24 - How do you manage your work/life balance? - 10:40 - What are your future aspirations? - 13:32 - Would you consider moving out of Food if the right opportunity came along? - 17:25 - What could we do more to support Women in Retail?
Clare Moore - Chief HR Officer
Clare is one of three women on Midcounties’ Executive Team and is the youngest member of the Exec, aged just 39. Clare started her career on the Jaguar Land Rover HR graduate scheme, before progressing her career at Barclaycard and then Halfords.
Clare has two children aged 5 and 7 and says she’s really lucky to work for a business that appreciates that you have a life outside of work. She says, “If you’ve got a good team, you shouldn’t need to put loads of hours in.”
0:00 - Intro - 0:11 - Can you tell us a little about yourself? - 1:03 - Can you tell us your career path before joining Midcounties? - 5:18 - What is your current role within Midcounties? - 6:05 - How do you manage your work/life balance in an Executive role? - 7:22 - As a female, have you found any barriers that have stopped you in your career? - 9:27 - With women who want to progress in their careers, what advice would you give them? - 11:13 - As an Executive member, where would you like to see the Midcounties from a gender perspective in the next 5 years? - 13:35 - What are your future aspirations?
Clare’s advice for women who want to progress in the business:
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Believe in yourself
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Find people who will support you
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Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want
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If you want to work flexibly, offer solutions and show how they could work
Join Clare for a day out
Want to discuss your career, your future and the opportunities available to you? Join Clare Moore for a one-on-one day out and about in the business.
How to apply
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Tell us which trading group you’d like to spend the day in.
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Send us a short paragraph on why a day out with Clare would benefit you.
Email your answers to Rebekah.Brain@midcounties.coop by 22nd July 2021
Progress your career in Retail 💡
Attend a roadshow
Want to know more about the opportunities available to our retail colleagues (male and female) and how you can climb the career ladder? We will be holding 3 career roadshows for colleagues to attend so pop the dates in your diary:
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8 September – Oxford (venue TBC)
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8 September – Virtual
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12 October – (Venue TBC)
Apply for the Pilot Job Share
Later in the year, we will be trialling 2 store manager job shares for a 3-month period (1 in a supermarket and 1 in a convenience store). This is available to any colleague regardless of gender that may already be a store manager or looking for their next career move.
If you’re interested in applying or want to find out more email matt.windridge@midcounties.coop and susan.barguss@midcounties.coop
Next week, the Women in Retail series shares video diaries from Stacey Dingley, on her first Keeping in Touch Day after her having her daughter, and Aimee Briggs, as she juggles work and a young child.
Inspiring Women in Retail
Each week we’ll be sharing pictures of three of our inspiring women in retail who are showing continual progression with the Society. Well done to our inspiring women in retail! 😊
Charley Ameinto - Team Manager Broadway to Store Manager Shipston
Lisa Ingleson - Manager Brackley to Manager Deddington
Rosemary Coleman - Team Leader Stewartby to Team Manager Pineham