Store manager of the year Shaun Parker on steering Asda’s biggest store to glory

Shaun Parker might be the perfect man to run Asda Boldon. An ultramarathon runner and passionate hillclimber, our 2025 store manager of the year “loves a challenge” – and by supermarket standards, they don’t come much bigger.

Located in the mining town of Boldon Colliery, between Newcastle and Sunderland, the 100,000 square foot “monster” supercentre is Asda’s biggest and highest-grossing in the north, with takings topping £1.6 m each week.

It’s not just Boldon’s size and massive range which makes it the “most challenging” of all the stores Parker has managed during his 32 years with Asda. Its critical location means it regularly hosts senior leadership conferences, regional manager meetings and supplier events throughout the calendar, adding “layers of complexity” to its day-to-day.

Last year also brought fresh disruption for Boldon, including a full refit and a trial of a new management structure that left the store short of key section leaders heading into the crucial Christmas period. This all unfolded during what can only be described as Asda’s annus horribilis, marked by a drop in market share to 12.5% (Kantar, 12 w/e 29 December 2024), mounting debt, and a costly IT overhaul. Throughout this, Parker was also navigating personal challenges, with his father critically ill.

Despite the upheaval, Parker kept up Boldon’s strong pace, delivering £4m in sales over the Christmas trading period for two consecutive years. Standards and availability – often issues for Asda – were faultless, earning Boldon the highest customer satisfaction score of any Asda store last year.

The store also topped Asda’s giving tables, raising more than any other for its Cashpot for Schools scheme, and £83k in total for charity. So how has he done it?

Ready to rumble

Running coaches often say the secret to running ultramarathons is simplicity. Focus on what’s within your control. Block out the external noise and and keep putting one foot in front of the other. It’s a mantra that has served Parker well both personally and professionally.

“If we haven’t got Frosties on sale, but our performance indicators are where they should be and we’re doing everything we need to do, let’s not worry about that,” he says. “That’s someone else’s job.”

Training, dedication, and stamina are essential for both running a store and running marathons, says Parker, who completed a 70-mile run along Hadrian’s Wall in June. At work, he racks up 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day, covering every aisle, colleague, and corner of the warehouse, and encourages his duty manager to do the same.

When Parker joined Boldon seven years ago he introduced what he calls two “rumble periods” each day, where the team focuses on basic standards, cleaning and restocking. Colleagues are given individual responsibility for specifics aisles, meaning there is accountability if standards slip and praise where they excel.

Crucially, it means the store’s high standards are a team effort, he adds. “Our base standard is probably higher than other Asdas. I want to see an empty warehouse. It’s a tough thing to do, but it means that more of my colleagues are on the shop floor to help customers.”

A career highlight

A career in grocery wasn’t always what Parker had in mind. He joined Asda as a checkout assistant while studying town planning at Newcastle University, but soon caught the retail bug. His first application to the store management programme was unsuccessful, but after reapplying the following year, he progressed through several regional and head office roles. Boldon is the seventh store he’s managed.

Parker has a “firm but fair” management style, underpinned by a genuine passion for development and a drive to see colleagues excel in their career. Eight of his previous deputies have gone on to be store managers.

“Sometimes all it takes is a tap on the shoulder and giving someone an opportunity to do something different,” he says.

Parker describes winning Store Manager of the Year at The Grocer Gold Awards in July as the “pinnacle” of his career so far, although he insists it was “completely unexpected.”

True to form, his recovery was swift. After celebrating with colleagues, including a delighted chairman Allan Leighton, and a late night at the hotel bar, Parker caught the 5am train back to Newcastle and was in the store by 9:30am.

Now he’s focused on how Boldon can play its part in the marathon task of turning the Asda ship around.  

“I see my role in that as trying to be an ambassador for our region,” Parker says. “I’m proud to work for Asda. I want to be number one. That passion to win hasn’t waned over the 32 years. If anything, it’s grown.”