SPARK OF CHANGE Barry Williams head of business unit ­ core grocery and non foods Barry Williams was responsible for dreaming up a half-price toy sale through the chain that was pitched against Argos and which worked spectacularly well. "We were looking at other things we copuld sell out of our stores and toys were a natural fit. We were rationalising our Christmas range and this gave us more space for toys in the stores. Williams says: "We have got a lot of things right and nothing has gone badly wrong. We understand the element of risk involved." He adds: "We inherited a lot of baggage, but we are getting smarter at what we do. There were old and outmoded ways of doing things and there was stock left around in stores. In some stores I counted nine different varieties of canned sweetcorn and that is ridiculous. The buyer had obviously been ading new lines without removing old ones to make the space. "In our concept store we cut space for core grocery by 25% and sales grew by 30%. This was done bu improving the quality of the range. We got our heads round the idea of brands and we made the offer a lot clearer. I can really change things in the category and the level of work we have put in makes a big difference." Historically, United Norwest has been strong in non-food because it was part of the co-op offer. It is now the third biggest retailer in news and magazines in the north-west. Keith Hepton head of Business unit ­ Fresh Foods When Keith Hepton moved to United Norwest from Somerfield, he decided he would give the job a go for 12 months then review the situation. That was 18 months ago. "We are taking fresh food very seriously. I have come from a background where that was not the case." Hepton pulled together the company's Spark Team initiative to iron out problems with the division's fresh prepacked meat category. It took six months, but the results were widely welcomed within the company and the changes are now being rolled out. "The problem was how to make meat profitable," he says. "It was key to the stores and we had to get it right. It is a good way to make things happen and it helps everyone work together." Hepton is not resting there and is planning to put the spark into fresh produce ­ the division is well aware that poor fresh produce offerings discourage people from shopping in the stores. "This is important from a strategic marketing view," Hepton says. Alan Stoneham head of business unit ­ space planning Alan Stoneham has presided over a major upheaval in the division by investigating exactly how space is being used instore. "Previously, the business provided planograms based on who the buyer wanted to please," he says. "Last year, we embraced the most ambitious range review any retailer has ever undertaken." New ranges were built, planograms were created and implemented and a re-education programme occurred. "The stores were not good at this and we had to sell the benefits of range management to them," Stoneham reveals. "Now that we have remerchandised the stores and the categories the results have been fantastic." That done, he is now focusing on the categories that present the most opportunities for United Norwest. This means concentrating on such areas as soft drinks and ready meals, rather than canned vegetables and home baking. A pilot scheme is also in place that has beers, wines and spirits at the centre of the store. "It is difficult to measure the success of this as a lot of other things have to be changed to make it work," Stoneham says. "It could be that in six months' time we will be asking suppliers to think of the macro implications instore of their strategies instead of the micro results coming off the shelves." Mark Owen head of business unit ­ impulse grocery/unified buying Owen's remit includes beers, wines and spirits ­ and one of his aims is to move his customers up from simple distress purchasing at the c-stores. "In the licensed sector we have the range and the ability to make a statement that will bring people into the stores," he says. "But to do that requires a radical rethink." Part of this involves asking suppliers to help fund the cost of refrigerating some of the section and a rethink on the wine range. "Category management of wines has to be based on demographics," Owen says. "Stocking policy will depend on the local populations." According to Owen, the team has been successful in moving consumers up from the £1.99 and £2.49 wines by putting much more emphasis on the brand leaders. He is critical of the work done by spirits suppliers on the c-store sector, however. "They don't seem to understand that spirits are often sold from behind the counter," Owen argues. "We need to get to their marketing departments and physically drag them into our stores. "Too many companies still do not recognise our strength," he adds. "We are not just getting back on track, we are a major player." {{Z SUPPLEMENTS }}