Store of the Week: Sainsbury’s Scarborough

How long have you been at this store and what changes have you made? I’ve been here since the store changed from a Safeway to a Sainsbury’s (in 2004) and we had a major refit in November last year. The store expanded and brought with it a new café upstairs, a huge GM department, 9,000 extra sq ft of clothing, new counters including a deli, food-to-go, meat and fish, etc. The most popular by far has been the in-store pizza range, where customers can order a pizza and we cook it in six minutes. The extension has been greeted so positively by customers and colleagues: the whole shopping experience has changed now.

Overall, the store performed well but availability was a problem. What happened there? I’m disappointed that we didn’t do better, but it was an incredibly busy weekend and we exceeded our budget. The last weekend of August in a seaside town is always busy. We have processes in store and technology to ensure that our availability is top-notch, and our customer feedback on availability has always been good. We were just very busy.

New CEO Mike Coupe has been busy touring stores. What are your impressions of him? I actually met him last year and what struck me was that he was an extremely good listener. He heard what all the colleagues had to say and listened to feedback, both positive and negative. Mike Coupe’s our top man and he’s going to be great for Sainsbury’s, I’m sure.

How did the wet bank holiday affect the store? We’re definitely a seasonal store. Although our sales are buoyant, it’s been a mixture this weekend. We always have an uplift in the summer months and we do run specialised seasonal ranges like wetsuits. I find it very exciting that we have to adapt to the seasons here. Now summer is over, our back to school range is in full flow. We stock all the local school colours and stationery, so we’re well prepared.