Tesco head office staff have pledged to work a total of more than 10,000 days in stores in the run up to Christmas, as the retailer gives them a taste of life on the front line.
In the latest phase of chief executive Dave Lewis’s so-called Feet on the Floor exercise, around 7,000 staff are taking part in the initiative, which this year requires staff to spend four days working in stores between Halloween and the festive season.
Feet on the Floor was one of the first initiatives brought in by Lewis when he took over as CEO in 2014, as he made improving customer service a key part of his turnaround plans for the retailer.
However, this year the time staff are required to spend in store has been reduced from the previous two years of the programme, when they had to spend at least five days in the aisles.
“Our Feet on the Floor initiative brings colleagues from offices and stores together to help serve customers at the busiest time of year,” said Tesco UK CEO Matt Davies.
“It’s a great opportunity for all colleagues to share experiences and learn how to serve Britain’s shoppers a little better every day.
“So far, office colleagues have arranged to work over 10,000 days in store.”
The move comes as Tesco experiences a resurgence in its store performance.
According to the latest grocery market share figures published this week by Kantar, Tesco is the only member of the big four supermarkets in growth.
Its total sales were up 2.2% for the 12 weeks to 8 November.
It is the latest retailer to look to shore up its Christmas trading by putting more bodies on the shop floor. Last month Waitrose announced it was recruiting 5,000 temporary staff for the festive period.
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