What’s unique about this store compared with others you’ve managed? I moved to this shop three months ago. I was at my previous store in South Woodford – which also won a few weeks ago – for 10 years and wanted a new challenge. It’s a great place to shop that’s heavily centred around families, especially at the weekend. It’s a very busy, 24-hour operation, and the first store I’ve managed where there is a petrol station, which has added layers of complexity. Luckily for me, there is a very established management team and experienced group of 150 partners.
How does your location affect footfall? We’re a stone’s throw from the tube station, so we get lots of commuter customers. Our café also makes us a very popular foodservice destination. There’s currently a very large building development on the other side of our car park. When it opens in May, it’ll be approximately 190 new apartments right on our doorstep, so we’re going to be welcoming a lot of new customers. We’ll speak to the residents’ association nearer the time about how we can best serve them.
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It was a special Halloween basket this week. What are people stocking up on? It’s what you’d expect at Halloween: pumpkins and sweets. But among that there are some lovely lines, the Mini Munchkin Pumpkin is absolutely fantastic. Cards are popular as well.
Do you have any spooky plans to celebrate as a store? We’ll do a bit of dressing up and presentation in our café to create a bit of theatre.
Waitrose has recently expanded the No.1 range. Are there any products you’re promoting? Can I just say the packaging and the design of No.1 is first class. There’s lots I’m looking forward to, particularly from our Christmas assortment. I have my eye on a couple at the moment: the free-range turkey bauble and, dessert-wise, the No.1 Christmas Nutcracker.
When do you start ramping up to Christmas? Momentum is building. The full assortment is out already. We always see early trade as soon as we start putting the range out and it’s started now. It’s a tough time in terms of recruitment, but we have a significant amount of returning partners who come back and help during that peak period. It’s also a good opportunity to bring some new partners into the store.
What’s your main focus now you’re three months into your new role? The store is built on a great service foundation. We have a fantastic culture with a vast amount of experience within the team. So at the moment, the focus is on continuing that momentum. We’re always looking for ways to improve the level of service that we give – it’s one of our key focuses, along with great availability and a clutter-free shop. My job is to engage with all our partners to maintain that spirit, energy and commitment.
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