Sainsbury's Heyford Hill

Richard Perry was toast of Sainsbury’s this week after being crowned Store Manager of the Year at the Grocer Gold Awards.

Perry, who manages Sainsbury’s store in Heyford Hill, Oxford, wowed judges during a 20-minute presentation and Q&A session where he detailed how he had united his team to fight back against roadworks in Oxford that lasted for seven-and-a-half months and ringfenced his store.

He saw off competition from the cream of the managerial crop at Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose to scoop the highly coveted prize.

“I am so proud - 30 years in retail and this is the highlight of my career,” said Perry. “It’s a result for the store and all my colleagues. Without them I am nothing. And tomorrow morning I’ve got 340 colleagues to say thank you to.”

Sainsbury’s retail and operations director Roger Burnley said: “Seeing Richard awarded Store Manager of the Year was the highlight of my year so far! It’s a fantastic achievement for him and his team and an accolade that he very much deserves. I was also really proud of all my colleagues, store managers and regional managers on winning Grocer 33 for both Availability and Service for the third year running - it’s a true reflection of their hard work and commitment to maintaining consistently high standards in our stores and offering great service to our customers.”