I S S U E 4 A u t u m n 2 0 1 4

THE MAGAZINE FOR BLAKEMORE RETAIL EMPLOYEES

IT ’S YOUR NEWS

Blakemore Retail ConferenceOutlines 2020 Vision

John Kelly and John DysonFundraising Hits £28,000

Blakemore Retail ShowcasesLatest New Store: King’s Lynn

Blakemore Retail Celebrates Successat Managers Conference 2014

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Introduct ion Conference

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It’s Your News is written by A.F.Blakemore’s Corporate Affairsdepartment. If you have any stories or photos thatyou would like to see featured in thenext edition, please contact:

Rachel AdamsCommunications Officerradams@afblakemore.com0121 568 2908

Introduction ContentsAs the summer draws to anend (and despite a rather wetAugust Bank Holiday) we aregrateful for what has been arelatively dry and sunnysummer. This has helpedachieve a good start to ourfinancial year, with salesexceeding budget.Following a successful trial period ofoperating Subway franchises in ourstores, we have now embarked upon anaccelerated rollout programme andopened four more in the last monthalone. Our most recent was BradleyCross Roads in Grimsby, whose openingweekend sales were spectacular andbeyond all forecasts. By the end of thefinancial year we will have more than 30stores with a Subway, and our Fresh Fooddepartment and Store Development teamare currently working hard to make thishappen. Alongside Subway we are re-launchingour own Food To Go brand with excitingnew products and brand new packagingdesigns, so stores that have not beenselected for a Subway can look forwardto a reinvigorated Food To Go range. We continue to invest in the future of thebusiness and our latest new storeopening was Kings Lynn, which opened inJuly and included a Subway from launch.Sales for both the new store and Subwayare encouraging. Despite numerous delays we have at lasttransferred our Ramsgate store from anold dilapidated building to a new purpose-built location. I would like to thank thestaff for their patience as I appreciatehow difficult their working conditionshave been. We are looking forward to further newstores at both Louth and Glemsfordopening later this year. Louth will be apetrol forecourt with both a Subway andGreggs franchise. This will be the thirdGreggs department for Blakemore Retail,with the first one at Brumby Corner,

which opened as a trial back in July, andLeegomery, which is due to open inSeptember. We are continuing with the upgrading ofour Post Office network and are pleasedto have opened four brand new offices atLlanmartin, Chirk, Kirkgate andBirmingham Airport. These are all doingvery well and we are looking forward tomany more coming on board in thecoming months.I was delighted to be able to hold ourannual Managers Conference in June aftermissing 2013. What an honour it was tohave Sir Chris Hoy as a guest speaker andfor me personally to have the pleasure ofinterviewing him live on stage. I wouldlike to thank Camelot for making thispossible. Finally, since the last edition of It’s YourNews we have said farewell to somelong-serving members of the managementteam with the retirement of SteveSheppard (Fresh Food Coach), Chris Bond(Area Manager) and Trish Gregory(Trainer). I wish them all a long andhealthy retirement. Their retirementshave naturally brought about newadditions to the Fresh Food, Training andOperations teams and I would like towelcome all of the new starters to theBlakemore Retail family.

Geof f Hallam

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Blakemore Retail Outlines 2020 VisionMore than 600 delegates gathered at the Blakemore Retail Managers Conference in Juneto hear senior leaders from across the company deliver the business’s 2020 Vision.

Key speakers from Blakemore Retailpresented on the company’s biggest everinvestment programme and the keystrategies in place to help the businessachieve its goals for the year 2020.

The two-day event took place at theHilton Metropole in Birmingham and wasattended by store managers, field staff,support staff and suppliers.

In his opening address, Blakemore RetailManaging Director Geoff Hallamhighlighted the company’s achievementsfrom the previous year and the ongoinginvestment in the business movingforward: “This year will be a record yearfor investment in the estate,” he said.“During 2014/15 alone we plan to invest£12 million in store development.”

Senior leaders followed on from Geoffwith 2020 strategies for store acquisitionand development, transformation of thePost Office network, technologicalinnovation and sales growth.

SPAR UK Head of Marketing PhilippeRondepierre announced investment infurther television and media advertisingfollowing on from the success of SPAR’snational media campaign last year.

Central to the 2020 Vision is also majorinvestment in the company’s foodserviceoffering. Plans to extend the Subwayfranchise to 100 stores over the courseof the next two years were announced, as

well as the commencement of a brandnew partnership with Greggs bakery.

Olympic track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy wasthe conference’s inspirational guestspeaker, providing delegates with anexclusive insight into his extraordinarysporting career as well as answeringmore personal questions from membersof the audience.

At the end of the first day delegatesparticipated in breakout sessions, duringwhich they discussed the potentialchallenges facing the business in the leadup to 2020 and ways in which they wouldtackle them.

These sessions were then followed by aWorld Cup-themed gala dinner, with allguests dressing up in football shirts to

celebrate the start of the tournament.Live entertainment was provided bymusical act West End Experience andsinging, dancing and comedy trio TheSundaes.

Delegates construct their vision for 2020 during the conference breakout sessionManaging Director Geoff Hallam presents hisbusiness review

Introduction - Geoff Hallam......................2

Managers Meetings................................3-10

New Greggs Franchise Partnership .......11

Your Development Programme..............12

Post Office Network Transformation....13

New Stores ..........................................14-15

New E-learning Programme....................16

John Kelly and John Dyson Fundraising......17

ChildLine Fundraising.........................18-19

Community Volunteering...................20-23

Blakemore Foundation Charitable Giving...24-25

Laura Horsefield BITC Volunteering Award ...26

A.F. Blakemore Community Awards......27

Blakemore Retail Awards 2013 .........28-29

In the Spotlight ....................................30-31

Customer Care Awards...........................32

Long Service Awards..........................33-41

Attendance Awards ............................42-43

Retirements..........................................44-45

Staff Lottery Winners ...............................46

Staff Football Tournament........................47

Competition Corner ................................47

2020 Vision - Working Together

Geoff interviews Olympian Sir Chris Hoy MBE West End Experience

West End Experience

Business ReviewBlakemore Retail Managing Director Geoff Hallam opened the conference with areview of last year’s performance and looked forward to future strategies to help thebusiness achieve its 2020 Vision.

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Keep On Running: Food on the MoveDeputy Managing Director Stuart Adkin’s presentation focused on Blakemore Retail’s strategyto improve its ‘food on the move’ offer. Stuart highlighted the rapid growth in thenumber of people eating out, and howFood To Go and a comprehensivesnacking range is now what customersexpect to see when they enter aconvenience store.

He pointed to the huge salesopportunities for stores sellingsandwiches, pasta salads and fruit snacks.A new range of fruit snacking lines willsoon form part of the meal deal.

Stuart also highlighted the opportunityfor growing sales of hot drinks. CostaCoffee is now available at 75 sites and isbeing considered for a further 100.

Key to the business’s Food To Gostrategy is the expansion of BlakemoreRetail’s Subway network. “Customerswant a brand that they can trust,” saidStuart, “so Subway is a great brand tohave in our stores.”

Stuart explained how, contrary toexpectations, the introduction of Subwayrestaurants across the estate has

Looking to continue the success ofBlakemore Retail’s partnerships withleading brands, Stuart then announced aFood To Go trial involving theintroduction of Greggs bakery countersat three sites. He said: “Greggs is anothergreat, trusted brand that will enhancestores.”

Stuart explained that Blakemore Retailwould continue to grow its in-store FoodTo Go offering, developing new rangessuch as breakfast-on-the-go solutions.

Towards the end of the year the businesswill begin a rebranding of its Food To Godepartments with new product packaging,marketing and a brighter, more modernlooking foodservice counter.

Blakemore Retail will also be introducinga premium Food To Go range for moreupmarket stores as well as a new valueFood To Go range promoting SPAR’s ‘£1Value’ message. The trial of a value FoodTo Go range at Hay Lane has alreadyproved successful, increasing sales by 68%.

Sales for 2013/14 came in at £449.3m,just under budget but beating 2012/13’sfigure of £443.5m. Geoff said: “We’re notquite where we wanted to be, but we’veachieved a healthy increase on last year.We had a great summer and a good runin the lead up to Christmas.”

Geoff highlighted how, despite profitsbeing down on budget, the business madesignificant investment across its estatethroughout last year and will continue todo so this year in order to achieve its keytargets for 2020.

Outlining store development plans formore than 70 sites for the remainder ofthis financial year, Geoff said: “This yearwill be a record year for developingstores. As a business we’re not standingstill but are making constant investment.This year alone we plan to invest £12million in store development.”

In addition to the opening of eleven newstores during the course of 2013/14 andseveral site relocations, Geoff cited thetransformation of the Post Officenetwork as a key area of investment.Twenty-eight Post Offices have beenupgraded to the new Mains and Localsformats in accordance with the PostOffice’s national developmentprogramme, extending Post Office tradinghours and services.

Looking forward, Geoff explained thatgrowing the company’s foodserviceoffering will be central to the businessachieving its 2020 Vision: “Food To Go hasincreased from 14% to 20% ofconvenience shoppers’ shopping missionsin one year. This is a fantastic opportunityfor Blakemore Retail; we’re really, reallygood at Food To Go.”

Geoff highlighted the success of the sevennew Subway franchises introduced lastyear across the estate, explaining that allsites had added to overall store sales andcomplemented SPAR’s existing Food ToGo ranges. Over the next two yearsBlakemore Retail will target the

development of a further 100 Subwaystores across the estate.

Brand new for 2014 is a trial with Greggsbakery. On 25th July Blakemore Retailbecame the first convenience storeoperator in the UK to partner with thechain when it opened a Greggs counter atBrumby Corner in Scunthorpe.

In his review of the wider conveniencemarket, Geoff highlighted both challengesand opportunities for the sector. Hestated that despite the fact that shoots ofeconomic recovery have begun, retailprices and people’s shopping habits havenot necessarily changed: “Shoppingaround for the best deal has become thenorm, and value will continue to matterto our customers.”

Convenience industry research suggeststhat demand for local shopping isexpected to continue, spurred on byfactors such as people shopping little andoften, more single households, longerworking hours and an ageing population.

Summing up Blakemore Retail’sperformance over the course of the lastyear, Geoff said:

“We’ve come a longway in the last 12months, improving

customers’ perceptionof value for money,product range and

availability, communityinvolvement and quality

of fresh fruit,vegetables, meat and

fish. Last year we sawa £1.07 million

improvement in profit.”

“Throughout 2014/15we plan to invest

£12 million in thebusiness.”

“Blakemore Retail hasa great future and great

people to help usachieve it.”

detracted very little from stores’ pre-existing Food To Go offer and has insteadincreased footfall. He said, “We haveimplemented Subway restaurants at ninesites now, but our aim is to get to 100sites within the next two years.”

Growing TogetherSPAR UK Head of Marketing Philippe Rondepierre focused on SPAR UK’s Selling Plan.

January, and also during the Easter periodand run up to the May bank holiday.

Philippe said: “What we are asking forfrom you is a commitment to makingthese things happen in store. We needthe business to really get behind ourmedia plan because it has the capability ofdelivering a minimum of £40 millionworth of extra retail sales.”

The plan focuses on growing basketspend and bringing new shoppers intoSPAR, especially the convenience sector’smost valuable target customer: theyounger female shopper.

Philippe pointed out that if SPAR wantsto generate a higher basket spend, thesingle largest opportunity for thebusiness is to grow top up shopping,which is primarily driven by fresh foods.

Stressing that value continues to matterto customers despite the beginning of theeconomic recovery, Philippe highlightedthe success of the award-winning SPARbrand, which has generated £20 millionsales since its launch. Following on fromthe successful Italian and WinterWarmers ranges, he encourageddelegates to look out for new additionsto the SPAR brand summer range thisyear, including new ice creams.

Philippe then reflected on the success ofthe 2013/14 media plan: “Televisionadvertising provided us with some

amazing results in 2013/14. Like for like,Italian ready meal retail sales were up74% year on year, and our CoventGarden and Innocent advert led to a100% increase in sales for theseproducts.”

Plans are in place for another five burstsof television advertising in 2014/15, duringthe months of August, October and

2020 Vision - Working Together

Great AvailabilityThe importance of Mystery Shopper visits and how these results can help improve thein-store shopping experience were highlighted by Regional Manager Owen Davies.Owen explained that Mystery Shoppervisits are undertaken by “professional”customers who check specific areas suchas standards, service, availability, trainingand other key initiatives.

He said: “This approach helps us assessadherence to procedures and processes,check on standards and availability andidentify how stores can improve theircustomer service, which in turn willboost sales and profitability.”

All stores will receive eight MysteryShopper visits a year, looking at threespecific areas relating to the store,customer interaction and service andcould take place on any day at any time.

Owen then walked through examples ofhow the Mystery Shopper programmehas identified stores that provideexcellent customer service and thosewhere improvements are required.

He went on to highlight specific areasthat have been picked up through thevisits, including the need for stores toshout about the great work that they doin their community and improve ActiveSelling participation.

Owen said:

“If we increase our scorerelated to Active Selling

from 38% to 50% this hasthe potential to increase

our weekly sales by£300,000.”

The final part of the presentationidentified the top performing regions andstores, with the overall estate achieving ascore of 81% after five rounds. Brewoodis currently at the top of the leader boardwith 99%.

In summary, Owen said:

“We want to improve ourcustomers’ experience andexceed their expectations.We want our staff bettertrained to give excellent

SPARkling Service and wewant higher standards with

better availability.

“We are doing well but wewant to do even better, andif we achieve all of thesethings we will boost oursales and our profits.”

Mystery Shopper Review

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Store Operations Director Chris Bacon stressed that productavailability is the single most important customer need.

“A shopper will start shopping elsewherefor a product if they face availability issuesmore than twice,” he said. “Potential lostpurchases due to gaps cost the business£10 million in sales each year.”

Chris urged store managers to follow thefollowing advice in order to ensure thatgreat availability is achieved at all times:

• Complete Zap a Gap checks

• Implement planogram changes

• Complete regular item levelstock checks and update stocks

• Follow correct claims andwastage procedures

• Make full use of SuggestedOrdering and do not adjust day-to-day lines

• Make sure you are aware ofpromotions, changes in trends,weather, competition and localevents, and adjust ordersaccordingly

Chris explained that PromotionalCompliance Audits will be carried outacross Blakemore Retail. Every store willbe visited four times per year to checkfor promotional compliance onpromotion product availability, shelftalkeravailability, stands, headers, posters, activeselling and produce quality.

Chris then handed over to Area ManagerCarolyne Barker, who presented on thefantastic store standards achieved by oneof her store managers, Linda Carringtonfrom Thorngumbald.

Carolyne reported: “From 2006 to 2013,Linda managed to achieve a 50% salesincrease at her store, simply throughgreat management, great customerservice, great store standards, greatpromotion support and great availability.”

Finance Director DerekClifton looked to thefuture in his presentationand spoke about thecompany’s plans toinnovate and introducenew IT capability into thebusiness.

Ways in which the company can improveits operation with other parts of A.F.Blakemore and serve the end customerwere highlighted in addition to howinnovation can reduce costs.

The multi-depot system (MDS) wasidentified as a key project to help developgreater consistencies across theBlakemore distribution operation to helpimprove data collection and efficiencies.

Derek showcased a range of newBusiness to Customer initiatives that havebeen introduced or are due to be pilotedacross the estate, such as contactlesspayment, self-service checkouts, in-storedigital advertising, smartphone apps andthe Sparkle coupon scheme.

A new energy management system isanother example of ways in whichinnovative technology can help to achievefinancial savings. Derek said that the newsystem, which includes light sensors,timers, and automatic temperaturecontrols could potentially reduceelectricity usage by 10%, equating to a£850,000 financial saving.

Innovationand IT

Focus on Fresh FoodsFresh Food Development Manager Matt Teague treated delegates to an interactive presentation thatstressed the importance of creating moments of WOW for customers.

Matt pointed to the increasing pressureput on fresh sales from the competitionin addition to ongoing research that hasidentified the growing importance offresh foods to customers.

The importance of creating moments ofWOW for customers based upon whatthey see, feel and taste was highlighted asa key mechanism for boosting customerloyalty.

Matt went on to show how theleadership behaviours identified throughthe Leading the Blakemore Waydevelopment programme can be appliedto growing customer loyalty.

“By being passionate about our purpose,giving clear direction, encouraging andcoaching colleagues and speaking up forquality and standards we can create

moments of WOW and grow customerloyalty,” he added.

Delegates were invited to participate inproceedings by voting on key themesusing the red tomato and green peppersystem employed on TV show ReadySteady Cook, and Matt also inviteddelegates up on stage to participate in a“blind” test to demonstrate how easy it isto spot produce unsuitable for sale.

Matt called upon store managers toassess their business and launch an eight-week development programme to growproduce sales, stressing that this will notbe achieved by luck but by relentless hardwork.

“Fresh is not a destination but a way oflife,” he concluded.

Carolyne Barker congratulates Linda Carrington(left) on her achievements

Blakemore Retail Bids Farewell to TrishBlakemore Retail delegates joinedtogether at the conference to saythank you and bid farewell to RetailTrainer Trish Gregory, who retiredon August 1st.

Training & Development Manager KerryHunt gave a short presentation on the lifeand times of Trish at the end of day twoof the conference.

Kerry thanked Trish for all her hard workduring her 24 years with the company inrelation to a wide range of activitiesincluding the creation of proceduralmanuals, risk audits, NVQ level 3qualifications and volunteering activity.

She also recalled the fun that Trish hasbrought to the company and some of the

more humorous highlights of Trish’scareer, including the day she came intowork with a pair of odd shoes!

Geoff Hallam thanks Trish Gregory for her 24years of service

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Regional Manager Brian Cherry spoke about BlakemoreRetail’s Operation EXcellence programme for 2014/15 andthe positive impact that this will have in the face of increasingcompetition.

Operation EXcellence

Training & Development Manager Kerry Hunt joined Community Affairs Officer Liz Bellto celebrate some of the company’s most successful community stores.

Placing Stores at the Heart ofthe Community

Operation EXcellence will rewardBlakemore Retail’s Store of the Year for2014/15 with a trip to the 2015 SPARConvention in Barcelona.

Brian said that the growing number ofmultiples entering the conveniencemarket has meant that fresh sales arebecoming increasingly important forBlakemore Retail as it seeks to grow itsshare of the market.

Excellent people, product, presentationand process were highlighted as key areasof focus to meet the increasing demandsplaced upon the company.

The duo highlighted the BlakemoreFoundation, employee volunteering andthe company’s support for ChildLine asthree key ways that the company cansupport the local community.

Kerry took to the stage first and spokeabout the company’s charitable trust, theBlakemore Foundation, showcasing casestudies from Elton, Broomhill, Crewe andDolgellau Post Office as great examplesof how stores can make the most of thefund.Since 2010 the Blakemore Foundation hasdonated £222,527 to good causessupported by Blakemore Retail, via 3,602donations. 2013/14 was a record year forthe estate, with the awarding of 1,746charitable donations worth £82,000. Liz then spoke about the company’svolunteering programme and the ways inwhich this enables colleagues tovolunteer in local communities in worktime.Elstead, Bassaleg Road and Trowbridgewere all presented as stores that havesupported their local community throughvolunteering, and a video demonstratingthe great work undertaken at Upton wasalso shown.Liz described how volunteering can helpdevelop workplace skills and increasemorale, engagement and pride in the

company before encouraging delegates tofocus upon communicating the greatwork that they do in the community andfollow the Blakemore in the CommunityTwitter page.

This year’s Operation EXcellence Storeof the Year awards will be based uponfour audits that will help decide upon 12finalists, consisting of nine fresh and threeconvenience stores. Four overall winnerswill then be selected, comprising threefresh stores and one convenience store.

Brian reminded delegates that “positiveattitude creates excellence” and said thatthis would be a key factor in decidingwho makes it to Barcelona in 2015.

Training & Development Manager Kerry Hunt Community Affairs Officer Liz Bell

The National LotteryCamelot Senior Customer Business Manager Yvonne Fennell reminded delegatesthat the National Lottery is one of customers’ biggest shopping missions.

Sir Chris Hoy MBE presents MD Geoff Hallam with an engraved plaque in recognition of Blakemore Retail’scontribution to National Lottery good causes

Blakemore Retail managers battle it out to be crowned Pointless Champions 2014

Delegates Discover Most ‘Pointless’ RegionThe second day of the Retail Conference kicked off in high spirits with a Blakemore version of hitTV quiz show Pointless.

The Most “Pointless” Region Challengewas hosted by Dale Parmenter, who wasjoined by Pointless friend Caroline Wills.The contest featured regional managersOwen Davies, Brian Cherry, MarkPodmore and John Brooks along withPost Office Controller Stewert Waldron.

The managers all invited a member oftheir regional teams to join them onstage before being asked a series of“pointless” general knowledge and retail-related questions.

After progressing through a series ofheats, a hotly contested final took placebetween Owen Davies and Brian Cherry,with Owen and partner Gavin Jones fromValley finally being crowned PointlessChampions 2014.

“The National Lottery is the main reasonfor visiting SPAR for one in fourshoppers, or one in three in Rolloverweeks,” she said. “National Lotteryshoppers buy, spend and visit more.” Yvonne stressed that stores should makethe most of events, as they are key todriving footfall, sales and profit. “Selling is simple: one in five will buywhen prompted, so talk to yourcustomers and point out key events andopportunities for winning.”Yvonne then looked forward toSeptember, when players will see a better,reinvigorated EuroMillions and the launchof Mega Friday, when at least 10 winnerswill win £1 million and a millionaireexperience on the last Friday of everymonth. Yvonne summed up by thankingBlakemore Retail for the £213 millionthat it has raised for National Lotterygood causes since its partnership withThe National Lottery began in 1994. In recognition of this achievement,Olympic track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy MBEpresented Blakemore Retail with anengraved plaque.

Yvonne commented: “We’re very gratefulfor our partnership with BlakemoreRetail. Thank you for all the money you

have raised for National LotteryProjects.”

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NSPCC ChildLine FundraisingHits £303,212

Blakemore Retail Partnerswith Greggs

Staff across the BlakemoreRetail estate were officiallypraised for raising arecord-breaking £303,212for the NSPCC’s ChildLineservice.

The NSPCC’s Maribeth Lloyds and Kirsty White present Kerry Hunt and Geoff Hallam with a plaque tothank Blakemore Retail for all of its ChildLine fundraising

The massive achievement provided thecurtain call for this year’s conference,with the NSPCC’s Kirsty White andMaribeth Lloyds both publicly thankingthe company for all of its hard work.

Delegates were reminded of the widerange of activities that staff have takenpart in this year to raise funds for thecharity and shown how the money hashelped to provide advice, help andinformation to young people across thecountry.

Kirsty and Maribeth also provided a recapon the ChildLine Schools Service and theimpact this has had upon educatingprimary school pupils on recognisingsigns of abuse.

The presentation culminated in theannouncement of Blakemore Retail’s topfundraising stores for 2013/14, whichwere:

• South East – Wyberton (£2,347)

• South West – St Fagans (£3,779)

• East – Winthorpe Avenue (£5,351)

• West – Aberystwyth (£8,132)

Building on the success of its franchise partnership with Subway,Blakemore Retail has begun a trial with iconic high street brand Greggs.

At the end of the first day of the conference delegates enjoyed a World Cup-themed gala dinner andafter-party. Staff enjoyed a three-course meal before partying the night away in their favourite footballshirts. Some delegates even designed their very own Blakemore Retail sporting gear!Here is a selection of shots from the evening’s celebrations:

Football Fever Strikes Blakemore RetailStrategy Days Pave the Way for 2020

Throughout January, February and March,fourteen meetings took place across theBlakemore Retail estate to discuss thepractical steps that the business can taketo achieve long-term sustainable growthand its target of £620 million sales by theyear 2020.

Training & Development Manager KerryHunt commented: “The main aim of thestrategy days was to communicate thebusiness`s plans for the next six years.The meetings were an excellentopportunity for everyone to generateinnovative ideas, share best practice andhave their say on shaping the business’sfuture plans.”

At each session a regional manager anddirector delivered presentations detailing

Blakemore Retail’sprofit improvementplans, which includedstore acquisition,investment and refitpolicies as well as plansfor the expansion ofthe Subway franchise.

Delegates presentedon new ideas thatcould be implementedinto Blakemore Retailstores and discussedthe ways in which theycould play a leadingrole in theimplementation of the2020 strategy.

As part of the trial, three stores havebeen selected for development: BrumbyCorner in Scunthorpe, Leegomery inTelford and the company’s new forecourtdevelopment due to open at Fairfield inLouth.

On July 25th Brumby Corner became thefirst of the three sites to implement aGreggs franchise within its store. TheGreggs product range is typical of amodern Greggs store but on a smallerscale, consisting of sandwiches, a cakecounter, hot savouries, coffee and a smallfresh bread offer.

The store also has a new breakfast barwith seating for four and will offer threelink-save Greggs promotions. Meanwhile,Brumby Corner’s pre-existing SPAR FoodTo Go offering has been retained butscaled down.

The store’s regional manager, JohnBrooks, commented: “So far customershave been pleased with the introductionof Greggs, and many are commenting onhow we have updated the whole store,including the Post Office.

“We as a business are always looking forideas that will strengthen our offer, and bytaking up the Greggs franchise we arebuilding a business willing and able tomeet the challenges of a very competitiveretail sector.

“The Greggs brand will add value to ourown SPAR brand and give existing and

new customers a further reason to shopin our stores.”

When the store’s local college studentsreturn to study in September, BrumbyCorner’s Greggs sales are anticipated torise to £6,000 per week, wherepreviously Food To Go turnover had been£3,000 per week.

At the beginning of the year Blakemore Retail ran a series of strategy days for field andstore management to lay the foundations for the business to achieve its 2020 Vision.

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News Post Of f ice

Callum Chue – Wylde Green

Lez Cooper – Wylde Green

Jack Morris – Gwersyllt

Jamie Basinger – Bethesda

Cath Williams – Elton

Michael Ashford – Cotteridge

Vince Lucas – Westbridge

Steph Wakeman – Much Wenlock

Employees Celebrate YourDevelopment Programme SuccessBlakemore Retail’s well-established Your Development Programmehas helped to develop yet more future leaders for the business.

Your Development Programme is acoached management developmentcourse aimed at staff already performingat a supervisory level as well as newlyappointed managers. Tailored to learners,the programme can take anything fromsix to 12 months to complete.

The course consists of nine modulescovering every area of the retail business:Operations, Managing Legalities,Customer Service, Human Resources,

Loss Prevention, Fresh Food, IT,Forecourts (where applicable) andCommercial Awareness.

Following completion of the programmesuccessful graduates can then proceedinto management positions.

Here are a few photos of recentgraduates of the Your DevelopmentProgramme:

The Guild Academyhas developed a newfresh produce trainingseminar to improve stores’fresh produce offering. The training seminar, under a newprogramme called Fresh Academy, hasbeen set up in response to recentconsumer research from Him! that foundthat despite shoppers scoring BlakemoreRetail highly for staff, service andshopping experience, it scored lowest onits range of fresh produce.

Training Manager Anita Goodwin said:“The aim of the interactive FreshAcademy seminar is to improveBlakemore Retail’s training programmefor fresh foods and focus store managerson their produce selection to ensurequality, range and availability.”

The seminar looks at practicalapproaches to current challenges whilstproviding stores with the tools to achieveprofitable sales.

Facilitated jointly by members of theTraining and Fresh Food teams, the freshproduce seminar consists of a three-partone-day session with some pre-work anda post-course assignment.

A seminar has been held for storemanagers across each region of thebusiness.

Here are a few photos from theseminars:

Fresh AcademyProduceSeminars

Blakemore RetailTransformsPost Office Network

The network transformation, carried outin conjunction with the Post Office’snational modernisation programme, isbeing implemented by the business in anattempt to bring a new, modern approachto Post Office services.

The two new-style formats extend theavailability of Post Office services in linewith store opening hours and thereforeoffer a more convenient service tocustomers. The new Mains and Localswill also help to improve branch layoutand product range.

Blakemore Retail has now completed itsLocals conversion programme, with 16targeted Post Offices having beentransformed into the new operatingmodel. The Mains conversion programmeis now in progress.

Post Office Controller Stewert Waldronsaid: “Like any major change, there havebeen a few customer concerns. However,we have managed these by meeting withopinion formers where required and havedispelled their issues. Customers arenow starting to use the extended openinghours open to them, which will help keepqueues to a minimum.

“Moving forward, we are expecting manymore opportunities to be offered toBlakemore Retail for both Main and Localformats, and these new sites will beintegrated into stores in conjunction withour Mains conversion programme.

“Eventually, our whole Post Office estatewill be either Mains or Locals, and we arebusy planning the conversions of theseover the next couple of years.”

Here are a few photos of recentlytransformed stores that now offer PostOffice services from the main retailcounter:

Blakemore Retail’s transformation of its Post Office network is well underway, with theintroduction of two new Post Office formats: Mains and Locals.

What Are theNew Main andLocal Formats?Main branches offer Post Officeservices from both a dedicated PostOffice counter and the main retailcounter. The Post Office counter willprovide the full range of Post Officeservices, while the retail counter willoffer more limited services outside of thededicated counter’s traditional hours,usually for as long as the store is open.

Local branches fully integrate thePost Office within the store, offeringservices from the main retail counterrather than a dedicated Post Officecounter. This means that services areavailable for much longer than before,from early morning until late at night,seven days a week. Services are howevermore basic than those provided by Mainbranches.

Monkton

Llanharry

Docking

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S tores in Focus

New SPAR Opens at Wath-upon-DearneIn February Blakemore Retail opened a brand new store at a prime retail parklocation in Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

The new SPAR is situated on the recentlydeveloped Onyx Retail Park on theoutskirts of the town of Wath-upon-Dearne, off the busy A633 road.

Despite its unusual positioning for aconvenience store, the retail parklocation has proved to be key to Wath’ssuccess.

The store benefits from an abundance offree parking and proximity to majorroads, as well as the draw of other big-name retailers on the same retail park.

Wath’s customer base has proved to beparticularly diverse, including people ontheir commute to and from work, parentson the school run, locals from the nearbyhousing estate and people visiting thestore’s neighbouring fast food outlets.

The store’s area manager, Ruth Mutton,said: “The high volume of passing trade onthe retail park has provided the newstore with a strong customer base fromwhich to build, making the site an ideallocation.

“The retail park is on theedge of a new housing

development so there aremany homes within walking

distance of the store.”

To cater for both commuters and localsfrom the neighbouring housing estate, thestore focuses on food on the move aswell as stocking a range of everydayessentials.

The SPAR has a 2,000 sq ft sales area andoffers a wide range of fresh produce aswell as Food To Go, Costa Coffee, news,lottery, an off licence and PayPointservices. It also features all of the latestenergy-saving features such as automaticlights and doors on the chiller units.

To celebrate its launch, the store hosted afun day in March involving a free prizedraw, face painting, balloons, colouringcompetition and product sampling.

The SPAR has already started to getinvolved with its local community bysupporting local good causes such asWath-upon-Dearne CommunityPartnership’s town gala.

Capitalising on the recent success of thecompany’s dual-brand model, the 2,292 sqft store combines a great SPARconvenience range with a fast-foodoffering from Subway, the leadingsandwich restaurant chain.

Situated on a busy residential road,opposite one of King’s Lynn’s largestparks and within walking distance of thetown railway station, the store appeals toa wide demographic including commutersand the local neighbourhood.

With its well-known and trusted brand,the Subway concession has beenintroduced to help enhance the store’sprofile and drive sales and footfall. The

Subway counter provides a made-to-order alternative to the ready-madeSPAR convenience offer and should helpthe store to attract some of the area’syounger residents.

The store’s regional manager, BrianCherry, said: “The SPAR is in an idealposition, with King Edwards School, King’sLynn Town Football Club and the Collegeof West Anglia all within half a mile.

“King’s Lynn is a great site with landscapegrounds and plenty of parking. In additionto a Food To Go offering from SPAR andSubway, the store also boasts CostaCoffee, an off-licence and plenty ofservices, including PayPoint, a free-to-use

cash machine and National Lottery.”

The store celebrated its opening on 18thJuly by inviting members of the localcommunity to a fun day. The SPARorganised free food giveaways and laid onentertainment including a balloon artistand face painting.

King’s Lynn is one of the first ofBlakemore Retail’s many new stores thatwill be launching with a Subway franchise.As part of its 2020 Vision, BlakemoreRetail has outlined plans for 100 newSubways to be implemented across thestores estate over the course of the nexttwo years.

Two Dales Matlock, DerbyshireOpened: November 2013Average weekly sales: £22,000

Hasland Chesterfield, DerbyshireOpened: November 2013Average weekly sales: £21,000

HolmewoodChesterfield, DerbyshireOpened: November 2013Average weekly sales: £25,000

AshgateChesterfield, DerbyshireOpened: November 2013Average weekly sales: £26,000

Walton Chesterfield, DerbyshireOpened: November 2013Average weekly sales: £22,000

MaltbyMaltby, South YorkshireOpened: January 2014Average weekly sales: £22,800

BroseleyBroseley, ShropshireOpened: May 2014Average weekly sales: £25,000

HolywellHolywell, FlintshireOpened: February 2014Average weekly sales: £13,000

NewStoresSince the last magazineBlakemore Retail haswelcomed the followingstores to its estate:

King’s Lynn Welcomes SPAR and SubwayBlakemore Retail’s most recent new store is a purpose-builtSPAR-Subway site at King’s Lynn in Norfolk.

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Pedal Power Raises £8,000for ChildLine

The pair cycled over 400 miles in justfour days, raising £8,000 for the ChildLineSchools Service. The gruelling 400-mile ride saw the twoJohns start in Anglesey, North Wales, andfinish at Lands End in Cornwall, visitingLlangollen, Shrewsbury, Gloucester,Bristol, Tavistock and Bodmin along theway. Since 2011 the duo have pedalled a totalof 1,000 miles each, raising almost£28,000 for ChildLine, and have dedicatedmany evenings, weekends and days off toprepare for each challenge. All money raised from this challenge willsupport the ChildLine Schools Service,which has been set up to give primaryschool children the awareness they needto recognise abuse and seek help sooner. In recognition of their achievement,Olympic track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy MBEcongratulated the pair on stage at theBlakemore Retail Managers Conference. Blakemore Retail Regional ManagerOwen Davies commented: “Once again Iam immensely proud of my two Johns’achievement. The challenge of 400 mileswas a tough one, with the terrain inCornwall being particularly harsh.

“Also, with John Dyson having his heartand pacemaker issues earlier in the year,we weren’t sure if that would add to thetask, but as it happened John had nohealth issues and rode well for the fourdays.“Again they have raised a fantastic sum of£8,000 for ChildLine, bringing their totalover the four years to a staggering£28,000 – amazing!”Blakemore Retail Area Manager John Kellyadded: “Since 2006, SPAR has been raisingmoney for ChildLine in all sorts of ways,and we thought it would be good to dosomething unique to contribute. “We did our first challenge a few yearsago and every year we’ve increased the

distance by 100 miles. This cycle ride wasour most challenging yet. “We were both looking forward to it andat the same time really dreading it. Thereis no doubt that 400 miles is a long way,and the last two days were certainly thetoughest part of the journey. “The whole thing was worthwhilethough, knowing that we were raisingmoney for such a good cause.”

Anglesey

Llangollen

Shrewsbury

Gloucester

Bristol

Tavistock

Bodmin

Lands End

For the fourth consecutive year Blakemore Retail area managers John Kelly and JohnDyson got on their bikes to raise funds for ChildLine.

The two Johns at the finish line at Lands End

Olympic track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy MBE congratulates John Kelly (left) and John Dyson (right) on theirfundraising achievements

New E-learning ProgrammeThe e-learning programme coversmodules ranging from compliance trainingto SPARkling Service and provides toolsto help staff deliver unbeatable customerservice. Training & Development Manager KerryHunt said: “The e-learning material is thefirst of its type in A.F. Blakemore and givesus a credible online training solution forour stores.”

Engaging and interactive, the e-learningtraining programme featuresprofessionally produced video clips todemonstrate best practice and goodcustomer care.

Each e-learning module tests learners’knowledge through a variety of exercisesand should take between five and fifteenminutes to complete, depending on howmany exercises the learner gets right.

Training & Development Manager KerryHunt added: “I’d like to say a very bigthank you and well done to BlakemoreRetail trainers Dave Hackney and PaulaParsons, who have worked extremelyhard to produce this e-learning material.”

All of the new e-learning modules areaccessible via SharePoint.

New Competent Persons Fuel Course

David has over 20 years’ experience inmulti-site forecourt operations and,working in conjunction with the Trainingdepartment, has delivered thequalification to more than 70 BlakemoreRetail colleagues.

Thanks to the expertise of Area Manager David Garside, Blakemore Retail hasbeen able to start delivering a Competent Persons fuel qualification in-house.

With new fuel sites on the horizon, thisqualification is a great addition toBlakemore Retail’s training offer.

The successful delegates who participated in the Competent Persons fuel course at Crewe

Sleaford SalesAssistants MeetLorraineTwo Blakemore Retail salesassistants from Sleaford got to meetLorraine Kelly after winning a SPARUK competition for staff andretailers. Competition winner Hayley Taylor (right)and colleague Paige Harris (left) weregiven an exclusive tour of ITV’s studiosand offered the chance to watch theLorraine show live.

In April the Guild Academy launched a brand new e-learning programme across BlakemoreRetail to replace some of its paper-based period training.

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ChildLine FundraisingBlakemore Retail celebrated its best year yet for ChildLine fundraising in 2013/14.

Aberystwyth staff raised an incredible£5,681 by cycling 3,545 miles on anexercise bike. Members of the storeteam took it in turns to cyclethroughout the day and night for sevendays non-stop.

Barton duo Daniel and Nathan Barkercompleted a 312-mile cycle ride overthree days, visiting every store in AreaManager Carolyne Barker’s region.They raised more than £1,000.

Thanks to the efforts of employees,stores across the estate raised anextraordinary £303,212 for thechildren’s charity over the course ofBlakemore Retail’s last fundraising year.

2013/14’s total surpassed the previousyear’s £244,366 by an impressive £58,846.

Here is a snapshot of some of thefundraising that took place across theestate: Bassaleg Road raised £907 at its

store re-launch fun day.

Bromsgrove raised £240 by holding aBack to School event.

Crosspool’s Helen Westward did aparachute jump and raised £571.

Cardigan raised £77 by baking andraffling off cakes over the Christmasweek, led by Store Supervisor MennaRotie.

Kidderminster raised £104 byholding a Green Day in the store.

Much Wenlock fundraised forChildLine by holding an in-store bookand DVD sale.

Porthcawl raised £168 by holding anEaster raffle, tombola and cake sale.

Ludlow held a fundraising day tocoincide with the launch of its newSubway, raising just over £500 with anin-store bike ride, raffle and tombola.

Bayston Hill’s Sam Johnson-Squireraised money for ChildLine with hismoustache! When he raised £30 heshaved off half of his moustache, andwhen he raised £60 he shaved it all off.

Rhos held a colouring competition andraffle.

Tenbury Wells raised £665 with anin-store bikeathon.

Valley Post Office’sValley PostOffice’s Craig Vincent raised £485 forChildLine by running a half marathon.An additional £160 from the race daywent to a local care home.

Tim Farmer and Lee Royles fromBroomhill and Ben Percy fromPenistone raised £440 by completinga 21-mile sponsored walk fromPenistone to Broomhill store, viaStannington and Crosspool.

Trinity Road raised £570 with a cakesale and customer competitions.

Warndon raised £700 by completing a10-mile sponsored walk from Malvernto Worcester.

Jo Duffy from Droitwich, AreaManager Donna Cooper, SteveFlemming from Bromsgrove andEmma Costello from Droitwich tookpart in a climb up Mount Snowdonwith other volunteers from acrossBlakemore Retail that raised £2,810.

Winthorpe Avenue raised awhopping £1,810 by holding a GalaNight in November.

Wollaston raised over £748 byorganising a fundraising bike ride.

Worthing raised £128 by holding anin-store coffee morning and homemadecake sale.

Tickhill raised £154 by holding ascarecrow competition.

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ChildLine FundraisingBlakemore Retail celebrated its best year yet for ChildLine fundraising in 2013/14.

Aberystwyth staff raised an incredible£5,681 by cycling 3,545 miles on anexercise bike. Members of the storeteam took it in turns to cyclethroughout the day and night for sevendays non-stop.

Barton duo Daniel and Nathan Barkercompleted a 312-mile cycle ride overthree days, visiting every store in AreaManager Carolyne Barker’s region.They raised more than £1,000.

Thanks to the efforts of employees,stores across the estate raised anextraordinary £303,212 for thechildren’s charity over the course ofBlakemore Retail’s last fundraising year.

2013/14’s total surpassed the previousyear’s £244,366 by an impressive £58,846.

Here is a snapshot of some of thefundraising that took place across theestate: Bassaleg Road raised £907 at its

store re-launch fun day.

Bromsgrove raised £240 by holding aBack to School event.

Crosspool’s Helen Westward did aparachute jump and raised £571.

Cardigan raised £77 by baking andraffling off cakes over the Christmasweek, led by Store Supervisor MennaRotie.

Kidderminster raised £104 byholding a Green Day in the store.

Much Wenlock fundraised forChildLine by holding an in-store bookand DVD sale.

Porthcawl raised £168 by holding anEaster raffle, tombola and cake sale.

Ludlow held a fundraising day tocoincide with the launch of its newSubway, raising just over £500 with anin-store bike ride, raffle and tombola.

Hasland raised £124 by organising anin-store cake sale.

Rhos held a colouring competition andraffle.

Tenbury Wells raised £665 with anin-store bikeathon.

Valley Road Post Office’s CraigVincent raised £485 for ChildLine byrunning a half marathon. An additional£160 from the race day went to a localcare home.

Tim Farmer and Lee Royles fromBroomhill and Ben Percy fromPenistone raised £440 by completinga 21-mile sponsored walk fromPenistone to Broomhill store, viaStannington and Crosspool.

Trinity Road raised £570 with a cakesale and customer competitions.

Warndon raised £700 by completing a10-mile sponsored walk from Malvernto Worcester.

Jo Duffy from Droitwich, AreaManager Donna Cooper, SteveFlemming from Bromsgrove andEmma Costello from Droitwich tookpart in a climb up Mount Snowdonwith other volunteers from acrossBlakemore Retail that raised £2,810.

Winthorpe Avenue raised awhopping £1,810 by holding a GalaNight in November.

Wollaston raised over £748 byorganising a fundraising bike ride.

Worthing raised £128 by holding anin-store coffee morning and homemadecake sale.

Tickhill raised £154 by holding ascarecrow competition.

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Six volunteers from Bassaleg Roadvolunteered a day of their time to helpimprove the garden at FlorenceHospice.

Area Manager Donna Cooper andWarndon Store Manager MarkBostock carried out practice interviewswith students from St Francis of AssisiSchool in Walsall.

Ten Blakemore Retail head officevolunteers collaborated with sixBlakemore Logistics volunteers tocreate a large outdoor space forCheslyn Hay Primary School.

Six volunteers from Elstead treated aRoyal British Legion community centreto a renovation, receiving a helpinghand from their fresh food coach andarea manager.

Volunteers from Elton spent a daygiving the outdoor area of their localprimary school a new lease of life,constructing fencing and planters.

Bargoed sent six volunteers to helpout at their local food bank, andstrengthened their contribution bydonating goods from the store.

Three volunteers from Broomhilldonated funds and practical help toconstruct an outdoor climbing wall forthe children of St Marie’s PrimarySchool.

Elton staff held an in-store coffeemorning for senior citizens from theirlocal area and donated hampers forthem to raffle off to raise funds.

Holton le Clay donated a Christmastree to Holton le Clay Infant Schooland volunteered to support theschool’s Christmas event.

Loughor continued their support ofCasllwychyr Primary School by helpingout with their Christmas PresentAppeal and donating and wrappingpresents.

Six volunteers from Radcliffe paintedthe outside of a cabin for RadcliffePrimary School.

Nine volunteers from Pelsall andShelfield collaborated to create apond and outdoor space for St FrancisSchool.

Upton held their second study tourwith Acresfield Primary School. Thistime the children learnt all abouthealthy eating.

Stannington store members joinedforces with Action for Stanningtonvolunteers for the second year runningto support a clean up of their localarea.

Trowbrige Primary School’s outdoorplay area was improved by threevolunteers from Trowbridge whopainted some educational boards.

Volunteers from Upton workedtogether with Upton Council and localcommunity members to plant trees inthe town.

A team of volunteers fromWinthorpe Avenue painted the hallof Winthorpe Youth and ResidentsAssociation.

Four volunteers from Thorngumbaldspent a day gardening at ThorngumbaldPrimary School and even had help fromsome of the pupils.

Upton teamed up with UptonCommunity Centre and organised theirAnnual Luncheon.

Two volunteers from Upton donatedEaster eggs and organised an Easter egghunt for disabled children from theBuzz Group.

Whitestone opened their doors tochildren from their local primaryschool and gave them an insight intoSPAR.

CommunityCommunity

Community VolunteeringProjects undertaken have ranged from the traditional painting and gardening to reading volunteering, study tours and healthy eating activities.

As part of the company’s Community Engagement Programme, employees undertook 44 individual community projects and donated morethan 1,400 hours to worthwhile causes during the 2013/14 financial year.

If you would like to take part in a volunteering activity, please contact Community Affairs Officer Liz Bell on 0121 568 2910 or emaillbell@afblakemore.co.uk to request a copy of the Community Engagement Information Pack.

Below is a snapshot of some of the projects recently completed:

Community volunteering has hit record-breaking figures since the lastBlakemore Retail magazine was published.

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£8,453Raised forRetail Trust

Stores carried out a number offundraising activities over the last 12months, including Heroes vs Villains Weekin November, where staff wereencouraged to dress up in aid of thecause.

The Retail Trust is a charity set upespecially to look after the needs ofpeople working in retail. The organisationprovides a wide range of servicesincluding debt advice, counselling,hardship grants, career development andretirement housing.

The top four stores for Retail Trustfundraising in 2013/14 were:

Chapel St Leonards - £321

Upton - £250

New Waltham - £215

Bradley Cross Roads - £206

Employees across BlakemoreRetail raised a fantastic £8,453for the Retail Trust during the2013/14 financial year.

Chapel St Leonards raised £300 by dressingup for Heroes vs Villains Week

The ChildLine Schools Service has beenset up to give primary school children theawareness they need to recognise abuseand seek help sooner. ChildLine is able todeliver the service thanks to its trainedvolunteers who visit primary schools todeliver assemblies and workshops.

All Blakemore Retail employees areeligible to volunteer for the ChildLineSchools Service. One employee who hassuccessfully been trained to deliver it isFresh Food Coach Mandy Gasson.

Here’s what Mandy had to sayabout her experience: “I have had a very rewarding experiencewith the ChildLine Schools Serviceprogramme so far. From my firstinterview to delivering my first assembly,the warmth and support and obviousgratitude has been amazing.

The Schools Service is very different fromwhat I expected. The training preparesyou for any situation that you may finduncomfortable, but so far the responsefrom the children has been superb.

I have attended 10 schools and deliveredeither 30-45 minute assemblies or hour-long workshops. There are scripts tohelp you prepare, but the materials arevery user-friendly and fun to deliver. Iwould urge others to get involved.

I plan to continue with this work for aslong as I am able to, because it hasbrought a different perspective and set ofskills to my current role and my life. I amvery thankful for the opportunity and Iknow that ChildLine are too.”

Get InvolvedFor more information on how you can get involved, please contactCommunity Affairs Officer Liz Bell on 0121 568 2910 or emaillbell@afblakemore.co.uk.

Employees Volunteer forChildLine Schools ServiceSo far 27 Blakemore Retail employees have registered theirinterest in volunteering for the NSPCC’s ChildLine SchoolsService.

Mandy Gasson

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The team, consisting of volunteers fromhead office, Bridgend, Lakeside, Cefn Glas,Ewenny, Brackla and New Road, spent aday in June transforming a large field atthe rear of the school into an educationaloutdoor classroom. Led by Operations Support AssistantHayley Parsons, volunteers created anallotment and raised bedding boxes,constructed an insect hotel and seatingarea, tidied up existing trees and installedcompost bins. Blakemore Retail then ran an in-storecolouring competition with St Mary’s,with the winning pupils being awardedvouchers to spend in any of the Bridgendstores. Hayley commented: “The project was agreat opportunity for our head officeemployees to collaborate with our stores

Employee Volunteers Join Forces toCreate Outdoor ClassroomTwenty-nine volunteers from Blakemore Retail created an outdoor classroomfor pupils at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Cefn Glas, South Wales.

Wyberton Promotes Healthy Eatingto Local Schoolchildren Wyberton ran a fantastic community event in May topromote healthy eating to local schoolchildren. The SPAR invited 30 children fromWyberton Primary School into the storefor a one-hour talk on making healthyfood choices. The pupils were presentedwith free samples of fruits, vegetables andhealthy dips, all stocked in the store.

The children were also each given agoody bag to take home with them,which contained an apple, banana, orange,bottle of water and a small pot ofsultanas.

“I really enjoyed doing this project withthe children. They all seemed excited andenthusiastic, and they loved trying thedifferent types of fruit and dips.”

To make sure that the SPAR visit was notforgotten, the store even presented thepupils’ teacher with grow-your-own potsof strawberries, peppers and tomatoes togrow back at school.

Store Manager Karen Stubbs said: “Wealways try to support the local primaryschool and are constantly looking forways in which we can interact with them.

“This activity has helped to improve linkswith the school and also the children andtheir parents. We received goodcomments from the customers, whowere interested in what we were doingtoo.

to make a positive contribution in thecommunity.“The team worked exceptionally welltogether and I’m looking forward toworking with St Mary’s Catholic PrimarySchool in the near future.”

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Wyberton raised £850 including matchfunding for the St John Comfy Fund,which supports care home residents.

Wrexham made a donation of QualityStreet chocolates to Springfield CareHome.

Broomhill donated £100 to MiddlewoodRovers Junior Football Club.

Bethesda donated £30 worth of goodsto Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen.

Reepham donated £100 towards abuilding project at Reepham MethodistChurch.

Rhos donated funding and goods to RhosRugby Club.

Upton raised £400 including matchfunding for the All About Erin cause,which raises money for Alder HeyHospital.

Crewe donated boxes of bananas toboost Shavington High School’s HealthyStart campaign.

Llanharry’s Rachel Cooper donated£261 with the help of match funding toCancer Research UK after taking part inRace for Life.

Lampeter made a £100 donationtowards a lifesaving defibrillator for theirhigh street store.

Louth donated £400 including matchfunding to St Andrew’s Hospice by settingup a charity Christmas grotto andfundraising.

Chirk donated raffle prize goods to theLeague of Friends, which raises funds formedical equipment at Oswestry’s RJAHOrthopaedic Hospital.

Loughor donated £50 worth of goodsto a local ‘Cawl a Chan’ community event.

Penyffordd made a £30 in-kind donationtowards a raffle in aid of Penyffordd &Penymynydd Panto Society.

Rhuddlan Post Office made a £100donation towards Rhuddlan EnvironmentGroup.

Staplehurst’s Daniel Roberts raised£652 including a match fund donation forthe Aspinall Foundation after taking onthe Three Peaks Challenge.

Bridgend Town Centre’s CerianWatson raised more than £1,000 forKidney Research by performing a 12,000 ft skydive.

Blakemore Retail SupportsYet More Local Communities

The company’s community fund, theBlakemore Foundation, has been anintegral part of Blakemore Retail’scommunity engagement programme since2010, and has since donated more than£400,000 to good causes supported bythe division.

Today, 62% of all Blakemore Foundationdonations awarded across the A.F.Blakemore group go to causes supportedby Blakemore Retail.

All Blakemore Retail employees,customers and members of the localcommunity are eligible to apply for adonation from the BlakemoreFoundation. Three types of donation areavailable:

Standard Donations: These areawarded to local good causes, charitiesand projects located within the company’strading area, up to the value of £200.

Match Fund Donations: Thefundraising efforts of all employees can bematched by the Blakemore Foundation upto the value of £200. The BlakemoreFoundation will no longer be able tomatch fund employee fundraising forChildLine or the Retail Trust.

In Kind Donations: These are awardedto support local events in the form ofgoods e.g. food, drink or equipment foruse as raffle prizes or refreshments.

In addition to providing support via itsdonation scheme, the BlakemoreFoundation also plays an integral role inthe company’s community volunteeringprogramme. A donation up to the valueof £250 is available for each communityproject and can be utilised for materialssuch as study aids, paint and plants. To find out more about the BlakemoreFoundation or to apply for a donation,please contact Community Affairs OfficerKate Senter using the contact detailsadjacent:

Blakemore FoundationUnit 401Axcess 10 Business ParkBentley Road SouthDarlastonWS10 8LQ

Tel: 0121 568 2910Email: ksenter@afblakemore.com

Take a look at just some of the greatcauses supported by Blakemore Retailstaff over the course of this financialyear:

Blakemore Retail employees made a record-breaking 1,746charitable donations to local good causes via the BlakemoreFoundation in the 2013/14 financial year.

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Laura Horsefield Wins RegionalCommunity Award

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Laura Horsefield from Upton has been crowned Employee Volunteerof the Year at Business in the Community’s regional awards. Assistant Manager Laura picked upthe title of Employee Volunteer ofthe Year at Business in theCommunity’s North West Awardsfor Excellence 2014.

Laura attended a prestigious galadinner at Aintree Racecourse in Junein recognition of her outstandingcommitment to the community ofUpton over the last 12 months.

Throughout the year Laura hascarried out a wide range of activitiesto support members of her localvillage, including primary schoolstudy tours, regeneration projectsand fundraising.

Area Manager Gareth James said:"Laura gives everyone she meets thebiggest warm-hearted welcome.Laura is relentless and tireless in herpursuit of giving to various charitiesand causes, always full of fun andgood ideas when it comes tospreading thoughtfulness.

“Laura is loved by our customerswho shop at Upton, and it is evidentthat she makes a difference inpeople's lives through her work inthe store and within the localcommunity."

Upton store’s study tour forAcresfield Primary School

Alder Hey Hospital fundraising

Donation to Macmillan Cancer

Support Coffee Morning

Local tree planting

Donation to Upton Village Hall Luncheon

Laura Horsefield picks up thetitle of Employee Volunteer ofthe Year

Sales Assistant Carol Riley has enriched the lives of manyresidents within her local community with her vision to make adifference. Her sheer dedication, enthusiasm and creativity haveenabled her to bring her vision to life. Carol has become well known to Elton as a port of call formany local community groups, care homes and schools in timesof need. In addition to big volunteering projects, Carol has been keen toorganise and promote a wide range of smaller fundraisingactivities within her store, such as raffles and sweepstakes insupport of ChildLine.Carol has also registered to volunteer for the ChildLine SchoolsService and hopes to be trained to speak to pupils in localschools about abuse and child protection.

The judges commented:

“ We were impressed to see how well Carol spottedthe needs of her local community, especially whenshe recognised that the elderly were in need ofsupport and so arranged an in-store coffee morning.”

Call for Entries 2015Does your community work deserve to be celebrated?For your chance to take home a trophy and a £250cheque for charity, simply contact Community AffairsOfficer Liz Bell on 0121 568 2910 or emaillbell@afblakemore.co.uk.

Both employees stood out from the crowd with their unrelenting commitment to fundraising and volunteering, each winning a trophy and£250 cheque for a good cause of their choice.

A.F. Blakemore Community AwardsLaura Horsefield from Upton has also been recognised for her outstanding contribution to thecommunity in A.F. Blakemore’s internal Community Awards, along with Carol Riley from Elton.

Volunteer of the Year: Carol Riley, Elton

Assistant Manager Laura Horsefield always goes the extra mileto support her local community. Her enthusiasm hasencouraged other staff at her store to take part in communityactivity and has helped to grow their confidence.

Laura helped to host nine community projects in 2013/14 anddonated 33 hours to volunteering, assisting Chester Council,Orchard Manor Care Home and Upton High School to namebut a few good causes.

Laura has hosted a series of highly successful study tours withlocal schools too, including Acresfield Primary. The store’spartnership has since blossomed, with them donating £728worth of goods to the school, children and parents. Laura’screativity helped the store to create themed charity hampers,study tour props and children’s goodie bags.

Laura has also supported the rest of the Upton team with theirfundraising for ChildLine and other good causes. The store hasgiven 75 donations this year to various local good causes via theBlakemore Foundation.

The judges commented:

“Laura from Upton is a true community champion,not just for her store but for the whole of A.F.Blakemore. We were impressed with the variety ofprojects she had run and how she had listened towhat her colleagues and community wanted. Laurathought outside of the box and organised projectsthat hadn’t been completed within SPAR before.”

Team Leader of the Year: Laura Horsefield, Upton

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Blakemore Retail Awards 2013Blakemore Retail’s 2013 awards acknowledged individuals and stores thatdemonstrated excellence throughout the year.

The Sales Assistant of the Year awards went to employees who showed outstanding commitment to customer service and their community. Staff were nominated for the awards by their area manager, and then each finalist attended an interview with a member of the senior team.

Sales Assistant of the Year

Award Winners EnjoyTrip of a LifetimeAll of Blakemore Retail’s Store of the Year and field staffwinners were rewarded for their contribution to the businesswith the trip of a lifetime to the SPAR Convention 2014 inSingapore. The winners enjoyed a five-day stay at abeachfront hotel in Singapore with SPARretailers from across A.F. Blakemore andthe other UK Guilds. All Conventionattendees had the opportunity to attenda series of conference events hosted bysenior SPAR UK leaders thatfocused on SPAR UK’s nationalstrategy.

SPAR Convention delegates could alsotake advantage of a range of socialactivities including day trips, city tours,shopping, dragon-boat racing, a galadinner and Roaring Twenties-themedevening dinner.

WinnerTrish Worster – Winthorpe Avenue

Runners upCharlotte Haynes – AberystwythLaura Horsefield – Upton

FinalistsCallum Chue – Wylde GreenAlana Sloan – Thurcroft Karen Withell – Thorngumbald

Food To Go Sales Assistant of the Year

WinnerScott Malarkey – Newark

Runners upJade Parkes – Broomhill Gail Spriggs – Trowbridge

FinalistsWendy Mably – Cefn Glas Patricia Parry – Walsall Manor

Post Office Assistant of the Year

WinnerBernese Warren – Dolgellau

Runners upSusan Bainbridge – WrexhamMandy Medforth – Quay Road

Stores across the estate competed forone of four Store of the Year awards inBlakemore Retail’s Operation Excellenceinitiative.

Fresh stores were audited across thecategories of produce, Food To Go,chilled, and bread and cakes for theircompliance and standards, whilstconvenience stores were audited acrosschilled, soft drinks, crisps and snacks,confectionery, news, and beers, wines andspirits.

The 12 stores with the highest auditscores received a visit from BlakemoreRetail directors, who then selected threeFresh Stores of the Year and oneConvenience Store of the Year.

All store manager finalists received £100worth of Love2Shop vouchers and £30worth of in-store vouchers for eachmember of staff (£20 for part-time staff).

Store of the Year

Post Officeof the Year

Field Staff Awards

Sales Assistant of the Year

WinnerMelton Mowbray (Craig Vincent)

WinnerGreat Darkgate Street (Rob Howard)

WinnerPelsall (Helen Carless)

WinnerRedditch Road (Fran Campbell)

WinnerWarndon (Mark Bostock)

Finalists - Brumby Corner, Great Wyrley, Humberston, Pontycmmer, St Fagans,Trethomas, Walsall and Wyberton

FinalistsTracey Brierley – Rhosddu RoadMarie Buckley – Bradley Cross RoadsDave Hawley – Wells GreenKaren King – UpfieldsStef Lamb – Crowland

Area Manager of the Year

WinnerDavid Evenden

The Tim LyonCommemorative Award forOutstanding Contribution

WinnerBev Jones

30 31

Autumn 2014

In the Spot l i ghtAutumn 2014

In the Spot l i ght

In the Spotlight

Andrew Goulding-Area ManagerSouth West Region

John Brooks-Regional ManagerEast Region

Craig Vincent-Post Office ManagerValley Road Post Office

What does your job involve?Achieving at least budget net profit from 16 stores throughencouraging, cajoling and inspiring the optimum from the storemanagers in an efficient, time-saving and rewarding wayWhat is your idea of a perfect day?Skiing with nephewsWhere is your favourite place?The AlpsIf you won a lot of money, what would you do with it?Open my own recycling plantWhich three people would you invite to your dreamdinner party?Enoch Powell, Franklin Roosevelt and George IIIWhat is your favourite book?Wilbur Smith’s WarlockWho is your favourite star of film or TV?Gregory Peck in To Kill a MockingbirdWhat is your favourite song?Roy Orbison’s Blue Bayou or T. Rex’s Dandy in the UnderworldWho makes you laugh?Morecambe & Wise, Tommy Cooper, Danny Kaye and Laurel &HardyIf you could be born in any year, which one would youchoose?1885 – I would then grow up and see some huge technologicaladvances: aeroplanes, telephones, penicillin etc.What is the best thing you have ever achieved?Scuba diving qualificationWhich superpower would you like to have and why?Teleportation – to move around the world quickly as there is somuch to see and so little time to do it all in – it would avoidwasting time sat on aeroplanes!What is your most vivid childhood memory?Family holidays in FranceWhat is your biggest regret to date?I’ve no regrets – I’ve lived my life to the full so far and will continueto do soWhen you were younger, what did you want to be whenyou grew up?A vetWhat three words best describe you?Conscientious, helpful and respectfulWhat three words best describe how you would like to be?Conscientious, helpful and respectful

What does your job involve?Working with a team of area managers and their store managers,helping them to achieve the best customer service, drive sales ateach site and achieve set budgets. I’m lucky that I work with a verygood teamWhat is your idea of a perfect day?At work: very hot sunshine, all stores fully stocked with ice cream,pop, beers and tills ringing, and the provisional stock results allcoming in as a surplus!!! At home: my family around me all healthyand happyWhere is your favourite place?Really anywhere my wife Linda is – we have been together for over40 years and she is my rockIf you won a lot of money, what would you do with it?I would divide by five – one share for each of my kids, Amy andDavid; one share for Linda and myself; one share to look after theextended family and the final share to be given to charity as thanksfor the win. Personally I would be straight down to the Jaguardealers for an XKR Convertible in Seafrost!Which three people would you invite to your dreamdinner party?Arthur Scargill, Maggie Thatcher – there would be fireworks forsure – and Pope John Paul to bring some calm.What is your favourite book?Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels or Stig Larsson’s The Girl with theDragon Tattoo trilogy, and Alex Ferguson’s autobiographyWho is your favourite star of film or TV?John Wayne – for his walk, his talk and always being the good guyWhat is your favourite song?Motown and Northern Soul were my era so anything by The FourTops or The Temptations, and of course The Beatles. Currently it’sYou’re Still Beautiful to Me by Bryan AdamsWho makes you laugh?Mrs Brown’s Boys, Lee Evans and Chris Bacon, but not sure inwhich orderIf you could be born in any year, which one would youchoose?Quite satisfied with 1951 thank you, or I would not have had thelife I have hadWhat is the best thing you have ever achieved?Getting Linda to believe I was the man for her, and then being thefather of two great kids. They have given me the stability to do anyof the good things I have done. The bad things, I guess, are all myown workWhich superpower would you like to have and why?To turn back time, to correct some of my mistakes and to be ableto see some of the friends and family I have lostWhat is your most vivid childhood memory?A couple really stand out. Having to get a tin bath out for us tohave our Sunday and Wednesday bath nights. Yes I lived in thosedays! Playing in the Scout Football Cup Final and getting a tannedbackside by a local policeman for scrumping applesWhat is your biggest regret to date?Falling out with friends I shouldn’t haveWhen you were younger, what did you want to be whenyou grew up?I wanted to be a vet but wasn’t brainy enough I‘m afraidWhat three words best describe you?Kind, considerate and supportive (some would say forgetful)What three words best describe how you would like to be?Motivating, inspiring and demanding

What does your job involve?

Leading and motivating a team with the aim of successfully runninga Post Office

What is your idea of a perfect day?

Relaxing at home

Where is your favourite place?

Palma Nova

If you won a lot of money, what would you do with it?

Buy a new property

Which three people would you invite to your dreamdinner party?

Jo Brand, Frank Skinner and Dynamo

What is your favourite book?

The Frank Skinner Autobiography

Who is your favourite star of film or TV?

Rowan Atkinson

What is your favourite song?

On a Night Like This by Kylie Minogue

Who makes you laugh?

Tim Vine, Peter Kay, Jo Brand and Frank Skinner

If you could be born in any year, which one would youchoose?

1974

What is the best thing you have ever achieved?

Post Office Manager of the Year 2013

Which superpower would you like to have and why?

To fly – no more traffic jams

What is your most vivid childhood memory?

The 1987 Freight Rover Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium.Winners – Mansfield Town Football Club!

What is your biggest regret to date?

I wish I had worked harder at school

When you were younger, what did you want to be whenyou grew up?

A footballer

What three words best describe you?

Friendly, reliable and trustworthy

What three words best describe how you would like to be?

Make people laugh!

Paul Wiltshire-Area ManagerEast Region

What does your job involve?

I am responsible for 14 stores in Norfolk and Suffolk, supporting,coaching and developing my area’s team of fantastic people todeliver great stores, excellent service and exceed bottom line profit

What is your idea of a perfect day?

A full English breakfast, a lunchtime pint, watching a football matchand having a meal at a nice restaurant in the evening

Where is your favourite place?

New York City

If you won a lot of money, what would you do with it?

Not sure I’d have much of a say in it, my wife would have a listdrawn up in no time!

Which three people would you invite to your dreamdinner party?

Lady Gaga, Graham Norton and David Beckham

What is your favourite book?

I’m not much of a reader and have a stack of half-read ones I’vetaken on holidays. They tend to be autobiographies of sportspersonalities

Who is your favourite star of film or TV?

Clint Eastwood

What is your favourite song?

Daydream Believer by The Monkees

Who makes you laugh?

John Bishop

If you could be born in any year, which one would youchoose?

2014 – I could learn from past experience and make life evenbetter than it has been already

What is the best thing you have ever achieved?

My four children being happy, healthy and successful at what theydo – I like to think I have played a small part in this

Which superpower would you like to have and why?

Being able to see into the future to make the world a better andsafer place

What is your most vivid childhood memory?

Family holidays in my grandparents’ caravan in Weymouth

What is your biggest regret to date?

Not meeting my wife earlier

When you were younger, what did you want to be whenyou grew up?

A train driver

What three words best describe you?

Loyal, reliable and honest

What three words best describe how you would like to be?

Fitter, taller and richer

Autumn 2014

News

32 33

Why not nominate them for YourCustomer Care Award? Just tell us whyyou think they deserve it. Staff can be nominated for an award by acustomer or colleague. A monthly

winner will receive £50 worth of highstreet vouchers and 12-monthly winnerswill win 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes of£500, £250 and £100 vouchers.

Your Customer Care AwardsDo you have a member of staff in your teamwho deserves more than a thank you?

Email brtrainingsupport@afblakemore.co.uk Visit: www.afblakemore.com/blakemore-retail/customer-care-award Post your nomination to: Blakemore Retail Training Support, LongacresIndustrial Estate, Rose Hill, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 2JP

Nominating someone is easy:

Kayleigh Welsh – Battlefield

Nathan Nott – Greatstone

Bernese, Anne, Debbie and Suzanne– Dolgellau Post Office

Will Taylor – Elstead

Maz Snood – Taylors Avenue

James Charlesworth – Crewe

The team at Barton

Narrina Jones – Baglan

The team at Gwersyllt

The team at Bulkington

The team at Bassaleg Road

The team at Dolgellau Post Office

Congratulations to the Customer Care awardwinners from the last four quarters:

Sales Assistant Linda Parrishfrom Barton has won anational award for hercommitment to greatcustomer service.

Linda was crowned Sales Assistant of theYear in the multiple symbol sector ofConvenience Store magazine’s SalesAssistant of the Year Awards.

Convenience Store editor David Reessaid: “Linda wowed the judges with hertremendous commitment to providingtop notch service and her exceptionalcustomer knowledge.”

Linda won £500 in prize money andattended a special ceremony at theDorchester Hotel in London inNovember.

Barton’sLindaParrishWinsNationalAward

The winners at Bassaleg Road

Nathan Nott – Greatstone

Nina Jones – Baglan

Kayleigh Welsh – Battlefield

Autumn 2014

Long Ser v ice

Over the course of the last year, many of our colleagues have celebrated long service milestones, from three to forty-five years.As well as a cash sum, each member of staff to reach a long service milestone has received a certificate and badge. Thank you toall of them for their continued service.

3 Years

Celebrating Long Service

Lindsay Younger -Buckley

Sian Greenwood -Brunswick Road

Adam Price -Llangollen

Anita Vohora -Daventry Road

Bizandra Isaacs -Bannerbrook

Claire Speller -Cefn Fforest

Craig Finlay -Chapel St Leonards

Dan Barker -Barton

Hilary Edwards -Wrexham

Jack Morris -Gwersyllt

Daniel Brooks -Bannerbrook

Elliott Evans -Treherbert

Gemma Benson -Leegomery

Hannah Prokopluk -Nuthall Road Post Office

Marc Ellis-Cooper -Chapel St Leonards

Jackie Hibbert -Brumby Corner

Alex Gregson -Brunswick Road

Julie Eyre -Abbey Lane Post Office

Lynn McSherry -Humberston

Manu Jacob -Westbridge

Matt Davies -Ludlow

Pat March -Whitestone

Peter Bebb -Llanishen Fach

Rachael Chilcott -Ferndale

Rebecca Hedges -Burgh Road Post Office

Richard Parry -Gwersyllt

Sam Wakefield -Crewe

Jennie Baxter -Kirkgate

Craig Vincent -Valley Road Post Office

Allison Tofton -Kirkgate

34 35

Autumn 2014

Long Ser v iceAutumn 2014

Long Ser v ice

Celebrating Long Service5 Years continued

Muriel Hastings -Tregaron

Ruth Froggatt -Intake Post Office

Samual Thwaytes -Skegness

Shane Dugard -Store Development

Sharon Collins -Llangollen

Nicky Whittall -Chirk

Shirley Davies -Elton

Sue Hobson -Buckley

Sian Bartholomey -Beddau

Susan Grimshaw -Much Wenlock

Wendy Ewan -Whitestone

Tom O'Malley -Forsbrook

10 Years

Alex Slater -Tenbury Wells

Alison Thorpe -Crowland

Amy Wharton -Wylde Green

Alwena Jones -Llanberis

Arun Karunasen -Queensway

Angela Jones -Much Wenlock

Angela Smith -Lawnswood

Anna Molyneaux -Rhos

Cindy Waumsley -Tetney

Beverly Jones -Rhos

Brendan Collum -Kings Langley

Caroline D’Altri -Coleham

Caroline Rickett -Long Sutton

Cassandra Windsor -Chirk

3 Years continued

5 Years

Tracy Davies -Ton Pentre

Vicky Sandalls -Aberystwyth

Tom Parker -Backwell

Steph Wakeman -Much Wenlock

Yvonne Little -Humberston

Carol Jenson -Yarborough Road

Andrea Flint -Creswell Post Office

Anita Kennedy -Cotteridge Post Office

Ben James -Llanishen Fach

Bridie Rutledge -Fosse Road

Lynette Smith -Much Wenlock

Jason Jones -Clifton Green

James Charlesworth -Crewe

Caroline Salmon -Stonydelph Post Office

Chris Kirby -Barton

Damian Doubler -Llanishen Fach

Dan Sant -Baschurch

Dave Hackney -Retail Trainer

Edwina Evans -Rhos

Emma Phillips -Llanishen Fach

Jean Jones -Buckley

Judy Rossiter -Warndon

Karen Day -Humberston

Karen Myhill -Newbold

Sarah Grimshaw -Much Wenlock

Laura Williams -Gwersyllt

Marcus Burnley-Lowe - Battlefield

Mark Cooper -Monkmoor

Matt Patterson -Redditch Road

Hannah Salem -Tetney

Steph Jones -Machynlleth

Tanya Rogers -Llangollen

Tim Wilson -Burbage

Alex Bacon -Maltby

36 37

Autumn 2014

Long Ser v iceAutumn 2014

Long Ser v ice

Celebrating Long Service10 Years continued

Nick Robinson -Welshpool

Mohammed Bashir -Brindley Place

Roy Latham -Bayston Hill

Stephanie Wragg -Humberston

Sue Jones -Llanidloes

Nerys Griffiths -Benllech

Nicola Baron -Terminus Road

Rachael Law -Brindley Place

Rhian Pritchard -LLanberis

Rosie Pimperton -Heighington

Sara Rickhuss -Walsall Manor Hospital

Sally Poole -Llanmartin

Said Basmer -Eastbourne

Sarah Roberts -Bala

Sian Gallivan -Rumney

Yvonne Turner -Grove Road

Yvonne Leech -Brecon Road

Wayne Andrews -Barmouth

Val Jones -Bodelwyddan

Terri Foster -Heighington

10 Years continued

Gemma Burgess -Coseley

Donna Hughes -LLanberis

Denise Bloomer -Wordsley Green

Glenys Davies -Newport

Gemma Broderick -Bala

Glenda Andrews -Barmouth

Ernie Masefield -Bannerbrook

Emma Rickhuss -Bentley

Helena Culleton -Tonyrefail

Helen Evans -Welshpool

Iona Thomas -Llanberis

Jackie Thursfield -Bentley

James Priestley -Monkmoor

Jane Morris -Cefn Fforest

Jean Beech -Welshpool

Jeanette Walker -South Woodham Ferrers

Jenny Winch -Maidstone

Jess Parry -Caergwrle

Jody Anderson -Albrighton

Julie Whyte -Bradley Cross Roads

Karen Scriverns -Upton

Laura Kerr -Great Wyrley

Lee Hole -Store Development

Lisa Madden -Bury St Edmunds

Karen Wentworth -Lapwood

Lynn Cox -Lawnswood

Lynne Scarboro -Wyberton

Mark Wilkinson -Area Manager

Lynn Pritchard -Rhuddlan

Michaela Williams -Machynlleth

Maureen Stanley -Bentley

Michelle Dean -Wrexham

Michelle Vernon -Warndon

Christine Payne -St Helens

Dale Williams -Stoneydelph

Davina Kelly (on right) -Merthyr Tydfil

Debbie Arrowsmith -Brecon Road

Deborah Lalor -Elton

Catrin Hughes -Amlwch

Christine Langford -Brewood

38 39

Celebrating Long Service

Sheila Weston -Thurcroft

Steve McMahon -Newbold

Sue Jackson -Melton Mowbray

Tracey Davies -Rhydyfelin

Susan Taylor -Warndon

Vicky Price -Trevethin

15 Years continued

20 Years

Anne Fogg -Brumby Corner

Christine Day -Wells

Dawn Bowen -Loughor

Debbie Hayward -Kings Norton

Andrew Goulding -Area Manager

Amanda Day -Brumby Corner

Gail Day -Wingerworth

Heather Williams -Sutton-on-Sea

Gareth Hodges -New Inn

Denise Webb -Chirk

Jackie Gillard -Tonyrefail

Autumn 2014

Long Ser v iceAutumn 2014

Long Ser v ice

15 Years

Helen Cole -Hykeham Road

Hilary Northall -Lawnswood

Hazel Cox -West Mersea

Hazel Dearn -Brewood

Gillian Pooley -Rhydyfelin

Gillian Cooper -Brewood

Maria Gregory -Rhydyfelin

Linda Train -Quay Road

Kay Bamford -Fresh Food Coach

Menai Roberts -Valley

Judy Saywell -Shawbirch

Julie Brough -Bocking Lane

Kathryn Mate -Abbey Lane

Karen Sargent -Ross-on-Wye

Katrina Legg -Cefn Fforest

Kathreen Butterfield -Biggleswade

Julie Crane -Trethomas

Jennifer Clarke -Holton le Clay

Jenny Philips -Leominster

Jayne Pitt -Albrighton

Janet Thynne -Lawnswood

Nicki King -Prestatyn

Phillip Potter -Felixstowe

Richard Cooper -Eccleshall Road

Ruth Mutton -Area Manager

Sarah Colbrook -Humberston

Sean Parker -Oulton Broad

Sharon MacDonald -Batchley

Sarah Deakin -Operations Support &Marketing Manager

Sheila Walton -Coseley

Chris Lewis -Store Development

Claire Henning -Coedpoeth

Carolyn Cooke -Intake Post Office

Emma Jones -Penrhyn

Dawn Stokes -Cotteridge

Gill Harries -Mount Crescent

Alison Gould -Frinton

Barbara Bolton -Penlan

Alison Brooks -Walton

Alison Faunt -Wyberton

Carol Cook -Baglan

Barbara Kelly -Kenfig Hill

Jane Wade -Treorchy

40

Autumn 2014

Long Ser v ice

Celebrating Long Service25 Years continued

John Dyson -Area Manager

Menai Davies -Amlwch

Roger Harker -Drummond Road

Susan Williams -Lawnswood

Paul Crimmins -Llandaff

Susan MacLennan -Aberavon

Dorwen Davies -Ferndale

Mary Humphreys -Amlwch

Steve Bruce -Louth

41

Autumn 2014

Long Ser v ice

Claudette Rowbottom -Operation Support

Dave Powell -Tenbury Wells

Carole Williams -Dolgellau

Helen Carless -Pelsall

Janet Jones -Bradley Cross Roads

Sheila Roberts -Valley

Nigel Bostock -Area Manager

35 Years

40 Years 45 Years

Mandy Evans -Ellesmere

20 Years continued

Sue Shorrock -Mynydd Isa

Shirley Richards -Bethesda

Susan Davies -Clydach

Tracy Gillman -Merthyr Tydfil

Valerie Jones -Caernarfon

Alex Moore -Ecclesall Road

Annette Harper -Trethomas

Carole Gilbertson -Radcliffe

Debbie Eyre -Accounts Supervisor

25 Years

Enid Morris -Dolgellau

Gail Rees -Newton

Gareth James -Area Manager

Gloria Marshall -Caerleon Road

Julie Watkins -Wordsley Green

Kate Deakin -Payroll Manager

Gwen Jones -Penrhyn

Jane Palfi -Kinver

Janet Dawes -Caerleon Road

Jo Brown -Creswell

Linda Hemming -Warndon

Muriel Chalder -Keelby

Rosanna Stewart -Port Talbot

Sally Croydon -Lawnswood

Bev Bloomer -Lapwood

Dave Kyme -Store Development

Catherine Devlin -Coseley

Gaynor Williams -Aberavon

Kathleen Westwood -Gornal Wood

Julie Summerell -Welland Road

30 Years

Karen Crutchley -Post Office Area Manager

Julie Barnes -Fairwater

Kath Phillips -Newport

Linda Dix -Aberavon

Lynda Davies -Clydach

Lesley Townsend -Chipping Sodbury

Mark Podmore -Regional Manager

Mandy Moore -Merthyr Tydfil

Neil Maiden -Pelsall

Samantha Bowen-Wilkie - Morriston

Michelle Davies -Wombourne

Maureen Owens -Treorchy

Tim Johnson -Russells Hall

Margaret Lucien -Wordsley

43

Attendance Awards

Blakemore Retail holds attendance draws quarterly to recognise employees who achieve 100% attendance. The following staff received cashprizes dependent on how many months of continual attendance they achieved and whether they are full or part-time employees.

Attendance Awards

October 2013 Draw

January 2014 Draw continued

April 2014 Draw

Jayne Nicholson -Pot House Lane

Michael Doran -Intake

Cheryl Davenport -Stannington

12months

£250Lisa Kaminski-James -Patchway Post Office

6months

£125Shirley Wood -Drummond Road

6months

£125

12months

£50012

months

£500

Kandasamy Senthil-Nathan - New Romney

Jane Morgan -Kidwelly

12months

£25012

months

£500

Catherine Jones -Bodelwyddan

Louise Brace -Coseley

6months

£25012

months

£250

Ian Fletcher -Rhuddlan

Emma Stanley -Coseley

6months

£2506

months

£250

Jackie Goldring -Prestatyn

Clive Tonkins -Tregaron

6months

£2506

months

£250

Joanne Martin -Caerleon Road

Joanne Saunders -Maidstone

6months

£125

6months

£250

Robert Cox -Cae Glas Road

6months

£125

Lesley Metcalfe -Newbold

Helen Mills -Llanidloes

12months

£50012

months

£500

Valarie Rees -Caergwrle

Debra Chambers -Maerdy

12months

£25012

months

£250

January 2014 Draw

Karen Guryn -Forsbrook

Deborah Lomas -Great Wyrley

12months

£50012

months

£500

Alison Sheet -Chepstow

Nia Hughes -Coedpoeth

12months

£25012

months

£250

Thomas Wilson -Newtown

Paul Brooks -Holton Le Clay

6months

£2506

months

£250

Brian Owen -Clydach

6months

£250

Robert Roberts -Caergwrle

6months

£125

Emily Borsberry-Yemm - Ross-on-Wye

6months

£125

Jason Chapman-Young -South Woodham Ferrers

12months

£500

Sadie Davies -Penarth

12months

£500

Paula Grimshaw -Port Talbot

12months

£500

Marilyn Ludlow -Treorchy

12months

£250

Denise Bloomer -Wordsley

6months

£125

Angela Milton -Biggleswade

6months

£125

Gareth James -Area Manager

6months

£250

Gwyneth Jennings -Porthmadog

6months

£250

Emma Davies -Dolgellau

12months

£250

Irene Jones -Mynydd Isa

12months

£250

Abigail Jones -Barmouth

6months

£125

Menai Davies -Almwch

6months

£250

Dawn Evans -Risca Park

6months

£250

Linda Gwyther -Penlan

6months

£250

Gerald Hartey-Brown - Ewenny Road

6months

£125

Kath Phillips -Newport

Laura Lucas -Shawbirch

12months

£25012

months

£500

Muriel Hastings -Tregaron

Shibli Begum -Rhiwbina

6months

£25012

months

£250

Catherine Kelwick -Creswell

12months

£500

Jane Hempenstall -Birmingham Airport

12months

£250

Jeanette Quarless -Radcliffe

6months

£125

Tracy Blunt -Upper Parliament Street

12months

£500

RajakumarSooriyakumar -Queensway

12months

£500

Mary Compton -Glascote Heath

12months

£500Sam Tomlinson -Area Manager

12months

£500Caroline Goodbarn -Greatstone

12months

£500

Clifford Stephen -Birmingham University

12months

£500Charlotte Phillips -Wylde Green Post Office

6months

£125

Matthew Haywood -Birmingham University

6months

£250

Charlotte Knowlden -Hoo

6months

£250

42

Autumn 2014

Attendance AwardsAutumn 2014

Autumn 2014

NewsAutumn 2014

News

44 45

Retirements

Birthdays

Anita Bate retired from Tonyrefaillast August after 10 years’ service.

Brian Sansam retired fromWyberton in February after 12 years’service.

Christine Hall retired fromCowbridge in March after 17 years’service.

CelebrationsIf you’ve got a photo you’d like tosubmit to It’s Your News please email itto radams@afblakemore.com.

Here are a few we’ve receivedsince the last magazine:

Dorothy Williams retired fromBaglan last August after 18 years’service.

Dot Lewis retired from Hatherley inMay after 13 years’ service.

Retail Trainer Trish Gregory retiredin August after 24 years’ service.

Hillary John retired from Rhydfelinlast August after 23 years’ service.

Jean Lewis retired from Cowbridgein November after 27 years’ service.

Mary Pugh retired from Lye inOctober after 16 years’ service.

Sherry-Anne Barratt retired fromHatherley in November after 15 years’service.

Gill Rutland retired from Albrightonlast August after 46 years’ service.

Fresh Food Coach Steve Sheppardretired in December after 12 years'service.

Sue Fall retired from Lawnswood inMay after 25 years’ service.

Sue Nason retired from Docking inNovember after 7 years’ service.

Brian Mickelson retired inNovember after 51 years’ service as amanager at Tonyrefail and generalassistant at Treherbert. He startedwhen he was 15!

Sue Gardiner retired from ScarthoPost Office last August after 13 years’service.

Patricia Harker retired fromWinthorpe Avenue in March after 33years’ service.

Training & Development ManagerKerry Hunt celebrated her 50thbirthday in March.

Area managers John Kelly and DonnaCooper celebrated their birthdays inMarch.

Births

Congratulations to Paul Long from ITSupport, whose wife Nicola gave birthto son Charlie on 16th November2013.

Congratulations to Training ManagerDave Hammond, whose wife Sarahgave birth to Eva Fleur Hammond on8th November, weighing 6lb 10oz.

Charlotte Sandcraft from Wattongave birth to a 6lb 1oz baby boy inMarch. The store clubbed together insecret and presented Charlotte with abasket full of baby gifts.

Deeanne O’Brein from Tickhill PostOffice welcomed daughter OliviaJessica into the world on 4th March,weighing 7lb 8oz.

46 47

Autumn 2014

News

CompetitionCornerWIN £50Worth of Vouchers!

Your Chance to

In the last edition of Competition Corner we askedyou to guess which Blakemore Retail employee thisyoung lad grew up to be. Unfortunatelyno one guessedcorrectly, so thistime we’re givingaway a clue. Now fullygrown thisemployee hasa passion formotorbikes.

Please submit your entry to Operations Support andMarketing Manager Sarah Deakin via email or post.Make sure you include the following details:

Guess Who?

Your name:

Your guess:

Your store or department:

Telephone number:

Send your entries to Sarah Deakin, Blakemore Retail,

Longacres Industrial Estate, Rose Hill, Willenhall WV13 2JP

sdeakin@afblakemore.com

Lotter y

September 2013Draw

Staff Lottery Winners

Sharon Gates (left) Elizabeth Richards (right) -Aberavon

Robert Hancox -Elton

Adrienne Hattingh -Beaumaris

£250Winner £500

Winner

£250Winner£1000

Winner

Owen Davies -Regional Manager

£100Winner

Daniel Angelides -Bentley

£500Winner

Matthew Kent -New Waltham

£100Winner

Karen Parry -Gwersyllt

£100Winner

Kerry Chamberlain -Bentley

£50Winner

Timothy Powell -Ludlow

£50Winner

Mandy Charles -Newark

£100Winner

Emma Stuart -Radcliffe

£50Winner

Mary Pugh -Lye

£50Winner

December 2013Draw

Karen Guryn -Forsbrook

Debbie Lester -Rowley Regis

£100Winner£1000

Winner

Pauline Campbell -Cotteridge

Christine Palmer -Warndon

£50Winner£100

Winner

Mark Taylor -Wollaston

£50Winner

Debbie Kershaw -New Waltham

£100Winner

Alan Beavis -Trinity Road

£100Winner

Dawn Philips -Cardigan

£100Winner

Lawrence Corrieri -Colwyn Bay

£100Winner

Julie-Ann Weale -Builth Wells

£50Winner

Alan Beavis -Trinity Road

£50Winner

Zoe Ince -Crowland

£50Winner

Sarah Deakin -Marketing Manager

£50Winner

March 2014Draw

Chris Bacon - StoreOperations Director

Belinda Lewis -Much Wenlock

£50Winner£500

Winner

Neil Norton -Wordsley

£50Winner

Mandy Williams -Stonydelph

£250Winner

Sandra Jones -Bodelwyddan

£1000Winner

Kathryn Thomas -Ton Pentre

£100Winner

June Gibb -Coedpoeth

£100Winner

Sian Roberts -Porthmadog

£100Winner

Tammy Bodenham -Ludlow

£50Winner

Mark Sullivan -Aberystwyth

£100Winner

Sarah Patricia -Whitestone

£100Winner

Valerie Jones -Bodelwyddan

£50Winner

Nick Palmer -Area Manager

£50Winner

Autumn 2014

The winning team:Bayern NeverlusenFeaturing: Nick Chambers,Daniel Tipton, Andy Broome,Lawrence Brown, Ben Hallamand Kev Melia

Runners up: The ManorFeaturing: Harvey Uppal, Steve Clifford(Birmingham Guild), Mike Ashford(Cotteridge), Nathan Fryzer, Ryan Patel,Steve Baker, Daniel Corbett and DanielAngelides

The five-a-side tournament, organised byBlakemore Retail’s Loss PreventionManager Mark Stevenson and OperationsSupport & Marketing Manger SarahDeakin, raised a terrific £1,000 for thegood cause.

Sixteen teams competed for the winners’shield at the competition, which tookplace in Lutterworth, Leicestershire.

The tournament was won by a team fromhead office made up of staff fromBlakemore Design & Shopfitting andProperty, appropriately named ‘BayernNeverlusen’. The runners up wereWalsall Manor Hospital’s store team, ‘TheManor’, who lost out in the final.

Sarah Deakin commented: “The eventwas a great cross-company team buildingexercise. It was really fun to be involved,and raising £1,000 for the NSPCC wasfantastic.”

Staff Football Tournament Raises£1,000 for ChildLineEmployees from across Blakemore Retail’s store estate and head office took part in a charityfootball competition in July to raise money for ChildLine.

All correct entries will be entered into a draw, and thewinner will receive £50 worth of gift vouchers for astore of their choice.

ChildLine is a service provided by the NSPCC. Registered charity numbers 216401 and SC037717.Photography by Jon Osborne, posed by models and volunteers. 20141134.

ChildLine NEEDS volunteers to deliver assemblies

and workshops in primary schools in your area.

We raised £303,212 in 2013/14, enabling the

ChildLine Schools Service to visit 379 primary

schools and speak to 27,289 children.

For more information on how Blakemore Retail employees

can volunteer for the ChildLine Schools Service, please

contact Community Affairs Officer Liz Bell on 0121 568 2910

or email lbell@afblakemore.co.uk

Blakemore Retail

is supporting the

ChildLine

SCHOOLSSERV ICE

5 020961 400218

ISSUE 4 Autumn 2014