- Here to help?Are you a David Brent - "a friend first, boss second, entertainer third" - or do you apply more thought to staff needs, especially in delicate situations? Jaq Bayles canvasses store managersPublished: 31 March, 2008
If you treat the people around you with love and respect, they will never guess you're trying to get them sacked. Just one of the gems from the mouth of the UK's most famous business manager, David Brent (Ricky Gervais) of The Office.
Punter ProfileTESCO EXPRESS KID (Spliffus Muncius Maximus): Middle-class student or chavvy clubber, all members of the species share a love of pizza, pies, chocolate and Lucozade at four in the morningPublished: 31 March, 2008nThe proliferation of 24-hour opening over the past decade or so has been something of a mixed blessing, the obvious convenience being balanced by concerns over noise, staff safety and energy use. However, there is one social group for whom the all-night convenience store (and especially those Tesco Express-style shops attached to petrol garages) has been an absolute boon - the clubber and/or student.
- Claire colognecustomer servicePublished: 31 March, 2008
Q There has been a strong focus on recruitment across our business at the start of the year. How do I ensure that we attract and select the right staff?
- Stressing the pitfallsEveryone gets stressed, but retailers understimate the legal risks of staff stress at their peril. Innes Ebert, head of retail at law firm Weightmans, offers some advice on how to handle itPublished: 31 March, 2008
nStress has become an integral part of many jobs around the country, especially in the retail industry. Working long hours is becoming the norm rather than the exception, but are retail employees simply coping with working longer hours or are employers sitting on a time bomb?
- chris mayQ&APublished: 31 March, 2008
QI am planning to give some feedback to my team in-store. Could you give me any simple tips to make the session go well for both me and my staff?
- shop stars: Nadim AshrifPublished: 31 March, 2008
Dealing with the public on a day-to-day basis can present its challenges,
A head for heightsEven though she hasn't yet reached 30, Sarah Jackson is a bit of an old head on young shoulders, inspiring her team with her retail savvy. Having conquered Kilimanjaro, this high-flying Waitrose branch manager has ambitions to climb as far as she can within the firm, reports James ParkerPublished: 31 March, 2008Sarah Jackson may be young for a branch manager, at 29, but she has solid retail experience under her belt. This pedigree, plus her ambition, means she is as confident about her prospects within the Waitrose Partnership as she is content to be serving the needs of her store in Ely, Cambridgeshire - at least for the time being.
- top of the morningBreakfast is acknowledged as the most important meal of the day, and is also a crucial market for brands and retailers. However, there are challenges to getting shoppers to buy into early morning snacks, healthy or otherwise, says David CastlePublished: 31 March, 2008
Despite 93% of UK adults saying they understand the importance of eating breakfast, nearly half of them are still not doing so.
Frozen assetsFrozen has been undergoing a resurgence over the past few months, and the sector is once again hot stuff in the multiples, with growth all the way down the aisle. David Castle reportsPublished: 31 March, 2008Frozen is once again melting consumers' hearts. Having been in the doldrums for the past few years, sales of frozen products have been titanic over in the past 12 months.
- Colin HarperOFF THEIR TROLLEYPublished: 31 March, 2008
We often use the words 'new year' as a figure of speech. But this year in retail is showing all signs of being a REALLY new year.
Has the number of customer complaints about the price of goods increased recently?
