Sharon Kane, award-winning c-store manager at Spar Cullybackey, part of the Henderson Retail group in Northern Ireland, gets ready for Christmas trading.
Sharon Kane: seasonal challenge
The countdown is on…we are now counting down the days, instead of months, to our busiest trading period. So, how do we prepare ourselves to cope with this hectic time of year?
Last week we had our annual Christmas conference. All company-owned store managers and assistant managers attended, and the key messages and our goals and objectives for Christmas were then relayed back to the rest of our team in-store.
This is a great motivational exercise and gets everyone in the mood and on track, ready to face the exciting weeks ahead.
In order for us to have a successful Christmas and New Year, we must focus on planning, organising and scheduling, so we are not taken by surprise at the most crucial trading period of the year.
Probably, one of the most important aspects of planning for me, are staff rotas.
If we give our staff plenty notice of their shifts, it gives them the opportunity to plan their Christmas and also allows them to swap shifts if needed, to attend planned functions.
In previous years we found this is greatly appreciated by our staff and significantly reduces absenteeism at a time when our main focus is quick, efficient service for our customers.
Spar Cullybackey: finalist in local business awards
To follow up from where I left off last month, we were delighted to be finalists at the Ballymena Business Awards in two categories, Customer Service and Involvement in the Community, and believe me, the competition was tough.
I also mentioned the Spar Convention in Arizona. Well, what can I say? It was an experience of a lifetime.
Every presenter was motivating and inspiring, and the intense programme covered all aspects of our business.
To visit Arizona, and do some Christmas shopping in New York, was just the ticket to get me set up and ready to face the hectic weeks to come.
This is the most challenging time of our trading year but also the most exciting and rewarding.
Merry Christmas.
Sharon Kane