The retail sector as a whole has come on leaps and bounds in terms of gender equality since I started my career. This has been a result of determined individuals who, through their dedication and tenacity, have promoted opportunities for women in the industry.

As Nisa’s Head of Retail and a proud Ambassador for Diversity in Wholesale and Women in Wholesale, I am determined to bring industry figures together to drive gender equality in the sector.

At this year’s annual conference in Stoneleigh, I had the pleasure of introducing a panel discussion with five leading women in the industry for our Women in Retail panel. The panel included Co-op Food’s commercial director, Sinead Bell; Women in Wholesale founder Elit Rowland; Greencore’s business improvement coordinator, Monique Munro; and the owner of Whyte’s of New Pitsligo, Julie-Anne Whyte.

It was a fascinating discussion, in which our panel members shared their own experiences, discussed gender equality in the retail industry, and explored the support tools, groups, and forums available to female Nisa retailers.

CHANGES IN SECTOR

What particularly resonated was the fact that so many women in this industry have experience being the only woman in the room. However, the sector is changing. The panellists shared changes being made across the sector to achieve gender equality in retail businesses by engaging in unbiased recruitment training and removing gender biased wording from job adverts.

Monique added that Greencore have standardised the wording for roles. “It has been proven than women are more likely to apply to a job if they feel like they can achieve 80-100% of the criteria list, whereas men apply if they feel like they can achieve a minimum of 60%. It’s really important to have a distinction between desirable and necessary traits,” she said.

‘So many women in this industry have experience being the only woman in the room’

These changes will prove to be essential if we are to attract the right people to the industry. The establishment of Women in Wholesale by Elit and many others has allowed women in the industry to gain the recognition they deserve. It is through this work, and the work of many other organisations and businesses, that we have been able to raise the visibility of emerging talent within the industry. The discussion highlighted that while the journey towards gender diversity and equality in the sector is ongoing, there is always more that we can do to drive change.

EMPOWERING COLLEAGUES

Elit mentioned this during our panel discussion when she said that “we all have a responsibility to create the culture we want to see, it doesn’t matter what job role you are in”.

It is because of this I, and many others across the industry, want to empower our colleagues and peers to drive change. To foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for women in the retail convenience sector, businesses need to be proactive. Nisa regularly engages with female retailers and colleagues to discuss what more can be done to improve diversity and equality, and our MD, Peter Batt, leads from the front to champion this.

‘I, and many others across the industry, want to empower our colleagues and peers to drive change’

Through our work with the Women in Wholesale and Co-op’s Aspire network we are able to promote events and opportunities for all of our colleagues. By developing a wide support network, we are able to enhance the experiences and careers of our female colleagues.

It is particularly telling that during the Women in Retail panel, all panellists agreed that it was essential that we use our networks across the supply chain and in the world of retail to drive change.

The wholesale sector can gain immensely by empowering women within its workforce, recognising their invaluable contributions, and by taking tangible steps to support their professional development.

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According to the latest data from Kantar, its growth was driven by the continued success of its own-label offer, with sales of its popular ‘Taste the Difference’ range up by 23% year-on-year.

Tesco also had a strong performance to increase its market share to 27.5% following a growth in sales of 8.6%, marking the fifth month in a row that the retailer has made gains.

Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insights at Kantar said Sainsbury’s premium products have featured prominently in the retailer’s Christmas TV spot this year.

“Our testing showed its lead TV ad is one of the top performers for potential short-term sales impact. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the numbers next month to see how this translates at the tills,” said Fraser McKevitt.

Lidl is again the fastest growing grocer, boosting sales by 14.2% over the 12 weeks to 26^th November to take a record high share of 7.8%. Sales at Asda were up by 2.6% and now has 13.4% of the market. Co-op’s share stands at 5.8%, while frozen specialist Iceland saw an increase in sales of 3.0%.

Grocery inflation now stands at 9.6% for the 12-week period ending 26^th November 2023, with prices rising fastest in markets such as eggs, sugar, confectionery and frozen potato products.

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Michelle joined Nisa in 1994 and successfully operated as Administration Manager and then Support & Planning Manager until 2015. Having excelled in those roles, Michelle was offered the position of Business Manager in Trading Support in 2019 – her most recent role before taking on the vacant Head of Central Operations position heading into her 30th year with the business.

A two-time Nisa Colleague of the Year winner, Michelle led the successful data integration between Nisa and Co-op post-acquisition for the whole Trading floor, reviewing and re-working ways of working and processes.

Michelle also became the key Trading systems representative for Brexit and HFSS, working cross functionally with Co-op and Nisa colleagues and key stakeholders to plan and execute future plans.

The Head of Central Operations role reports into Nisa’s new Head of Partner Services Kim Clarkson. The role provides centralised support for Nisa and its retailers, working with a wide range of teams, colleagues, and partners to deliver best-in-class customer service across customer support functions and the customer ordering journey.

Kim Clarkson, Head of Partner Servies at Nisa said: “I’m thrilled to have Michelle move into the Head of Central Operations position and this again demonstrates the talented colleagues we already have in the building.

“Michelle is heading into her 30th year with Nisa and has made a significant contribution to the business throughout that time. I’m confident that Michelle will thrive and continue to deliver the best-in-class customer service for our Nisa customers.”

Michelle Scott-Jones added: “I’m absolutely delighted with this new opportunity, and I can’t wait to get started in role. Nisa has been my home for nearly 30 years now and throughout that time I’ve felt supported and encouraged to take my career progression seriously.

“I’m in no doubt that the role of Head of Central Operations comes with a lot of additional responsibilities but it’s an opportunity I’m really looking forward to.”

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In an open letter, Peter Batt, Managing Director of Nisa, along with Head of Retail, Victoria Lockie, has written an open letter highlighting that authorities have not responded in over 70% of serious retail crimes reported.

The crimes vary from shoplifting and attempted thefts to criminal damage to stores and property.

The letter coincides with Respect for Shopworkers Week, which runs from 13^th to 19^th November.

The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) has been running its Freedom from Fear ‘Respect for Shopworkers Week’ since 2002, during which time the targeted campaign has worked with the public, retail employers, the police and the government to protect retail workers from violence and abuse.

Across England, Scotland and Wales, Usdaw has successfully delivered increased legal protections for retail workers. With retail workers in Northern Ireland facing abuse, threats and violence in much the same way as other Usdaw members, they are calling on politicians in Northern Ireland to be aware of the need to protect retail workers.

“Key to that is ensuring that all incidents are reported, so the theme of this year’s Respect Week is ‘Report it. Sort it’.,” states Usdaw.

“Ensuring that all cases are reported will help send a clear message to colleagues, employers, politicians and the police of the scale of the issue and the need for further action to protect retail workers,” they added.

Read the open letter in full below.

How can we support independent retailers with the impact of retail crime?

“The plight of retail crime has been rightly pushed to the top of the news agenda in recent months, led brilliantly by the Co-op and Nisa. And as the government’s Crime and Justice bill is debated, and Usdaw’s Respect for Shopworkers Week approaches, the issue of how we help retailers feel safe is once again in the spotlight – especially pertinent to the 33,500 independent retailers up and down the country.

“The Co-op’s recent report on retail crime highlighted some significant challenges, with the appropriate authorities failing to respond in over 70% of serious retail crimes reported.

“Our teams hear on a weekly basis from retailers dealing with the ongoing challenge of shoplifting, and the impact that is having both financially and on their own well-being. Nisa retailer Ben Selvaratnam, owner of Freshfields Market in Croydon, a family-run store, told us that shoplifting has become such an issue that they are targeted by three to 10 thefts or attempted thefts a day, costing him hundreds of pounds a week.

“Stories like Ben’s are sadly not isolated; and the impact of retail crime is particularly tough for independent retailers, many of whom are open longer hours and can’t afford to hire professional security. These horrific incidents have a long-lasting impact on businesses and a negative impact for the community overall.

“It was positive, therefore, to see Policing Minister Chris Philp respond to these challenges by announcing a Retail Crime Action Plan, committing to tackle shoplifting, catch more offenders and keep retail workers safe.

“And while the national action plan is a welcome step – not least the commitments to prioritise urgent attendance at the scene of shoplifting involving violence against a shop worker – we hope the plight of independent retailers is given as much consideration as the larger organisations.

“If we are going to tackle this issue seriously, we need to all retailers, including independent retailers running their own stores, can feel safe simply doing their job.

“So, as we support USDAW’s efforts this week to continue the conversation around respect for shopworkers, big and small, I’d urge independent retailers to ensure they are reporting crime, to give themselves the best chance of police action – and I’d urge the police to ensure independent retailers are not left behind in the race to tackle retail crime.

“Independent retailers are the beating hearts of high streets across the country, and if we want to ensure they are still there for the communities they serve, then action needs to be taken now.”

Peter Batt, Nisa’s Managing Director

Victoria Lockie, Nisa’s Head of Retail

For more information, visit https://www.usdaw.org.uk/Campaigns/Freedom-From-Fear/Reps-Respect-Week-Briefing-2023-NI

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Co-op’s origins in Northern Ireland trace back to the Belfast Co-operative Society, itself dating back to the late 1800s and today operates 25 stores in Northern Ireland.

Declan has worked for Co-op for 25 years, joining the store in Fivemiletown, Co Tyrone as a deputy manager after graduating from the University of Ulster. His first post as store manager was in the Co-op store in Moy and he is now Operations Manager for the Co-op’s 25 NI stores.

CONSUMER CO-OPERATIVE

One of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives with interests across food, funerals, insurance and legal services, Co-op is owned by millions of UK consumers. It operates around 2,500 food stores, over 800 funeral homes and provides products to over 5,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies and through its wholesale business, Nisa Retail Limited.

The additional services available in and provided by Co-op are what make it stand out from some of the retailer’s competitors,” said Declan.

‘While many things change and evolve in retailing, these values are still at the very heart of our Co-op and are still just as relevant – if not more so’

“Added services in our stores make a difference to the way we can serve our communities, as the needs and wants of consumers change and evolve. Not everyone is at home to take delivery of parcels – and so the ability to pop into the Co-op and pick up your parcels alongside bread, milk and the evening meal is helpful to

time-pressed shoppers,” he said.

“It is all about making life easier, more convenient. We have five stores which operate a post office service, in addition we have stores operating Amazon parcel collection as well as Evri parcel collection.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

“We are committed to offering value, with values – through our ethically sourced products. Whether that is Fairtrade, or our support for UK growers and farmers – for instance, all our own brand meat is from the UK, including in our sandwiches and ready meals.”

Extending support into the community is a key focus for Co-op, and the aim of all their stores is to operate at the heart of local life, added Declan.

“As a community retailer we work to serve and support our communities. Being a member of the Co-op is one way in which shoppers can help us to make a difference locally, simply by shopping with us,” he added.

TO READ DECLAN’S FULL INTERVIEW IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER YEARBOOK, CLICK HERE

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