{"id":29440,"date":"2023-08-15T15:13:14","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T15:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/?p=29440"},"modified":"2023-08-15T15:13:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T15:13:14","slug":"satisfaction-is-key-for-store-manager-marie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/satisfaction-is-key-for-store-manager-marie\/","title":{"rendered":"Satisfaction is key for store manager Marie"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having been headhunted for a manager\u2019s role for McGleenan\u2019s Centra in Keady, Marie O\u2019Neill has spent 20 years heading the store and its staff, helping to lead them to award wins and top recognition across the board.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their most recent success saw the 7500 sq ft store take home the Overall Store of the Year at this year\u2019s Musgrave Group awards, which Marie described as being a \u201cwonderful surprise to win\u201d.<\/p>\n

Crediting her \u201cfantastic staff\u201d and their commitment to and enjoyment of their respective roles, Marie said they wouldn\u2019t be able to \u201copen the doors\u201d without them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important part of the job for me is looking after the team we have here,\u201d said Marie. \u201cI would be the one who deals with the staff in relation to their job role. I have team leaders, but I like to get to know the staff themselves, what problems they might have and so on.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Marie O’Neill and store co-owner Damien McGleenan.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWith 85 staff, it can lead to some challenges, but I do feel we are very very lucky. We have some who have been here a long time with us. We know how each other works and it\u2019s a good team environment. \u201cI just love the people, I enjoy chatting and meeting people, it\u2019s a great part of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

STORE MANAGER ROLE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marie said she \u201cfell into retail by mistake\u201d after completing a HND at technical college and was offered a supervisor role in local store, Curleys in Dungannon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked there for 10 years. It was a family-run business and I really enjoyed working there.<\/p>\n

In 2003, Damien McGleenan was in the process of buying a small shop with a forecourt in Keady and knew Coalisland woman, Marie as they had both attended Texaco conventions over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got in touch with me, saying he was looking for a store manager for the Keady shop and invited me for an interview. He took over the business on 1st July 2003 and I came on board as manager then,\u201d said Marie.<\/p>\n

The first shop renovation was carried out in 2007 with a hot food counter and butchery introduced. The store was extended with an off sales also brought in. More recently an extensive store renovation was completed, at a cost of \u00a32.5 million and included a complete overhaul of the forecourt, with new pumps and tarmac added.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Marie described the last few years as \u201cchallenging\u201d but ultimately worth it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a tough few years, obviously with covid and then before we were fully out of that we undertook another extensive renovation, which was a 10-month plan,\u201d explained Marie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our hot food provision, which is open from 6am to 10pm, we brought in a new seating area, a butchery deck, new shelving, new refrigeration, freezers, new flooring, the works. It was a tough three years with all that was going on. When the renovation was completed, I could look back and see just how great it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff were all on board with the work and renovations and we brought in new staff at that stage too. You can spend all the money in the world, but if you do not have the right people with you, it means nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

AWARD WINS AND RECOGNITION<\/strong><\/p>\n

The hard work and difficulties encountered over the last three years were made worthwhile with McGleenan\u2019s Centra Keady winning the Gold Award in the Centra Foodmarket category at brand owner Musgrave Group\u2019s annual Store of the Year Awards, before going on to scoop the overall Centra Store of the Year title. The store was recognised for its high customer service standards and strong sales, driven by a hard-working team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were hopeful, but it was a wonderful surprise to win, especially when there were other great stores that we were up against too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was delighted we won and also for the staff. We work hard but they work as hard as we do, without them we could not open the doors.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would touch base with other Centra stores in Musgrave\u2019s network and help each other out as best we can. It adds to the family feel of the stores and you get a lot of ideas from them too. There are other retailers who have come to the shop and it\u2019s good to get ideas from each other. But of course, things that work in one place won\u2019t always work in another shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hot food and deli counters are our big draws, especially with the seating area. When our hot food counter closes, the chippy runs into the evenings. We have the offering of hot food from morning to night. The seating area is fabulous since it\u2019s been done up and we see it growing. It currently seats 50 and is always busy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a production kitchen out the back, and all our dinners, including our Sunday dinners, are freshly made for our customers and at a fraction of restaurant prices.\u201d<\/p>\n

STAFF FOCUS\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

With 85 staff, including four or five who have been there \u201cfrom day one\u201d, Marie\u2019s job centres on the smooth running of day-to-day activity while also ensuring staff are managed and supported. Staff training is a key part of this, with colleagues\u2019 training regularly updated and new staff trained in the main aspects of the store.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the staff are from Keady and the local area. It\u2019s good for the customers as well as they see local and familiar faces when they come in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen staff start, we provide an induction, manual handling training, age-related training and a food hygiene course for deli staff. We also provide basic food training. Musgrave supports us with this through its online Learning Academy and we have a room dedicated for staff undergoing courses.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Aileen Slevin, Shania Dynes, Dean White, Kathryn McGeown, Chrissie McShane.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe have a room here dedicated to online training through Musgrave and their learning academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have about 30 hot food staff and previously it was hard if I had to take away a number of them at one time for training or to update their training. Now we can do it here in the office, they can do it one at a time or if they want to do it at home, I can send them a link.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is also first aid training and indeed, one of our managers is also a first responder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Describing her job as \u201ca bit of a mix\u201d, Marie divides her time between paperwork in the office and spending time on the shop floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hands-on and if I\u2019m there with the team on the shop floor, I feel you get more out of them and you can let them know they are doing a good job. As I say to Damien, it costs nothing to say to somebody that they\u2019re doing well but it means something to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey go home with a bit of job satisfaction and feel like they\u2019re appreciated and valued. I have to say I love it and I have seen how the business has grown over the 20 years that I\u2019ve been here. With the awards and all, it\u2019s nice to know you are a part of that and what we have achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n

COMMUNITY SPIRIT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marie is also quick to praise owners Damien and Frankie on what they have achieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamien said he wanted to create a community hub and that is what he has done. The customers know that if they go to Damien or Frankie that they will help and support them where they can. From charity events to team sponsorships, they are awfully good at supporting the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the current climate, shopping is now driven by convenience and Marie adds that the whole team at McGleenan\u2019s Centra is trying to \u201ccater for everybody\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cShoppers\u2019 habits have definitely changed, I have noticed that, and we change to meet their needs. I find now more people are buying as and when they need to, and it also means they are cutting back on their waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about convenience, shopping is now more focused on chilled and convenience. We would have a lot of commuters and passing trade also. We have got a good name for our hot food, as people have heard from others and they come along and try it out for themselves. It\u2019s good to know that what we are doing is working.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TO VIEW THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MARIE O’NEILL IN THE JULY ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER, CLICK HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Having been headhunted for a manager\u2019s role for McGleenan\u2019s Centra in Keady, Marie O\u2019Neill has spent 20 years heading the store and its staff, helping<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":29447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[6785,7159,7188,1218,779,761],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/20230608_155012.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29440"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29440"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29449,"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29440\/revisions\/29449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}