Holland & Barrett crowns top three employees
Health food retailer Holland & Barrett has honoured its top three employees at a national awards ceremony.
The awards, which followed months of regional heats and a two-day final, recognised the winners for their in-depth product knowledge, health advice and the quality of their customer service.
Kim Robinson (fourth from right), from The Moor store in Sheffield, beat more than 380 entrants to win the coveted ‘Manager of the Year’ title plus a five-star, all-expenses paid trip to New York.
Robinson said: “I feel ecstatic to have won the Manager of the Year award. The whole process was a fantastic experience and it’s great that Holland & Barrett has recognised my hard work over the last five years I have spent working for them. I love working for a company that helps so many customers with their health and wellbeing, it feels very rewarding. I can’t wait to go to New York, I will be taking my husband along with me to celebrate.”
Never Miss a Retail Update!Sam Goodman (fifth from left) from Manchester’s Market Street store took home the ‘Supervisor of the Year’ award while Paul Chittleborough (far right) from the Colchester branch was crowned the ‘Associate of the Year’ award.
Each of the three winners are ‘Qualified to Advise’ customers up to A-Level standard after earning their ‘Advanced Product Advisor’ title through the company’s training academy.
As part of the competition, Holland & Barrett’s managers, supervisors and store associates took part in two days of rigorous testing to challenge their knowledge, before attending the glamorous gala dinner and award ceremony in the evening.
This year’s challenges were based on popular TV game shows; Supermarket Sweep tested the Store Associates’ merchandising ability, Mastermind judged how well they knew the company history, while The Chase and I’m A Celebrity assessed contestants on their product knowledge and customer service skills.
Lysa Hardy, Holland & Barrett’s chief marketing officer, said: “Our associates are at the front line of the business and deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication to the company. This year’s assessments were designed to challenge our staff and showcase their expertise in all areas of the business. We are hugely proud of all our finalists who impressed the panel by delivering strong performances within each assessment area.”
