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Our magazine, exclusively for colleagues

Winter 2015/16

The real thing

Sea to storeCounter colleagues

set sail on a fishy adventure

Never forgetJustin’s emotional

walk in daughter’s

memory

Our expert Christmas tree supplier reveals his

secret to growing the perfect festive forest

North Wembley Express

Rema Boumerdassi (pictured left)

won two coveted titles at the Sales

Assistant of the Year Awards 2015.

Peterborough Extra

Green-fingered volunteers got their

heads down to design and create

a remembrance memorial garden

close to the store.

Belfast Distribution Centre

Driver Michael Booth ran the Great

North Run with friends and family

in memory of his sister, Lesley, who

passed away suddenly last year.

The runners raised money for

Crohn’s & Colitis UK.

Eston Extra

Colleague Frank Harker cycled past

eight stores in the north-east on a

journey dubbed the Tour de Tesco to

raise cash for our charity partnership.

Walkden Extra & Farnworth Extra

A team of colleagues from two local

stores spent a day in the sun giving

Walkden Community Cricket Club

a much-needed lick of paint.

Chorley Buckshaw Superstore

Colleagues and customers clubbed

together to buy Customer Assistant

Chris Halpin a new bike after his

was stolen.

Pembury Superstore

The store in Kent celebrates

15 years since it opened –

meaning lots of celebrations

for loyal colleagues who have

been there from the start.

Honiton Superstore

Colleagues from across Devon

made Team Tesco Tweed to

support the annual Jolly Good

Jaunt. The charity walk is

organised by Hospiscare to raise

money for hospices in the area.

Sheffield West Street Metro

Customer Assistant Georgina

Simpson was a lifesaver when

she rushed to the aid of a customer

who had collapsed while in store.

Share your pictures by using #TimeForT

HelloWow… we really can’t believe it’s already the third edition of t. Hasn’t the year gone quickly?

As we’re all aware, 2015 has been a tough year for the company. That being said, everyone should take credit and be proud of how resilient you’ve been throughout the turbulence. Being part of the panel allows us to hear about so many stories of the fantastic successes from up and down the country.Bringing t to life simply wouldn’t have been possible without these and it makes putting the magazine together much easier. A huge thank you to everyone.

This year also saw the first UK Colleague Conference – a day that brought us together as one team and really delivered the message that, whatever area of the business you’re in, we are ultimately

Find out more about our panel

Log on to OurTesco to read short

biographies on our panellists and

get in touch with them on Yammer

Tell us what you think Share

your stories on Yammer, by

post at the address below or

email to t.magazine@uk.tesco.com

working towards the same goal: serving Britain’s shoppers a little better every day.

This edition of t rivals Santa’s workshop with how jam-packed it is. Allow yourself to get excited about Christmas, New Year and beyond with stacks of great festive (and not-so-festive) stories to read.

You’ve given us some great feedback about t so far and we’re really looking forward to bringing you even more exciting news and features in 2016.

As ever, feel free to contact any of the panel if you’d like to suggest a story idea. Contact details for us all can be found on OurTesco.

Whatever you’re doing for the rest of the year (and the beginning of the next one), we send our best wishes to you all. See you in 2016!

Tesco Editor-in-chief: Simon Rew; Contributor: Deborah Hatch Summersault Editor: Chris Evans; Content Director: Justine

Ragany; Sub Editor: Kate Feasey; Art Director: Wayne Hayton; Designer: Natasha Lipinski Cox; Production Manager: Julia Fulford;

Advertising: Adam Turner. Photography Tom Campbell, Ewen Weatherspoon, Harry Chambers, Roy Kilcullen, Kevin Nicholson,

Jonathan Pow. Get in touch with us by post Colleague Communications, Cirrus B, Shire Park, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 1GA

Your panel

Give&Take

3

10 The 12 ways of Christmas

How we’re making the

festivities go with a bang

22 Delivery date

UK & ROI CEO Matt hits

the road for our customers

26 Gone fishing

Fishmongers get to

grips with Gold Training

34 Here’s to the new year

Take our quiz to help

decide your resolution

38 This is for you, Sophie

Store Manager Justin walks

in daughter’s memory

41 Showing our support

How we’ve joined forces

to help the nation’s military

6 Range reset is go

Our product refresh is

taking our stores by storm

9 Dawn of the undead

Colleague signs up as

an extra in zombie movie

REGULARS

FEATURES

Our magazine is

printed on FSC-

approved paper

Please recycle

after use

16

Contents

Chris HowellsA passion for new experiences has

already seen adventurous Chris

work in five countries around

the world. Now he has added

number six to the list, as he

swapped life at Wootton Bridge

Express on the Isle of Wight to

become Lead Trade Manager at

Lerwick Superstore – the most

northern tip of Scotland.

travellingMy life in…

Fighting the war on terror“I worked in an anti-terrorism

training camp while I was living

in Pakistan. We were helping the

locals to eradicate terrorists by

teaching them how to protect

themselves. I was working for

the Americans – Condoleezza

Rice (former US Secretary of

State) was my boss!”

LIVING IN THE BUSH“I moved to Tanzania in 1985 and joined a bunch of hunters to live in the bush for about a year. I learned how to survive out there and started taking pictures of animals when I went on safari. I’ve always been an outdoors person and sleep better in a tent than I do in a house.”

SHETLAND ISLANDS

ISLE OF WIGHT

“I’d been in the Isle of Wight for

seven and a half years and it was

time for a change. I saw the role

at Lerwick Superstore in the

Shetland Islands and got it –

opportunities like that don’t

come up too often. I’ve lived in

the Tropics, so know what the

heat is like, so the Shetlands

will provide the opposite. Not

many colleagues can have

transferred from one end

of Britain to the other.”

From south to north

“I worked in an anti-terrorism camp while

I was living in Pakistan. We were helping

the locals to eradicate terrorists”

This is the life “I might be 50 but this won’t be

my last move. I’ve always lived my

life by the motto, ‘never look back’

– that way you can only move

forward and do something

different. After the Shetlands,

I’d like to go somewhere else:

if Tesco said they wanted me to

go to a store in Asia, I’d go. I’d

work in the Outer Hebrides if

they wanted me to.”

FAMILY TRADITION“Moving around is something that’s always been part of my family. My grandad worked on the East African railway, so we always had Swahili artefacts around the house. I love experiencing new countries and my wife, Sam, is the same – she was born in Holland and brought up in the Far East, so anywhere with family is home to us.”

If you’re planning your next move,

search ‘internal opportunities’ on

OurTesco – colleagues can see

positions 14 days before they’re

advertised externally. Applications

are now open for our 2016 Early

Careers programmes too. Apply for

our school leaver, summer internship

and graduate opportunities at

tesco-earlycareers.com

Boost your career

5

Simplifying our rangeProduct reset to make shopping trips easier for our customers

Customers have told us that they

want an easier shopping trip. So

we’ve set about simplifying what’s

on our shelves to help them find

more of what they want to buy at

prices they can trust.

Colleagues across the business

have been working hard over

recent weeks to reduce the range

and improve the availability of the

products that our customers

love most. The changes include

removing a product or pack

size, based on the feedback

from customers.

The range reset is helping us

to get the balance right between

providing choice and convenience,

and improving availability of the

most popular products, while

keeping to our commitment to

deliver the widest choice and

best value in the market.

Here’s what colleagues – and

a customer – have to say about

the reset project so far.

“The range has changed but I can still buy everything I need from Tesco. Even if I have to try an alternative to something I used to buy, I can get all the products on my shopping list.”

SALLY PALMER, CUSTOMER

“A team of six of us have been working through the night to make the changes. We’ve seen a dramatic change, with several products and brands moving or being replaced. It’s been pretty seamless and the new layout has highlighted any new brands and reduced-to-clear lines.

“The change has been smooth and the instructions from the central teams have been easy to follow.

“Availability has improved for customers and prices are better. I’ve also noticed that some of the healthy-eating products have given the range a new lease of life. After hearing all the updates about where Tesco is going, this brings it to life.”

STEPHEN CARTY,

CUSTOMER ASSISTANT,

COVENTRY CROSS POINT EXTRA

“Some customers have contacted us about products and we’ve suggested alternatives. We haven’t received much contact, which suggests customers are responding well.”

JAMES LAMONT, CUSTOMER

ENGAGEMENT CENTRE

Value… guaranteedWe’re making sure our

customers never pay more

for their branded shop and

can be reassured they are

getting great value, thanks

to our Brand Guarantee.

By offering an immediate

price match on branded

grocery products, we are

helping customers on their

weekly shop while removing

the hassle and inconvenience

of having to carry around all

those vouchers.

A UK FIRSTOur Brand Guarantee makes

us the first UK supermarket

to automatically take money

off customers’ current bill,

based on a price match with

all other leading retailers.

We made the change

after listening to feedback

from colleagues and

customers about making

shopping trips easier. It is the

latest step in our plan to

bring us back to our slogan of

Every Little Helps.

Customers can take

advantage of Brand Guarantee

both in store and online to

help people get more from

their shops.

For all the latest on Brand

Guarantee, visit OurTesco.

7

Check out the things

causing a stir with us

(and what’s not so in style)

Look to the stars

Love it or loathe it, you

can’t fail to notice that

Star Wars is back. It’s

one of this year’s most

eagerly anticipated

movies and our range

of galactic products

is sure to be a hit.

Healthy food… for less

We’re making it more affordable to eat

healthily. Our healthy living range is growing

and now includes a host of tasty treats,

such as our butternut squash spaghetti.

A stressful Christmas

Avoid the festive frenzy. We’re doing lots to

ease the pressure, including selling party

foods that cook at the same temperature.

Broken resolutions

Have trouble sticking to

your New Year goals? If

it’s keeping to a diet or

taking up a new hobby,

make 2016 the year you

finally achieve it. Maybe.

What’s hot?

What’s not?

How will you spend your retirement?

The new Tesco Retirement Savings Plan is here, so it’s

a good time to think about how you’re saving for yours

scheme – like our new Tesco Retirement Savings Plan – have got more flexible options for when and how they access retirement savings.

This means that you can now choose to take your retirement savings all as cash or a bit at a time (called drawdown). Or if you’d prefer a guaranteed regular income for life, you can use some or all of your savings to buy a pension annuity instead.

Want more info?Contact Pension Wise for some free and impartial advice at pensionwise.gov.uk or if you’d like to see how much you might have for your retirement, try out our Tesco retirement planner at TheColleagueRoom.com

Enough to lastMany of us are living longer with better health, so it’s important to make sure you have enough money to enjoy every year of your retirement.

Start savingThe earlier you begin, the more you’ll have, but it’s never too late to make a start and take advantage of the extra bit of money we pay and the tax relief you receive. At Tesco, when you save between 4% and 7.5% of your pay, we match it (so you’ll get double your money) – that’s £20 for every £8 you save, including tax relief.

Your choiceNew laws mean people over 55 in a defined contribution pension

NAME Kitchen Concierge.

WHAT IS IT? Our winning

entry at the Retail Week

Hackathon, the Kitchen

Concierge is a great way to

come up with recipe ideas

and shop for ingredients

while rustling up a meal.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Speaking into a device, the

customer is shown a list of

recipe ideas based on their

most recent Tesco order.

Once the customer selects

a recipe, a display shows the

cooking method and allows

them to add items to next

week’s shopping basket.

WHAT’S NEXT? After

winning the award, Tesco

Labs will adapt the idea so

it fits in with a trial for other

connected home devices.

The latest innovation

from our tech gurus

When in Rome,

make time for t. It’s

not exactly how

the adage goes,

but it didn’t stop

David York when

he visited the

Italian capital. While

the Reading Whitley Street Express

Team Leader enjoyed the Roman

ruins of the Colosseum, he also

took the time to grab a snap of

himself holding up the first edition.

Q & A

With the Hindustan Service

Centre (HSC) in India

relaunching as Tesco Bengaluru,

Pooja explains what it means

Pooja Jois, Manager,

Space, Range

and Display –

Property Services

Things are changing in India.

What’s happening?

We’ve changed our name from HSC but will continue to develop solutions across the business to make colleagues’ jobs easier and to serve customers better.

What is the local significance

of the name change?

By changing, we’re recognising the skills and knowledge here, and the role colleagues play to serve customers. The change has reinforced bonds between colleagues in Bengaluru and across the business. Bengaluru is also the local name for Bangalore, which instils pride.

What sort of impact have the

changes had on colleagues?

With the changes in the business and our new structures, we see us adding more value to the work we’ve been doing. It’s a new chapter in our journey and we’ll continue to serve our customers a little better each day.

What’s the aim for the future?

Our focus is to increase our contribution and keep the customers at the heart of everything we do. Our plans include improving the colleague experience across a number of sectors, including finance, people, channel, technology, product and enabling services.

SNAPPED!The weird and wonderful

places colleagues take

their copy of t

Launching new careersWith the help of the Prince’s Trust, we’re giving

youngsters work opportunities across the nation

training. Wherever we can, our ambition is to find them permanent jobs, with 80% of the 750 Launch recruits we’ve put through the programme achieving that.

“It has changed my life,” says Charles, who is now on a management development plan at Stretford Extra after a successful placement. “I couldn’t pay my bills and was facing up to moving back with my parents. Launch helped me to build a career.”

This November is the second anniversary of our partnership with the Prince’s Trust to help reduce youth unemployment and we’re already working closely to select the next wave of starters, who will get opportunities across the UK.

It’s more than a year since Charles went through the programme and he says the benefits stretch a long way.

He adds: “I can’t think of a better idea to help young unemployed people to prove themselves and get into employment.”

“I graduated in 2012 but couldn’t find a permanent job anywhere – I just wanted to work,” explains Customer Assistant Charles Foster, as he looks back at his struggle to get employment.

“I did a few temporary jobs but found that it was hard for new graduates to get the chance to prove themselves.”

It wasn’t what Charles (pictured above) had envisaged after leaving Salford University. Instead of cutting his teeth in a permanent position, Charles found himself bouncing between temporary jobs and unemployment. His big break finally came in the shape of our Launch programme.

Working with the Prince’s Trust as part of its Movement for Work scheme, we have been giving 18- to 24-year-olds who aren’t in work, education or training (NEETs) for more than six months the chance to get valuable on-the-job experience and vocational employability

Digital Marketing

Manager Ashwin

Naiksatam’s dad

enjoys the first

edition in India.

If you’ve been out and about with our magazine in tow,

share a picture on Yammer with #snapped

9

Our superhumans

Meet our crew of extraordinary charity challengers, who are doing their bit

to boost the fundraising totals of worthy causes

Nathan TraceyDotcom Manager, Fratton Park Extra

Sean BurkeService and Insight Operations, Welwyn Garden City

Jill ConnellCustomer Service Manager, Dundee

A host of Lionel Messi wannabes took to the field for charity in a colleague football tournament on the south coast. Organised by Nathan and colleagues, the competition saw 28 teams from Groups 46 and 47 go for glory. More than £700 was raised for British Heart Foundation and Wellbeing of Women, with Burgess Hill Superstore taking the trophy.

Anyone who has climbed Ben Nevis during the day knows how tough it is, so it was no surprise that Sean Burke found it even harder at night. He tightened up his hiking boots to conquer the UK’s highest mountain as part of the Ben Nevis Midnight Challenge.Thankfully, Sean isn’t scared of the dark and collected £6,107 for the Alzheimer’s Society.

metres climbed1,344

Jill Connell’s generosity saw no bounds as she rallied her colleagues to help raise donations for a local church that was ransacked by criminals. TVs were stolen and items were left damaged at Coldside Parish Church in Dundee following a break-in, and Jill managed to raise £360 – and lots of groceries for the cafe – to help the recovery.

NEVER GO ANYWHERE ALONE

“We filmed one of the scenes at

a retail park on the outskirts of

Tamworth. I was part of a pack

of zombies and had to pretend

to kill someone – it was a bit

strange. It’s never a good idea

to be on your own when there

are zombies about.”

ALWAYS PLAN AHEAD

“I’m really into zombie movies and

loved The Walking Dead, Dawn of

the Dead and 28 Days Later, so

it was a dream come true to be

When horror-movie lover Bobby

Wallett took a day out of Lichfield

DC to be an extra in zombie flick

The Infected, he picked up some

useful survival advice

involved in something

myself. All those films

show that, if you’re going

to survive, it’s important

to have a plan and stay

close to food.”

SILENCE IS GOLDEN

“It might seem like a good

idea to jump in a car to make

a quick getaway, but that just

attracts attention. When I was

staggering around, we were

always in big hordes. If one zombie

spots you, there are more coming.”

GET OUT OF TOWN

“Don’t go near towns or cities if there’s

an outbreak – there are more zombies

there. One young lad had the right

idea when he cycled up to us while

we were filming. He saw us dressed

as zombies and went back the way

he came from… very quickly.”

footballers taking part200

raised for charity£360

HOW TO…

… survive a zombie apocalypse

Bobby (far right, in black) joins the

crowd for another, er, high-speed chase

The festivities are here again and we’ve

got all sorts lined up to make sure this

year’s celebrations go off with a bang

h f h d

ways of Christmas

The 12 THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and family, so it’s important to make sure everyone is happy while maintaining festive traditions.

From a variety of food options – for the day itself and all the parties around it – to a raft of decorations and the presents, we’ve got it all covered.

For the first time, we’ve divided up our Christmas food into sections based on occasions to make it easier for customers to find what they want. There’s Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and something for New Year too, which can be mixed and matched for all tastes.

We’re also offering an extensive frozen food range for customers short on time and loads of Free From products so everyone is catered for and, as you’ll read on page 13, the quality is just as high. Add to that our distinct Christmas themes for this year’s decorations, some great F&F outfits and brilliant stocking fillers, and everyone’s got something to shout about.

1

Festive celebrations

Want more?Watch a video

of our Christmas

shoot at OurTesco.

com/xmasshoot

11

FOOD TO WOW ANY GUEST

From traditional classics to new ideas that can’t be found anywhere

else, our Christmas spread is sure to leave people salivating. For

the first time, we’re catering for almost every guest that is coming

round for dinner with an in-depth range of frozen and Free From

products – with our gluten-free products really standing out. To

ease the stress of hosting a get-together, our finest* party food

all cooks at the same temperature, meaning more time to enjoy the

party. We set a group of hungry colleagues loose to taste test

a selection of the products in this year’s range.

“My family does

Christmas the

Slovakian way,

even though we’ve

been in Northern

Ireland for 10 years

now. We eat carp and lentil soup,

and open presents on Christmas

Eve, which is our main celebration.

While most people put their

decorations up at the start of

December, we wait until the week

before Christmas Day and leave

them up until 6 January.”

KAROL GYORE, BELFAST DC

2Celebrating in our own way

“We hold Christmas

Day at our house

and I’m always the

organiser. I decorate

everything and get

the food ready. My

husband is the only one who eats

turkey, so I normally cook roast beef

or gammon. I like to have everything

sorted, so we sit down and decide

what we’re going to order two

months before the big day.”

TRACEY EDWARDS, PERTH EDINBURGH

ROAD SUPERSTORE

3

13

Prosecco & Elderberry Crisps“The crisps are different to

what you’d normally get.

They fizz while you eat them,

which I’ve never known

anything like before.”

CHERISE RUMORE,

TRING SUPERSTORE

Free From Profiteroles“They were great and I

didn’t know they were Free

From before I tried them. I wouldn’t have

believed it because you can’t tell they’re

any different to the standard ones.”

KIRSTY MCDADE, DUNSTABLE EXTRA

Hot or Not Croquette Roulette“Things like the croquette

roulette are really fun and

are good entertainment

for a Christmas party with

people of all ages.”

JAMIE RALPH,

AYLESBURY EXTRA

Festive celebrations

“The two-tier Christmas cake is really

good and one of the best I’ve had”WAYNE COLLIER, BERKHAMSTED METRO

(l-r) Connor Green from Dunstable Extra,

Cherise Rumore from Tring Superstore, Jamie

Ralph from Aylesbury Extra, Wayne Collier and

Shameem Owen from Berkhamsted Metro, and

Kirsty McDade from Dunstable Extra

“I tried out some of the frozen and

Free From Christmas dinner options.

The Turkey in Ten had all the flavour

of a joint cooked in the oven and the

Frozen Roast Potatoes are the best

I’ve eaten. The Free From Yorkshire

Puddings tasted as good as any others

I’ve had. Everything was cooked in 40

minutes, so it was really convenient.”

JOE MAYATT, STORE MANAGER,

HASTINGS HAVELOCK

ROAD EXPRESS

… and for dinner

15

WE’RE HELPING STORES DURING THE RUSH

As the aisles get more crowded in the run-up to the big day, we’re sending in reinforcements to help store colleagues at their busiest time of year. Following the success of Feet on the Floor during last year’s festivities, we’re doing it again.

Each of our office colleagues has already started their rota of regular shifts in stores – offering valuable support to serve our customers. The help doesn’t stop there though. We’re using the next few months to trial a new online tool that, if successful, could give colleagues across the business a chance to suggest and discuss possible improvements to the way we work.

“It allows colleagues to put ideas forward and comment on others to develop them,” explains Capacity Manager Kirk Bowen, who used the site after his first shift. “You can see if others have had similar ideas and get the chance to discuss them together.”

And if any of those conversations produce a new idea that we can introduce, Feet on the Floor will keep giving all year round… not just at Christmas.

5 Every little helps this Christmas

We’ve put our customers at the heart

of this year’s TV advertising campaign

– thanks to the help of celebrity friends,

Ruth Jones, Ben Miller and Will Close.

The trio are forming a new Tesco

family, who will appear in a series of

TV ads that re-establish our famous

Every Little Helps slogan.

The adverts focus on the different ways

we are helping customers throughout the

festive period, with the first two looking

at our finest* and Free From ranges.

The family will become a regular

fixture on our screens over the next few

months and made their first appearance

on a Brand Guarantee ad in October.

Turn to page 47 for a behind-the-

scenes look at filming for the ads.

• It’s always busy during sales season. Stay calm by seeing

your colleagues – and customers – as being in the same boat as

you. A smile or kind gesture goes even further in hectic times.

• If you hit the sales yourself, pick a calming colour and imagine

you’re breathing it in to help you relax. As the image spreads

through your body, focus on how it is helping you to chill out.

• There might be even more customers than usual, but don’t forget

that going that little bit further can still make a big difference.

6 Our tips to survive the sales season

4Festive celebrations

Keeping it realOur Scandinavian supplier reveals

his secret to growing the perfect

Christmas tree… move to Scotland

“There must be something in the air up here,” smiles Christmas tree grower Kjeld Kristensen, as he weaves his 4x4 along a dirt track flanked by fir trees.

“Once the harvest is over each year, I vow never to put myself through it again because it’s so intense. But this is my 16th time now, so I keep coming back for more.”

Speaking without even the slightest Highland twinge to his Scandinavian lilt, Danish-born Kjeld is making his way through Drynie Woodlands, the home he and his family have made for themselves just north of Inverness. A home enveloped by Europe’s biggest Christmas tree farm.

Around 600,000 of the 7.5 million trees that surround Kjeld’s vehicle are cut carefully by hand in a painstaking annual harvest that spans five weeks of chopping from 5am each day until well into the night.

PERFECT FOR PREENING

Despite being in the Scottish Highlands, surprisingly there are no heavy winters or frosts to contend with. Thanks to the warm Gulf Stream coming into the Moray Firth estuary, a mild breeze keeps the farm unseasonably warm all year round, while the mercury plunges across the rest of Scotland.

The real mystery is in the art of growing Christmas trees Kjeld’s way. Born into a proud farming family in Jutland in southern Denmark, the traditional farmer likes to keep his methods and ideas a closely guarded secret.

As Kjeld pulls up in a low-lying field, this year’s intake of trees is already being graded and measured.

“The secret to growing a great tree is all up here,” Kjeld says coyly, tapping the side of his head. “But handling every

tree is very important to me. We trim and shape them by hand, and if the quality is not good enough, we leave it in the ground. We try to grow the trees as evenly as possible and most look exactly the same.”

A young farmer in Scandinavia during the 1980s, Kjeld decided to up sticks and start his own tree farm – and family – in Inverness. Since then, the farm has swelled from 40 to 1,000 hectares, while his family has grown to include four children. But the expansion has been meticulously planned.

“We plant roughly six trees for every five we cut,” says Kjeld. “This is not forestry. Our trees are grown for purpose in exactly the same way as the cut-flower industry.”

What’s more, the farm’s pot-grown variety of trees can be transferred to the garden after Christmas, so they don’t leave any waste either.

7

Kjeld’s group of farmhands enjoy

the unseasonable warmth

17

Festive celebrations

The pot-grown trees and our Nordmann fir cut trees were a hit last year, but Kjeld is working on a host of new varieties.

“If we want to make a tree narrower or heavier, we simply take in seeds from Siberia and try a new species,” Kjeld adds. “We’re working on 10 different varieties, including the Pot-Grown Blue Spruce. It’s hard and prickly, but people love the colour.”

A DANISH CHRISTMAS

After nursing his saplings for between 8 and 10 years until they’re fully grown, ready to be cut and sold, Kjeld has no desire to see any of his beloved trees go to waste.

To show the trees off in all their glory, Kjeld has designed custom-made display pallets to keep them standing tall and looking lush throughout the festive period.

After spending most of the year tending to trees that will be the focal point of people’s Christmases, how does the Danish expat decorate his home to toast the festivities?

“We go for a Nordmann fir, only twice as big as the ones we sell. We don’t put much on it – no tinsel, real candles and not too much bling. I want to see the tree,” he adds.

“When the children were small we had a pot-grown tree for each of them – one in every room, with useful gifts such as socks and pencils for every day running up to Christmas.”

The useful, advent calendar-like presents are a Danish innovation and as he descends through the last green field Kjeld reveals another Scandinavian ritual: “It’s tradition in Scandinavia to gather around the tree in the evening for drinks and to sing songs together, so we do that too.”

It must be Christmas spirit that’s in the air.

O Our range of Christmas trees are available to buy with Clubcard Boost for the first time this year.

® ®MALTESERS and MERRYTEASER are registered trademarks. ©Mars 2015.

19

WE’RE HAVING FUN FOR CHRISTMAS

We all know it’s busy at this time of year, but that isn’t a reason not to get into the festive spirit. There’s all sorts going on across the business this Christmas, including this year’s festive fundraiser, Every Little Elf. It’s a great chance to get involved with your community and add to the £5 million we’ve already raised for our National Charity Partnership with Diabetes UK and British Heart Foundation.

There are loads of things happening locally too, with colleagues coming up with their own ideas to raise some cash (and a smile). One store doing just that is Egham Superstore in Surrey, after they shot a calendar with male colleagues dressed in a selection of seasonal outfits.

Lead Trade Manager Laura McCormick says: “Lots of colleagues have committed to buying a calendar and our local British Heart Foundation shop has agreed to sell it too. It’s the talk of the store.”

9 How we’re offering a helping hand

Whether it’s helping those a little

less fortunate than you or making

your own money go a bit further this

Christmas, we’re on hand to assist.

Keep to a budget If our great-value

Christmas products aren’t enough,

get some tips to save money or

reduce your food waste throughout

the celebrations at realfood.tesco.com

and lovefoodhatewaste.com

Neighbourhood Food Collection Our

twice-yearly event is happening again

from 3 to 5 December. Volunteer to take

part in your local collection or add a

few products to your shopping list to

help us hit our five-million-meal target.

Thank you vouchers We’re giving

colleagues exclusive discounts and

offers to get the festive season off

to a good start. Keep an eye out

for yours in November.

For the second successive year, we’re selling a variety of special

Christmas hats to raise some cash for charity. On sale in 600

stores all over the UK, the 12-piece festive range includes

headgear for men, women and children, and is gathering funds

for The Trussell Trust and FareShare through sales. Last year’s

range sold like hotcakes and, with prices starting at £5, the

hats are great value too, so get yours quickly.

10 F&F is warming customers’ hearts (and heads)

8

Festive celebrations

Unloading

“All products delivered to the

Fulfilment Centre are quality and

quantity checked to ensure

defects are not passed on. We

scan each product and place

them in a red tote, which then

travels along a conveyor ready

for one of our colleagues to

put away in a specific

location in our pick tower.”

LUBUBI MAMBOLEO

11

“We have a device on our

wrists that directs us to the

location of products our

customers have ordered. It’s an

efficient way of working, which

helps when it’s busy at Christmas.

Our role is to be obsessed with

quality and accuracy, therefore,

delivering the perfect order.”

MARK MACPHERSON

Picking

“We’re at the end of the conveyor

belt to pack the orders ready for

the lorry. All of the orders are

scanned to help us track the

journey end to end. Throughout

the day, we must focus on

making sure customer orders

are dispatched on

time through one of our

lorries or carriers.”

RACHEL STEPHENSON

Dispatch

DELIVERING CUSTOMERS’ PRESENTS

While most children are looking to the sky on Christmas Eve to spot Santa’s sleigh, their parents will have already collected their gift deliveries.

Fenny Lock Fulfilment Centre in Milton Keynes is the hub of our customers’ non-food online orders all year round, but it comes into its own at Christmas. A major redevelopment project ended in October, so colleagues at the state-of-the-art site are more than ready for this year’s shopping lists.

Fenny Lock has been handling orders from customers all over the UK since it opened in 2013, but recent changes mean we can now handle more orders at peak times compared to last year – with colleagues manning several thousand product locations in the centre.

As the big day approaches, here’s how Fenny Lock colleagues are sprinkling their festive magic to make sure our customers have their presents all wrapped up.

21

Get ready for

customers to go

mad for Star Wars

this Christmas

as the crew

goes on another

adventure. With

the new movie set

to get sci-fi fans excited, we’ve got a

wide range of Star Wars toys available

in store and online, from an extensive

Lego range to lightsabers, figures and

BB-8, a cool app-enabled droid that

reacts to your interactions.

Colleague Communications Panellist

Mark Kanaris, Store Manager at

Sheffield West

Street Metro, got

his hands on some

of the toys to try

out before they

hit the shelves.

He says: “We’ve

already been

inundated with

requests for Star

Wars toys in store.

The Jedi Master Lightsaber and

Millennium Falcon are particular

must-haves, with children, and

parents reliving their youth.”

12 Gifts that are out of this world

Festive celebrations

“All our customer orders are

packaged to protect them

during transit. Our new system

tells us which size package

the order should go in. If we

identify any defects in the

order, we have an alert

mechanism that triggers a

colleague to investigate.”

PAULA SIERZCHULA

Packing

“We’ve got a Customer Journey team in

Fenny Lock who work closely with our CECs.

It means we can follow up on calls even more

effectively – giving customers great service”

KAREN HUTCHISON,

BUSINESS PARTNER, CEC

UK & ROI CEO Matt Davies slips on his

high-vis jacket to go out on a delivery run

The heavy patio door slides across to reveal two

smiling Dotcom drivers. Loaded up with trays full

of products, the duo look up from the home delivery

to greet their customer with a warm hello.

“Hi, I’m Matt,” offers the taller of the two with an

outstretched arm. “Nice to meet you,” returns the

customer as she shakes Matt’s hand.

It might all seem like a pretty normal greeting for

a customer receiving their online order, but there’s

a difference. Matt isn’t your usual Dotcom colleague.

He’s our UK & ROI CEO and today he’s sampling life

on the road as part of a visit to Chesterfield Extra. He’s

being shown the ropes by Customer Delivery Assistant

Ant Turner, who is also a member of our Colleague

Communications Panel, as they tour Derbyshire on

a delivery run.

One person who isn’t fazed by the pleasantries is

two-year-old Ella, who rummages through the basket

to find her treasure: a pack of chocolate buttons.

This is just one of several drop-offs the double act

completes on their trip and, as Matt leans down to

speak to Ella, it’s clear he’s revelling in the chance to

join Ant visiting our customers at home. Once they’ve

parked up after their final call, Matt and Ant discuss

what they have gained from the experience.

Life on the road

Ant and Matt (far left

and far right) make one

young customer’s day

with her delivery

Delivery day

23

How was your day working together?

Matt “It was great and reinforces how important

our home shopping experiences are. We’re going

into customers’ houses, building relationships and

delivering to them every week. That relationship is just

as much of a powerful influence on whether people

shop with us or not as our prices or availability.”

Ant “As we travelled between jobs, Matt and I spoke

about how important the relationship between

drivers and customers is and, although he knew it

already, it was good to be the one to show him what

we do each day. It was a really great chance to talk

to Matt face-to-face.”

Matt, why were you so keen to spend time doing

deliveries as part of your visit to Chesterfield Extra?

Matt “This is the second time I’ve been out with a

Dotcom colleague and I’ve also spent a lot of time

picking for Grocery Home Shopping in store. I’d love

everybody in the business to experience that so they

can see the full impact it has on our customers. I

can never spend enough time talking to customers

and colleagues across the country.”

Ant “Matt was really up for getting involved too.

He was keen to push the barrow and understand

everything that had to be done for each delivery.”

What do you both get out of sharing

experiences like this?

Ant “We spoke about the business and what it’s like

for drivers. Matt got to hear some of the feedback

we receive from customers along the way. We do

have ways to pass this on, but having Matt here

meant he could hear it first-hand.”

Matt “Someone said to me the other day: ‘what

I see I don’t remember, what I’m told I forget but

what I experience I understand’. To me, doing this

is all about experiencing the drivers’ point of view

and helps me to understand the challenges we face.”

ANT TURNER, CUSTOMER

DELIVERY ASSISTANT

“Matt got to hear some of

the feedback we receive from

customers along the way”

Our customer delivery assistants

must do a series of vehicle checks

before hitting the road

Tell us your tips for improvement

Join the conversation on Yammer

and see how colleagues are

serving customers

Give&Take

Read Matt’s weekly musings

Matt writes a Thought for the Week

to colleagues each Monday – keep

up to date by visiting OurTesco

Delivering to customers’

homes is an important part

of our multi-channel ambition

MATT DAVIES, UK & ROI CEO

Did you encounter any challenges on the day?

Matt “We had to get across Chesterfield to make

sure that we delivered on time but had to maintain

a strong link with each customer at every delivery

point. You’ve got to experience that for yourself

to see how it’s achieved.”

What stood out about the reaction you got

from our customers?

Matt “Today’s interactions showed how pivotal

Dotcom is to our customers’ shopping experience.

We gave a free bouquet of flowers from the store

to an elderly lady who’d just celebrated her 90th

birthday and saw a two-year-old girl who was excited

to get her chocolate buttons. They were wonderful

moments to see and it’s our challenge to make more

of those happen for customers every day.”

Ant “We promised to return with another pack of

buttons for the little girl, which is all part of building a

stronger relationship. We deliver right across the age

and social spectrum, and you don’t know who’s going

to open the door – you need to adapt to each delivery.”

Did you enjoy meeting each other?

Ant “Matt is just an everyday guy and instantly put

me at ease. He’s got a calming effect on people and

that’s good – I could have been quite nervous driving

the CEO around, but I didn’t feel it at all.”

Matt “Ant’s a great guy, who is totally in touch with

what our customers are thinking and feeling. When

you spend time with Ant and other colleagues like

him, it just shows how all of us are playing our part

to serve Britain’s shoppers a little better every day.”

“The driver-customer relationship

is a powerful influence on

whether people shop with us”

Exclusive colleague deals only available from Tesco Phone Shops and Telesales to eligible colleagues. Subject to availability and status. Continued employment with Tesco required, visit www.ourtesco.com/our-benefits for other eligibility

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st

Going

for goldWith our fishmonger training bringing gold

standards to our counters, t gets up at the

crack of dawn to find out what it takes to pass

Counter training

27

t’s 5.47am and the coastal town of Newlyn

is in a deep slumber.

Apart from the faint splash of puddles

underfoot and the irregular rhythm of waves

against the breakwater, the harbour is serene.

At least that’s how it seems to the

uninitiated. But first impressions can be deceiving.

Just feet away from the Cornish B&Bs that glow

sleepily over the quay like a reassuring night light,

a secret society is already wide awake.

If visitors to one of Britain’s southern-most points

know where to look, a peek around a large steel door

reveals a room full of men in long coats and knee-high

wellies. Something fishy is going on. Literally.

“Newlyn fish market is one of very few shout

auctions left in the country and we try to keep

it as traditional as possible,” explains fish buyer

Edwin Hosking to four bleary-eyed Tesco colleagues.

“We come here looking for the best quality. A big

indicator is how much the eye is shining and that the

fish hasn’t got any defects from when it was caught.”

Edwin works for Falfish, one of our

biggest UK fish suppliers and an

approved trainer for the Fishmonger

Gold qualification we offer to our

counter colleagues.

While entrance to Newlyn fish

market is normally limited to

registered buyers who have funds

in a secured bond, the doors have

been flung open to show our

customer assistants how the fish

they serve goes from sea to store.

BACK TO SCHOOL

The first stop on a course that

captures all the knowledge and skills

a professional fishmonger needs to

give top-class service to customers,

Newlyn’s market is the perfect scene

setter for what’s to come.

Rows of red trays displaying the finest catches are

surrounded by scores of buyers bidding for fish that

will be sold in stores or chalked on to the specials

board of Cornish restaurants. As each auction ends, a

blue tally is dropped into the tray to confirm the sale.

Truro Superstore’s Jodie Sheldon is impressed. “It’s

good to see where it all begins,” she says. “We get the

fish delivered to our stores and we don’t know how it

gets there. Seeing it for myself helps me to understand

the industry and I can pass that on to my customers.”

As the sun rises from behind St Michael’s Mount on

the horizon, the

harbour’s collection

of fishing boats is

slowly illuminated

outside the market.

Just as there is a wide

variety of fish on sale

inside, the cluster of

boats bobbing in the

harbour is equally diverse, from large beam trawlers

and gill netters to hook-and-line boats.

“The fishermen go to sea day and night, and bring

back their catches to be graded during the small hours

of the morning, before the market starts at 6am,” says

Falfish Account Manager Jessika Inkster, as she leads

our group towards a fishing catamaran that spent the

night on the sea catching sardines.

Called Lyonesse, the boat’s deck is covered with

draping nets and large bins to give the sense of what

it’s like to be aboard a fully operating fishing boat.

I

The Fishmonger Gold Training isn’t the only

qualification store colleagues can do to

improve the service they offer.

The Meat Gold is a similar knowledge-

based course that provides everything

needed to deliver top customer service.

Similar to the fishmonger course, Meat

Gold is created by the Food Ops team

and takes learners on a journey from

field to plate. Your store manager and

people manager can provide details if

these courses – or others – are available.

Golden courses shining brightly

Tour guide for the day Jessika (second

from left) shows off the sardine boat

Counter training

29

After a tour and a chance to quiz the Lyonesse’s

skipper, it’s back to nearby Redruth for the practical

and theory stages of the training.

GETTING HANDS-ON

Housed at Falfish HQ, the newly

built training facility is the jewel in

the supplier’s crown. Developed

especially for Tesco colleagues to

do the Gold Training, the centre

has state-of-the-art counters, a

cookery demonstration area and

filleting sinks for up to 12 people.

Falfish’s centre is one of four

course locations, with others

in Pontypool, Grimsby and

Billingsgate, London. The four

learners on today’s course have already completed the

three-day qualification and were selected for the short

refresher course to show off what they’ve taken from

being Gold standard. And for Jen Goldsworthy, from

Redruth Extra, it has awoken

a new passion.

“When I joined my store, I

didn’t want to work in food.

Now I’m really passionate

about fish,” recalls Jen, who

was one of the first of more

than 800 colleagues to have

done the training since 2012.

“It gives you the confidence

to talk to customers. When

customers realise you’ve got

the knowledge, you want to

keep learning. Since I’ve

taken the course, more people use the counter.”

BRINGING FISH TO THE COUNTER

A trip to the depths of Falfish’s factory highlights

what is done to take the fish bought at the market

in Newlyn and prepare it for sale in our stores.

The loud clatter of the supersonic scalloping is first.

A haze hangs over the speedy shucking, as lines of

workers remove the scallops from their shells and it’s

easy to imagine that it’s steam from their workstations.

Next up is the white fish room, where an array of

seafood of all shapes and sizes is being filleted before

being packaged for delivery.

Observing the filleters slicing their way through the

fish, experienced fishmonger Phil Man reminisces

about his time in the industry. Based at

Redruth Tolgus Superstore, Phil is in his

second spell as a counters customer

assistant at Tesco and also used to run

an independent fishmongers of his own.

“I’ve been working with fish for 45

years, but I still took knowledge from

the training,” Phil says, while picking up

a blade as part of the knife-skills class.

“Seeing the journey helps you feel

part of the fishing community. It makes

a difference and gives you a greater

understanding of our role.”

It’s at this point that the quartet’s

expertise comes to the fore. Getting stuck into the

practical disciplines – filleting fish and laying out a

mock counter – our learners’ customer service

experience shines through. It’s time to get messy.

JEN GOLDSWORTHY, CUSTOMER

ASSISTANT, REDRUTH EXTRA

“When I joined my store, I didn’t

want to work in food. Now I’m

really passionate about fish”

The speedy scallopers get shucking

(above); Phil gets stuck in (below)

Share the tricks of the trade

Search out relevant Yammer

groups to discuss your career

and your tips for success

Give&Take

Want to develop your career?

There’s loads of colleague career

and training opportunities. Speak

to your people manager for more

Kitted out in white coats and blue gloves, the

colleagues chatter away between themselves about

how the counter will look. Using our standard counter

appearance as a basis to the layout, the four share

suggestions, such as grouping species and using ice

to make the fish stand out

more. Falfish’s experts are

on hand to offer tips and

to finesse their work.

Then it’s time to eat the

fish. As a final meal is

rustled up to showcase

the variety of tasty dishes

that can be made from

our counters, chat turns

to the love of fish.

“I was born into a

fishing family and have

been involved in the

community ever since I

was young,” says St Austell

Daniels Lane Superstore colleague Jo Goode.

“Finding people who are passionate is really

important to encourage customers to buy from our

counters. We need to capture that passion and training

courses like this help with that.”

By spreading the message and passion throughout

the country, Cornwall’s clandestine fish markets might

not stay such a secret.

PHIL MAN, CUSTOMER ASSISTANT,

REDRUTH TOLGUS SUPERSTORE

“Seeing the journey helps

you feel part of the fishing

community and Tesco”

(l-r) Phil, Jodie, Jo and Jen show their

expertise to lay out the mock counter

Filleting the Falfish way (above);

polishing up on their cookery skills (right)

TEXT GIVE TO 86777 TO DONATE £1 TO AGE UK AND

PREMIER FOODS WILL MATCH YOUR GIFT WITH ANOTHER £1*

JOIN OUR FESTIVE FAVOURITES

AND HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR

AGE UK THIS CHRISTMAS

*Premier Foods has already made a contribution of £50,000 + VAT and will further match your £1 gifts up to an additional maximum of £50,000.

You will be charged £1 (the “Gift Value”) plus one message at your standard network rate. Age UK will receive 100% of the Gift Value. Campaign

closes on 24 December 2015 at 11:59pm. You will not be able to give a text gift after this time, but you may still incur your standard network

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With low everyday prices everything’s roséBetter everyday prices on selected wines

36

61

-35

-71

-2

You must be over 18 to purchase alcohol.

Making service simpler

Colleagues want Tesco to be simpler and

we all know that making it easier to serve

customers is critical to our success.

We’ve made a start by introducing a

simpler purpose that unites us all – serving

Britain’s shoppers a little better every day –

and by stripping back our measures to

focus on what really matters most through

The Big 6. That’s the big picture, but with lots

of simpler changes happening across our

business, it’s the perfect time for colleagues

to get involved and make a difference.

SIMPLER SAVINGSWe’re saving time (and paper)

with our Brand Guarantee.

The scheme offers simple,

immediate value rather than

vouchers – leaving behind the

scraps of till roll that would get

lost, discarded or, perhaps most

frustratingly, wouldn’t scan.

For our customers, no

vouchers mean no waiting or wondering if they

could have got a better deal elsewhere. And for

colleagues, it’s one less thing to worry about at

the checkouts, so we can focus on great service.

New plans to benefit us and our customers

Making it easier to serve customers is a no-brainer – by freeing up

time, everyone can focus on delivering a brilliant shopping trip

MAKING OUR WINE PRICES SIMPLEROne of the biggest things we hear from customers is

that they want simple, stable, low prices. And over the

past year we’ve responded by improving availability,

making our prices more stable with fewer changes and

introducing simpler promotions. Our wine range is a

powerful example. We know

customers don’t trust that

half-price wine promotions

offer real value. So instead of

running half-price promotions,

we’re offering the same simple,

low prices on wines – all the

time. That’s better for

colleagues as it means fewer

labels to change and a clearer

range with better availability.

A simpler shopping trip

Simpler service

33

We’re introducing a couple of new

initiatives to give colleagues extra

SIMPLER PRIVILEGECARDYou can now order a second

Privilegecard, so another member of

your family in your household

can get discounts at Tesco too –

making it easier to shop with us.

The Privilegecard discount cap

has also increased from

£800 to £1,000 a year. To

get your second card, visit

TheColleagueRoom.com

“The only way of making any money is by simplifying the

business and making sure we have products on shelves”

Customer Service Assistant

There’s lots more we can simplify

and we want to hear how you

think we can make it easier to give

our customers better service.

Yammer is the place to share your

challenges and top tips to keep it

simple. If you don’t know how

to use Yammer, find out at

OurTesco.com/yammer-faqs

If you see it, simplify it

Making it easier for your money to go further

WELCOME TO THE COLLEAGUE ROOM

TheColleagueRoom.com is our brand-new self-service

website for colleagues. You can currently use it to

manage your Tesco Retirement Savings Plan and order

a second Privilegecard. Over the coming months, more

benefits will be available on the site, so you can make

even more choices in one place. To register, you’ll need

your employee number and your 12-character One

Time Passcode (OTP) from your payslip.

Healthy living

Be more active

Take a break

Do more

for others

Tring Superstore colleague Cherise

Rumore ponders her new year goals

New Year quiz

35

Turn over to discover your resolution

What is your biggest regret

for 2015?

A. I feel guilty about not using

my gym membership more

B. I feel guilty about having

yet another takeaway and

finishing that last pack of

chocolate chip cookies

C. I feel guilty that I haven’t got

enough time to tick everything

off on my to-do list

D. I feel guilty that I haven’t

visited my grandparents

Which celeb do you admire most?

A. Jessica Ennis-Hill – I get tired

just watching her!

B. Nigel Slater – delicious, healthy

food… that looks nothing like

what I’m eating

C. Gwyneth Paltrow – actress,

mum, blogger, author, but

how does she always look

so serene?

D. Bob Geldof – his commitment

to helping others is humbling

What’s most likely to be gathering

dust on your shelf?

A. Medicine ball and Dyna-Band

B. A vegetable spiraliser and my

Hemsley + Hemsley cookbook

C. Spa voucher and that novel I’ve

been wanting to read for ages

D. A brochure of charity fundraisers

that I’d love to take part in at

some point

Which of these luxuries

would make the biggest

difference to you?

A. A personal trainer to keep me

on track… and away from another

night in front of the TV

B. A personal chef to take the effort

out of eating a well-balanced diet

C. A personal assistant to tackle

all the little things I need to get

done each week

D. A bottomless bank account to

give me the time and money

to support all the people and

causes that mean most to me

Which Star Wars character do you

identify with most?

A. Yoda – he needs to look after

himself to stay on top of his game

B. Jabba the Hutt – chomping on

unhealthy things is Jabba’s flaw

C. C-3PO – you’ve always got

something on your mind

D. Darth Vader – it might not be

intergalactic domination, but

your ambitions come first

You’d love people to say to you…

A. ‘You’re always so active.

What’s your training plan?’

B. ‘You eat so well. Tell me

how I can make sure I get

my five a day’

C. ‘You’re so calm. I feel chilled

out just talking to you’

D. ‘You’re so kind. It’s great

spending time with you’

If you had a remote control for

your life, what would you do?

A. Rewind to when you could

run around the school

playground for hours

without getting tired

B. I’d delete the cream cake

I just scoffed

C. Either rewind to being a

child with no responsibilities

or fast forward to retirement

D. Pause to make more time

for other people

Which of the following

achievements would make

you proudest?

A. To run the London Marathon

B. To win the Masterchef crown

with my top cooking skills

C. To live a completely stress-free

life with no worries

D. To have helped build a school

in a third-world country

It’s that time again when we start to think about our

ambitions for the new year. If you need help deciding

yours, take our handy quiz for some pointers

What’s your resolution?

Tell us about your resolution

Share your score on Yammer

and give us updates on your

goal by using #NYResolutions

Give&Take

Let us give you a helping hand

Keep an eye on OurTesco and

our other websites as we help you

make a little difference to your life

And our survey says…

MOSTLY B – HEALTHIER EATINGKeeping to a healthy, balanced diet would be a great

resolution for you. It’s easy to start making a difference:

try to make sure you’re eating plenty of fruit and veg, and

drinking lots of water. To help, January sees the launch of our

new healthy living ready meal range – Beautifully Balanced –

with all products including at least one of your five a day.

MOSTLY C – TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELFIt sounds like some me time is in order. Keep some time

every day for yourself, even if it’s just 10 minutes. Asking

others to help with tasks might give you time to do that,

while practising mindfulness could be the perfect antidote.

Treat yourself to some Treaclemoon Coconut Bath and

Shower Gel, and pretend you’re on a tropical island.

MOSTLY D – HELP OUT YOUR COMMUNITYPerhaps doing things for others would make you feel good.

This could be anything from raising money for charity to

helping children read at the local school. There’s always lots

of charitable activities happening at Tesco. Find out what’s

going on in your area on our National Charity Partnership

website at tescocharitypartnership.org.uk

MOSTLY A – LET’S GET FITYou’d love to be fitter and now’s your chance. Why not set

yourself some achievable fitness goals to keep you motivated?

Perhaps you could sign up to a charity challenge and plan a

training regime for it. If that’s not your bag, don’t forget that all

colleagues get discounted gym memberships at health clubs

across the country. Visit OurTesco to find out more.

Tot up your scores and plan your aims for 2016

how clean will you feel?

more choice

of Andrex® in store*

With even

*Majority of stores, subject to availability.

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Inspired by his daughter’s cancer fight, Justin Kline

embarks on a charity walk to keep her memory alive

“It’s bloody hard –nothing prepares

you for that”

Sophie (second from left) enjoys happy

times on a family holiday to Sydney

It was the worst moment of Justin Kline’s life.

Sat in a doctor’s consultation room, Store Manager

Justin and wife Janice are told the heart-wrenching

news no parent should ever face.

Their seven-year-old daughter Sophie has been

diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour and

only has months left to live.

Within a few weeks, Justin’s lively little princess

had gone from a carefree schoolgirl with her entire

life ahead of her to a victim of the deadly childhood

disease, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).

DEVASTATING NEWS

“Sophie was a healthy, bubbly seven-year-old

girl,” recalls Justin, as he looks back at the time his

family was delivered the news.

“We noticed a squint in her eye and took her to

the opticians. She was having an MRI scan within

two weeks. When we were told she had a tumour,

my world felt like it was falling apart around me.

“You’re told that news, then have to go out and tell

her everything will be alright, even though it’s not. It’s

bloody hard – nothing

prepares you for that.”

Long days spent

desperately trawling the

internet and contacting

experts in search of a cure

were in vain, and Justin had

to brace himself for the

terrifying inevitability.

Ten months after the initial

diagnosis, Justin, Janice and

their 13-year-old son James

said an emotional goodbye

to Sophie at their family

home in Dorset. But not

before making some

priceless memories, with

trips to Disney and Lapland at the end of last year.

“We had one last Christmas together as a whole

family. It was so hard putting on a brave face for that

amount of time,” Justin recalls.

“For the first few months we tried to go on as

normal. In January, Sophie started to show the

symptoms. First she couldn’t walk, then she lost the

use of her hands and eventually she couldn’t talk

either. It was difficult to see her getting worse day

by day. She was diagnosed in July last year and

passed away this April. It went so quickly.”

A WALK IN HER MEMORY

To commemorate Sophie’s brave fight, Justin set

himself a gruelling challenge. A 100-kilometre walk

over two days, visiting 33 of our stores along the way.

Justin isn’t alone in his task. As the 33-year-old walks

each leg of his journey, from his local Poulner Express

in Ringwood, he is joined by colleagues for extra

motivation. The lifelong Bournemouth fan also drops

in at the Premier League club’s Dean Court stadium to

meet manager Eddie Howe, who is a patron for Julia’s

House – the hospice that supported Sophie in her final

days. And to mark his efforts, golden chevrons are

added to the fascia at Justin’s Weymouth Metro.

As Justin crosses the finish line at Poole Extra – the

store located closest to Julia’s House – Janice and

James greet him with a warm embrace. Their family

may have gone through an unimaginable ordeal over

Justin’s charity challenge

39

You can add to Justin’s

fundraising total by

donating to his Just Giving

page at justgiving.com/

Justins100kmwalk

Want to donate?

Colleagues gather at Poole Extra

to congratulate Justin for walking

100 kilometres in two days

Justin gets a vote of confidence from

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe (right)

the past 18 months, but they’re still as strong as ever.

“Janice is a rock, but we couldn’t have done it without the

support of the trained nurses from Julia’s House,” explains

Justin, with his wife by his side. “Sophie didn’t go

to the hospice because the nurses cared for her at home.

Getting that moral and mental support is important, as well

as the chance to have a cuppa while they played with her.

“When it’s an illness like Sophie had, it’s more about care

than cure, so I wanted to give something back to them for

what they did for us. The hospice is heavily reliant on

fundraising, so whatever we give makes a real difference.”

As Justin goes home for a well-earned rest, his total

continues to rise towards £125,000, thanks to overwhelming

support from colleagues and customers. With his story

spreading on Yammer and other social media channels,

Justin is receiving messages from across the UK.

He adds: “I knew I could get sponsorship from the stores

locally as I’ve worked with lots of the store managers, but to

have support from elsewhere is truly amazing. It’s great to be

part of the Tesco family and I’m so grateful to everyone who

has helped – I couldn’t have done it without the support.

“I just want to make a difference and do something to

make sure Sophie’s memory lives on. Whatever I do for

charity, it’s nothing compared to what she went through.”

41

One year on from signing the armed forces corporate

covenant, we’re working in tandem with the military to show

support for the people serving our country

Side by side

Armed forces

our Armed Forces Network to bring together former

and current members of the military and their families

– giving colleagues the chance to meet like-minded

people across the country. The network will also

organise several activities, ranging from social events

to ones supporting colleagues with armed forces links.

Now successfully immersed in life at our Catterick

store – which sits at the heart of Europe’s largest

military base – Dean is a huge advocate of the

partnership. Although he hasn’t turned his back

on his military background just yet.

“I see this store like a company within my regiment,”

Dean jokes. “The store manager heads it all up, team

managers are like commanders, supervisors are

corporals and so on. Seriously, any organisation that

takes on ex-military people is getting a good deal.

They’ll get a grounded, organised and driven person.

“Having job security if my

husband does get posted

elsewhere again is a

big thing for us”

F

CHARLIE AITKEN, CUSTOMER

ASSISTANT AND MILITARY WIFE,

CATTERICK

Join our Armed Forces

Network by visiting

OurTesco.com/our-armed-

forces-network

Get involved

ull Corporal Dean Nolan knows he

made the right decision at the right time.

After 26 years dedicated to Queen

and country, the father of two made the

life-changing choice to call a halt to his

military career and embark on a new challenge.

From travelling the globe serving in the army to

handling the emotional responsibility of repatriating

friends lost at war, Dean’s career had many highs and

lows. And his instincts told him it was time to stop.

However, like many ex-servicemen, Dean didn’t find

it easy. His next mission was to find the perfect role to

make the move from the forces to Civvy Street. That’s

when he discovered our career transition programme.

“When I looked at my options for a second career,

Tesco was somewhere I could use the leadership skills

I’d developed during my time in the army,” explains

Grocery Manager Dean, as he shows t around his latest

post, Catterick Garrison Superstore.

“After a long time in the army, you become so

used to the basic tasks you have to do. It came to

the point that I knew I could either move into an

office management job or leave. So I left.

“I’ve been in Catterick since 1997 and my family

has made it home, so Tesco was a great opportunity to

stay here. It provided a new challenge because I had to

learn everything from scratch and was given a mentor

to help bridge the gap between the military and retail.”

A BRAND-NEW START

Helping Britain’s servicemen find careers after the

military is one promise we made when Chief Customer

Officer Robin Terrell signed the Ministry of Defence’s

corporate covenant on Tesco’s behalf last November.

We pledged to support military families, help

reservists to volunteer in the forces and raise money

for military charities. In November we also launched

43

“I know that not everyone coming out of the military

is fortunate enough to get a second career straight

away, although a lot has changed over the past five

years, thanks to companies like Tesco.”

FORCES ON THE FLOOR

Catterick Garrison Superstore is one of the stores that

benefits most from our commitment to the forces.

A walk around the aisles highlights how important

the store is to the military community in the north-east

town, with men and women in combats browsing the

shelves at every turn. So it’s no surprise that a large

collection of the colleagues have strong military links.

“Tesco has made a massive difference to my family,”

says Customer Assistant Charlie Aitken, one of several

military wives working in Catterick. “I used to work

at a store in Windsor, but when my husband got

posted here, I transferred too.

“We’ve got three children, so having job security if

he does get posted elsewhere again is a big thing. It

takes the worry away for what might happen because

you don’t always get a long notice time.”

That’s not all. With some families moving away from

their home towns to be posted at garrisons across the

country, we also remain flexible with rotas and giving

time off to make sure they can look after their children

and enjoy priceless time together when tours end.

It’s an approach that’s brought Tesco to the forefront

of military communities. A united feeling added to in

Catterick when the store took the lead in fundraising

for The Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal

and became one of 14 nationwide to fit a poppy on

the ‘O’ of its sign to show support for the cause.

“The forces are the heart of our community, so

we need to do a lot to support their needs,” says Store

Manager Jason King. “We’re in regular contact and

always hold events to show how important they are

to us. We had military bands at the front of store

during the Poppy Appeal and held a Help For Heroes

breakfast earlier in the year to say thank you.”

Dean showed his bottle to walk

away from life in the armed forces

and into a second career

There’s a military uniform at every turn

in Catterick Garrison SuperstoreDEAN NOLAN,

GROCERY MANAGER,

CATTERICK

Charlie knew she’d still have a job with

Tesco – despite moving hundreds of

miles away to be with her husband

“Tesco was somewhere

I could use the

leadership skills I’d

developed in the army”

Armed forces

Grub’s up at our armed forces breakfast

in Aldershot earlier this year

And the partnership is going from strength to

strength. Recent Catterick forces recruit Joe Cocker

only moved to the north-east from Cyprus this

summer and says in the short time he’s been here,

Tesco has made a huge difference to him and wife

Sarah, who joined the store as a customer assistant.

“Tesco seems to understand what it’s like to be in

a military family,” adds the Unit Welfare Officer.

“After being deployed in a country

like Cyprus, where many wives

can’t work, it’s great to see Tesco

helping military families get jobs

in the community.

“There are a lot of jobs advertised

for military personnel too and many

ex-service people come here after

leaving. Tesco is known throughout

the area for their forces support and

I can definitely see myself moving

here in the future.”

With a reputation like that, we

hope even more people will be

making the right decision to join

us in the future.

When Customer Assistant Angela Fife got

involved with the Military Wives Choir, she

was delighted to find that we were singing

from the same hymn sheet.

In-between shifts in Catterick, Angela

is part of the famous musical group and

counts a Christmas number one, an Albert

Hall appearance in front of the Queen and

a world record among her career highlights.

“I’m proud to be one of three founding

members in the choir,” beams Angela from

her normal post on the checkout.

“It’s such a laugh and we’ve done some

amazing things. I’d always wanted to go

to the Albert Hall, so to sing there in

front of the Queen was beyond

my wildest dreams.

“It was hard work for two

days, but it was absolutely brilliant.”

As a recognisable face in the military

community, Angela is a local celebrity

and is regularly asked about the choir.

Despite some of the great experiences

she’s had as part of the choir, she came

close to not being part of it at all.

“I wasn’t going to join in at first, but

I got dragged into it by the other wives

– I haven’t looked back since,” Angela says.

“I never miss a rehearsal or concert. I

love raising money for charity and getting

together with the wives.

“For the Queen’s Diamond

Jubilee, we did 34 concerts

and Tesco supported me

– I wouldn’t get that in

any other job.”

“I wasn’t going to

be involved and got

dragged into it by

the other wives”

Robin Terrell (above right) backs the

corporate covenant and signed it on our

behalf; Sarah and husband Joe are a prime

example of a family on both sides (right)

“Singing for

the Queen was

beyond my

wildest dreams”

find me in the cake aisle

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TV ad campaign

47

MICHELLE “Our job was to record a video of what was going on while the adverts were being filmed. The filming happened over two days, so me and Ciaran did the first day, and Jade and Ant did the second one.”JADE “We interviewed people who were working behind the scenes. There were colleagues from Newmarket, the film crew and the cast there – it was a great atmosphere and everybody was excited.”CIARAN “I was nervous at first, but that soon passed. One thing that stood out was how much goes into a short advert. It’s intense – everything has to be perfect.”MICHELLE “The chemistry between me and Ciaran was fantastic. We bounced off each other while filming the video and mixed with the other people in the ad. The Christmas adverts were filmed on our day, so we ended up having a sing-song in the snow.”CIARAN “It was my idea to do some singing for a bit of fun – even though neither of us can sing. Who’d have thought it would make the final video?”

ANT “My favourite bit was speaking to the scriptwriter. When he initially wrote the script, he didn’t know which actors he was writing for and had to adapt the lines to fit each of their characters.”JADE “It was a weird feeling to be on a film set. Most of the extras were colleagues, so it was the first time most of us had ever seen anything like that before. It’s good that colleagues got to play a part in the ads.”MICHELLE “I got to interview Ruth Jones, Ben Miller and Will Close – although it took some setting up to get right. I’d been sitting next to Ruth earlier in the day, but didn’t realise it was her until afterwards. Typical me!”ANT “I spoke to the actor who was playing the checkout assistant in the ad. As she becomes a more recognisable face, it’ll be exciting to say I got to interview her while the first ad was filmed.”CIARAN “It was great to see one of the ads on TV for the first time. I didn’t know when they were going out, so it was a surprise to see it appear on screen.”

As the film rolled on our new TV advertising campaign, four of the Colleague

Communications Panel went on-set to record their own behind-the-scenes video

Lights, camera, ACTION

The devil was in the detail as the

film crew prepared for the cameras

Colleagues joined the cast

as extras for the TV adverts

Fake snow was used to give the

Christmas ads a wintery feel

Check out the video our

panellists made on set at

OurTesco.com/adbts – and don’t

forget to keep your eye out

on TV for our ads

Want to watch the

video?

Michelle

and Ciaran

Jade

Ant

It’s time to get active at

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Enter by sending your answer to us at nuffieldcomp@summersault.co.uk

Which city is our Christmas tree supplier based near?

Get your year off to the perfect start with a 12-month

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Each of Nuffield Health’s 77 gyms across the UK are

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And with a team of experts ready to help you plan

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The winner of the competition will receive all the usual

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In the meantime, enter the

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Terms and conditions: No cash alternative available. Membership must be activated before 1 February 2016

WIN!

Want to strike toilet roll from your

weekly shopping list for an entire year?

That’s what we’re offering to one lucky

colleague and their family in t’s prize draw,

courtesy of Kimberly-Clark. The winner will

get a year’s supply of Andrex® toilet tissue

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49

A year’s supply of Andrex® toilet tissue

Terms and conditions Entry to our colleague competitions and prize draws is free. To enter, you must be a Tesco colleague and live in the UK or Northern Ireland. You can only enter each competition or prize draw once and only the first entry per colleague per competition or prize draw will be accepted. Colleagues or personnel who are involved in administering the competitions and prize draws or drawing the winners cannot take part. The prizes include products only and will not include additional costs, such as travel expenses. Entries must be received by 23:59 on Friday 18 December 2015 and the winners for each competition and prize draw will be independently selected at random from all eligible entries. Each winner will be notified via email within seven days of the closing date. If the winners do not respond to the email communication within 10 days of notification to organise delivery of the prize, alternative winners will be selected. The editor’s decision is final and no cash alternative will be offered for any prize. Personal data will only be used for the purpose of administering the competitions and prize draws, and notifying the winners.

Win with us

To have your name entered into the hat to win the prize, simply send us an entry

to andrexcomp@summersault.co.uk and cross your fingers for good news. Oh,

and don’t forget to include your name, address and contact details for your entry.

Try out a selection of our relaunched

hair and skincare range, courtesy of a

sumptuous t giveaway. World Beauty was

released in October to offer a range that

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Most of the products in the range are usually

only available from specialist retailers, so by

offering them on our shelves, we’re making

it easier for customers to get what they

want. There are 10 goody bags of products

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entered into our prize draw to win one,

simply send your name and contact details

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A World Beauty goody bag

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I am very excited about my first Christmas at Tesco and I know what a busy time of year it is for all of us. It’s critical that we continue providing great

service for our customers, being quick to respond to their needs and doing whatever we can to help them have the best possible Christmas (you’ll see some brilliant examples on pages 10-21).

I try to spend as much time as I can speaking to shoppers in store, so I particularly enjoyed the opportunity in this issue to visit customers in their homes and deliver their groceries (pages 22-24).What really struck me while I was out in the van with Ant Turner was the power of small gestures – one elderly lady we visited was celebrating her birthday, so we delivered flowers from the Chesterfield Extra team, along with her shopping.

We shouldn’t lose sight of the power of simple gestures, like that card. If we keep things simple, we can spend more time doing the right thing for customers. We’ve been working hard to simplify our business (pages 32-33), but the power to really change things lies with every one of us, no matter what our role or where we work. So let’s work together and share ways to cut out unnecessary

complexity, so we can focus on serving our shoppers a little better every day.

For a completely different kind of service, take a look at our feature on how we’re supporting the armed forces (pages 41-44). Our commitments to both former and current members of the military are particularly visible in stores such as our Catterick Garrison Superstore, but it’s a subject that is important to customers and communities across the nation. Supporting the forces also means we have a chance to benefit from the unique skills and experience of colleagues who have served in the past, or who still serve as reservists.

Finally, although we are all going to be busy, I’d like to wish you and your loved ones the very best for Christmas and the New Year. I hope you can find some precious time to celebrate with family and friends. Thank you for your commitment and energy, and here’s to a Merry Christmas and a successful and happy 2016.

And finally…UK & ROI CEO Matt Davies gears up for the busy festive season and

looks forward to what we all hope will be a prosperous New Year

Boost now on.

(Looks like Santa’s going to be busy.)Get ready to double the value of your vouchers in

14 departments in our fantastic Christmas Clubcard

Boost event. You’ve got until 27th December to

exchange your vouchers and until 30th December

to redeem them.

Better start harnessing those reindeer Santa!

T&Cs apply, for details sledge along to tesco.com/clubcard

in vouchers in Clubcard Boost

£5 = £10

I used my points

at Christmas to

book my train

ticket home.

Current Account

Liz RockleySenior Campaign Manager,

Tesco Bank

Current account customer

Visit OurTesco.com to apply.

The Tesco Bank Current Account is available to residents of England, Wales and Scotland, aged 18 or over. Accounts are subject to status. For spend in Tesco: you’ll get 1 point for every £1 you spend on your debit card, together with your standard Clubcard points (1 point for £1). Spend outside of Tesco: 1 point for every £8 in each debit card purchase transaction (standard Clubcard points don’t apply). Exclusions apply. The Clubcard scheme is administered by Tesco stores who BSF�SFTQPOTJCMF�GPS�GVMěMMJOH�QPJOUT��&BSO�SBUFT�BSF�TVCKFDU�UP�DIBOHF��:PV�NVTU�QSPWJEF�ZPVS�FNQMPZFF�OVNCFS�BU�BQQMJDBUJPO�TUBHF�UP�CF�FMJHJCMF�GPS�UIF�QPJOUT�PĚFS��'PS�GVMM�colleague deal terms and conditions, please visit ourtesco.com.

Whatever you spend your points on this Christmas,

remember you’ll collect Clubcard points faster when you

use a Tesco Bank debit card in store and online at Tesco.

Permanent Tesco colleagues will receive 2 points for every £1

spent - double what you’d get with a Clubcard.