EDITION ONE
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AUTUMN 2015
HELPING HANDS ACROSS THE ISLANDS Every year The Channel Islands Co-operative Society supports a wide range of local charities and community organisations through its Helping Hands fund. This year over 100 applications were received across the islands and after very careful consideration 24 worthy causes were chosen for a share of a pot totalling more than £17,500 – among them the Guernsey Bereavement Society and the Jersey charity Little Miracles.
The Guernsey ‘Having the right Bereavement Service setting, having In the course of a year, the Guernsey Bereavement Service provides emotional support for around 200 island residents from all walks of life as they face the loss of a loved one. The service is entirely free and, for a small local charity like the GBS, every pound received can be put to immediate good use on behalf of the community. In the case of the £1,000 allocated from The Co-operative’s Helping Hands Fund, it went straight towards refurbishing one of the service’s counselling rooms at Kingsland House in St Sampson. ‘We are hugely grateful,’ said GBS Service Co-ordinator Linda Norman. ‘The service receives no States or parish funding, so we’re entirely funded by donation. ‘Our volunteers give their services for free, but we have to maintain the building, pay for the training and it’s always a bit of a struggle to find the money for these things.’ Linda revealed that the money from The Co-operative fund was used to buy new chairs, storage and display facilities for the counselling room. It may sound like just a bit of furniture, but for the service’s bereaved clients it amounts to more than that. ‘It’s a matter of having somewhere that’s comfortable for them to relax and to be able to talk about things that are really uncomfortable to talk about,’ Linda explained.
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some comfortable chairs, having pleasant and reassuring surroundings, that’s really important.’ Kingsland House is in a quiet residential setting at Les Basses Capelles and from the outside it is hard to distinguish it from any other house in the road. Walk inside and you will find a unique local facility with an office, a kitchen for providing refreshments, two consultation rooms and a larger meeting room at the back where the GBS volunteers receive their training. The service prides itself in ensuring that all volunteers receive regular independent supervision and that they all abide by the code of ethics adopted by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Linda stressed that the service is entirely private and confidential and that it is open to any adult Guernsey resident struggling to deal with the loss of a loved one.
‘When people come to us they’ve reached the point where they will say commonly that they haven’t got anyone to talk to. It’s not that they don’t have friends and relatives – it’s that they can’t talk to them about their specific feelings.’ ‘Our relationships are complicated and when you lose somebody there are sometimes particular things you want to talk through but you can’t talk through those things with friends and family.’ Often the service fills a void in a society in which talking about death is still something of a taboo. There is also the widely held perception that after a certain period of time a bereaved person must have moved on from his or her loss. ‘If you’ve not been through it yourself then people tend to think that after about three weeks or so you should be moving on – it’s time you got over it a bit – but that’s not the way it works,’ said Linda. ‘There is no timetable for grief, we’re all different, and so people come to us because they’re still grieving three, six, nine months down the line. Sometimes people also come because they’ve got a particular thing that they’re stuck with.’ The free bereavement counselling service offered by the GBS is open to anyone over the age of 16. As well as ‘one-to-one’ and group support, the service can provide its clients with books and information leaflets to help with the grieving process.
Little Miracles Set up barely 20 months ago, Little Miracles is one of Jersey’s newest charities, yet already it has made an impact through the support it gives to parents of babies admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit at Jersey General. To help ease their harrowing situation, the charity’s founders decided to provide these mums and dads with memory boxes full of practical items to help them and their babies through their stressful time.
Little Miracles launched its gift box initiative in April last year and over the last 18 months it has provided around 200, based on the estimate that up to 150 babies are admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit every year.
‘What you are doing for these parents is so special and is having a huge impact,’ said one of the SCBU nurses. ‘We ourselves are getting so much joy from giving out your boxes and watching the parents open them.
Each box is packed with many useful little items but the most costly is the Cuski comforter, specially designed for babies in incubators and the only type that is endorsed officially by the UK National Health Service.
As well as one of the comforters, each box contains everyday items such as toiletries, toothbrush and toothpaste for the parents and clothes for the baby.
‘The gifts in them are so practical, it has been lovely seeing all the laundry bags hanging on the cots, pillow cases being used and the Cuskis in the incubators. Thank you for making a difference.’
It is here where The Co-operative stepped in with its allocation from the Helping Hands Fund, providing Little Miracles with £1,500, which is enough to keep Little Miracles going with its Cuski comforters for many months. ‘We were so grateful because that’s a lot of money to us and what it has meant is that we have been able to buy up front a year’s supply,’ said the charity’s chairperson, Cirsty de Gruchy-Wilson.
“ That is our most expensive purchase within the boxes, so to be able to buy that up front for a year is absolutely fantastic.”
‘Nobody plans for their baby to be put into the special care baby unit, so it’s those practical items,’ Cirsty explained.
Those behind Little Miracles say they have been humbled by all the feedback and support they have received over such a short time.
‘They’re given it on the day they go into the unit, so on that particularly stressful day they’re handed this beautiful box which, from they feedback we’ve had, we know it means a huge amount.’
They were also delighted to have been among the finalists for the Non Profit Organisation of the Year prize at the 2015 Jersey Business Awards for Enterprise.
The Little Miracles gift has been described as ‘a hug in a box’ and, according to some of the testimonials from parents, it has made all the difference to their stay at the unit.
‘It’s just a small group of three of us running the charity,’ Cirsty revealed. ‘It’s a very specific project with a very specific aim and so we all wanted to keep it small and simple.’
‘At the time I only had the opportunity for a quick peak and didn’t fully appreciate how useful this box would be,’ said a young mother of twin boys admitted to the unit.
Jim Plumley, the Society’s Chief Commercial Officer, said every year it is difficult to choose who should receive support.
‘Every day since there’s been something in them that’s been desperately needed,’ she continued, ‘ and every time it just makes me smile with relief as you’ve made our lives a little easier.’ The box contents were worked out very carefully with the help and advice of hospital staff responsible for running the Special Care Baby Unit.
‘We always want to help as many local initiatives as possible being a local community retailer in the Channel Islands. Every year there are so many deserving causes in need of help and we try to understand from each applicant how the money will be used to the maximum benefit of islanders,’ he said.
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MUCH MORE IN-STORE THE ‘GROUVILLE EXPERIENCE’ POINTS TO A BIGGER, BETTER RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND AN IMPROVED LAYOUT IN ALL OUR CO-OP STORES At the heart of every retail operation has to be a reliable, effective supply chain to meet the demands of today’s shopper. Until recently, our supply chain involved the distribution of UK sourced products into our Channel Islands stores from moderately sized food warehouses in both Jersey and Guernsey for ambient products, and a twice weekly delivery of fresh foods direct from the UK producers.
The gradual process of migrating the supply chain has resulted in patchy availability in a few places on occasions, while in some instances shoppers have noticed the ‘disappearance’ of one or two of their favourite products from shelves. ‘We thank our customers for their patience during this transitioning period and we would ask them to continue to bear with us,’ said the Society’s Chief Operating Officer, Mark Cox. ‘We have now completed the supply chain transition and are beginning to introduce the exciting new lines seen in Grouville, and hundreds more, across all our stores.
Unfortunately, that supply chain model was giving increasing limitations on the range of products we could offer our customers, the freshness of the products on sale and our ability to react quickly to fluctuations in our fresh food sales. It is against this backdrop that the Board decided to close the Society’s local warehouses and redirect the supply chain to a much larger centre in Hampshire – one of a national network of nine mega Co-operative warehouses covering the entire country.
I’m new, try me! We’re bringing more choice to your store.
The transition began in February with the opening of Jersey’s newest store at Grouville. It was supplied direct from England with all its non-local fresh, frozen and ambient products, while every other Co-operative continued to be supplied through the Jersey and Guernsey warehouses.
CUT LINE - DO NOT PRINT
On the day it opened its doors, the Grouville store was able to offer hundreds of different lines that simply were not available anywhere else in the islands – not even at our flagship Grand Marché outlets. The new and improved range of products was an instant hit with the Grouville shoppers, leaving the Society’s directors and senior officers in no doubt that this was what customers would wish to see in every other Channel Islands Co-operative store. However, repeating what might be described as ‘The Grouville Experience’ in our already established retail outlets is not as straightforward as filling up a brand new supermarket from scratch.
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‘We are confident that all our shoppers will soon appreciate the real and lasting benefits, with a great selection of new products and a much more consistent layout across all our stores.’
Mr Cox added that customers will have been impressed by the new chilled, fresh meat, poultry and dairy lines that began to arrive in October and he promised more to come, with a wonderful array of fresh Christmas food due for December.
‘Put simply, there is more choice now than we could ever have delivered previously, and this is down to our being able to get chilled and fresh products delivered direct from the UK six days a week,’ he said. One key advantage of the daily deliveries is that The Co-operative products now have a significantly enhanced shelf life. When one of our stores places an order for fresh goods on a Monday, for instance, around 80% of those products will be on its shelves by the Wednesday. ‘Not only do our customers get a far better range of products and fresher products but when our customers’ shopping patterns change, we can react much faster to any variation in sales because of our 6 day a week service from the UK,’ Mr Cox concluded.
A FANTASTIC FIRST YEAR FOR CO-OPERATIVE MEDICAL CARE Launched in Jersey last November, The Co-operative Medical Care GP practice is now almost a year old, yet it continues to welcome new patients every week. Over the past year more than 2,000 new patients have joined Jersey’s newest - and its only “patient-owned” medical practice. The Co-operative’s bold new venture began with the acquisition of two well-established local GP practices with busy surgeries in St Helier and St Peter, plus a smaller branch surgery in St Clement. Society’s Medical Care team of doctors, administrators and managers have begun a journey towards transforming these well-loved community surgeries into new Co-operative healthcare centres, which will be specially designed to meet the ever changing needs of members and non-members alike. The team have recently moved into their newly refurbished St Peter Surgery on the top floor of the newly refurbished Grand Marché store in Rue De L’Eglise, after spending the summer in a temporary site close by. The new surgery is bigger, has improved access and offers a more open, welcoming atmosphere. Meanwhile, the old St Peter Surgery has been relocated to the top floor, with the upgraded pharmacy conveniently relocated to a front of store setting. Looking ahead to the New Year, the original St Helier surgery at David Place is destined to become the central part of the purpose-built Bath Street Health Centre, with a brand new Pharmacy Locale operating right alongside. By any standards it has been a fantastic first year for the Co-operative Medical Care team and for its practice manager, Alexandra Kiff, who managed the launch of the new healthcare service.
‘We are delighted with the way the practice has been received by patients across the island,’ she said.
“ It’s a new and exciting addition to the Society and is delivering real benefits to our members and their families that is something we can really be proud of for years to come.” Having laid the foundation for a strong local practice, the aim of Alexandra and the team over the next 12 months will be to build on its initial success and to continue to expand the present Healthcare team of six doctors and 12 medical administration and reception colleagues.
‘One of our main priorities as we respond to our patients’ needs is to grow our team and we are hoping to welcome a number of new colleagues to the practice in the coming year,’ she explained. Another priority is a total refit for the surgery in St Clement to give a better service to people in the east of the island. The Co-operative Medical Care team remain keen to explore possible opportunities in Guernsey, where GP services are currently provided by a handful of large practices. With the Society’s sights set on restructuring the various elements of its care business, including medical care, funeral care, the pharmacies and the ‘Tot Stop’ children’s instore service, it is in the process of recruiting a new ‘Head of Care’. ‘We have a long term plan to develop this aspect of the Society’s work and this appointment demonstrates our commitment to delivering care services for our community.’ ‘Being part of the creation and development of Co-operative Medical Care has been tremendously exciting,’ said Alex. ‘I am deeply proud of what we have achieved so far, we’ve got a fantastic team in place and the future is bright – it’s a great feeling.’
Co-operative Medical Care is available to all Jersey residents and not just members of the Society. However, to receive free healthcare for children under five, a 50% discount for 5-18 year olds and the 4% Co-op dividend, the patient, a parent or a guardian must be a member of the Society and be registered with Co-operative Medical Care. It costs £1 to become a member and new patients can join the Society at any Co-operative Medical Care surgery. A standard consultation fee is £30.
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ECO-FUND BOOST FOR LOCAL FOOD PROJECTS The Co-operative prides itself on supporting local food producers and two new environmental projects dedicated to spreading the ‘eat local’ message are among those to benefit from the Society’s Eco-Fund this year. The Farm School Initiative in Jersey and Edible Guernsey both get a share of the £14,500 fund for 2015 to help them with their future work. Launched in 2008, the Eco-Fund is designed to recycle the profits from our 5p single use carrier bag charge by ploughing the money back into the community through worthy environmental initiatives. To date the Society has paid out more than £280,000 to a wide range of environmental causes. As well as Edible Guernsey and the Farm School Initiative, another 18 island projects have received a cut from this year’s fund.
Farm School Initiative Last summer saw the launch of a new farm project aimed at teaching Jersey school children how to grow their own vegetables and, just as importantly, to help them appreciate where their food actually comes from. The Farm School Initiative was set up by teacher and farmer’s daughter Grace Davies on her father Bill’s land at La Cornetterie in St Martin. ‘I really wanted to get into farming myself so as a child I bugged him to teach me,’ she said. ‘I wanted to pass on my knowledge to Jersey children and it made sense because we had the facilities, our farm was closed at the time, and it just sort of developed from there.’ Every child who takes part in one of the project’s seasonal courses over six weeks is given his or her own little plot to grow up to a dozen or more different vegetable varieties.
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They go back every week to watch their vegetables grow and tend to them. Then, at the end of every visit, they get to take away a bag of food with a recipe showing them how to cook it at home. ‘It’s so easy now to pick up a bag of chopped vegetables and forget exactly how it got into that bag. We’ve had children come through not knowing where potatoes come from, so it’s been a real eye opener.’ ‘We want to enthuse the younger generation,’ Grace explained. ‘We want them to understand how things are grown and realise how long it takes and how much effort is put in to get food onto their table.’ For Grace the £2,000 received from The Co-operative’s Eco-Fund will play a vital part in getting the project up and running again in the spring after a successful first summer and autumn. ‘I was over the moon because it means we have enough money to support a whole class coming for a term next year,’ she said. ‘That means 52 children from one of the schools and it will cover their plant costs and the vegetables they’ll be taking home. It means we can get more tools for the children to use too.’ Grace added she was thrilled to have people from The Co-operative coming to the farm to validate the project and to see at first hand how the land at La Cornetterie has been turned into a giant outdoor classroom for practical farm studies.
‘We’re in the process of putting in herb beds in a south facing field and we’ve got a running water source from an old lavoir. The children go there to collect water to water their plants so they’re learning about the importance of irrigation.’ At present the Farm School Initiative is concentrating its efforts on teaching primary school children but if the momentum continues to build it will look at involving some of the island’s secondary schools as well. The project might also be extended to livestock farming at some point. ‘At the moment it’s just produce, but we’re trying to make it full circle,’ said Grace. ‘Next year we’re looking to do three different blocks – spring, summer, autumn and herb boxes for winter. ‘We’re trying to strip it back and make them realise that raspberries don’t come all year round or a courgette doesn’t grow at this time of year.’ The Eco-Fund allocation will ensure that the programme for 2016 gets off to a solid start, with the pupils of Janvrin School confirmed as the first to benefit. And if this year’s experience is anything to go by the Farm School Initiative will have a very productive second year. To find out more about the project check out the website www.thefarmschoolinitiative.com
‘We see the Society as being invaluable with their retail knowledge of the food industry so I don’t count it as just a financial investment.’ The group’s first community farm at a disused vinery in St Peter’s has been a hive of activity since Edible Guernsey took it on for a peppercorn rent earlier this year.
On top of all these practical measures to increase production, Edible Guernsey is aiming to create a new kind of conversation around food – where it comes from, who makes it and how it is made – in order to get people to question what they are putting into their mouths.
It is on this site of five acres that the group has started to create what it describes as a new model of local food production.
‘With the help of funding from the Eco-Fund, we hope to create areas that can help educate people about food and the origin of food and change their relationship with food,’ said Jock.
‘The idea really is to reimagine the way that the community looks at food and the way it values food. There is no money involved with the people who come to work on this site,’ explained Jock’s fellow Edible Guernsey director, Jade Isabelle.
Edible Guernsey Edible Guernsey is a new environmental project with a declared manifesto to ‘reimagine our food landscape’ and drive up local food production through a series of bold community initiatives.
The idea behind the edible farm is not just to toil for a few hours in exchange for some food. The project ethos is to create spaces for like-minded people who want to pursue a similar lifestyle choice – a proper community, in other words.
The project was launched only nine months ago but in that time it has certainly caused one or two tremors of excitement within that food landscape.
Another key aspect of the work of the project is to create mini food production areas in little green spaces all over the island. ‘There is so much latent space when you look around,’ said Jock.
Under the campaigning slogan ‘If you eat, you’re in’, it has got its first Edible Guernsey farm up and running and it has also begun the job of putting together a definitive island-wide food directory.
‘We’ve had some really productive meetings with the floral groups around the island who are doing some amazing work. The addition of herbs and flowering crops to what they’re doing would make a huge difference.’
‘That is why the relationship between The Co-operative and Edible Guernsey is so important,’ Jade added. To find out more about the project check out the website www.edibleguernsey.gg The Society’s chief commercial officer, Jim Plumley, said that as a major local employer, The Channel Islands Co-operative Society was dedicated to the communities in which it operates. ‘We’re very proud to be able to put something back into the communities we serve in Jersey and Guernsey, by assisting local causes to carry out environmental or social projects that benefit all islanders. We are delighted we have been able to support some very worthwhile initiatives,’ he said.
Another of the project’s big ambitions is to get many more Guernsey residents growing food in all sorts of previously neglected green spaces in Town and country parishes alike. Boosted by the £2,500 allocated to Edible Guernsey from this year’s Co-op Eco-Fund, the directors are planning to bolster the island’s present food infrastructure and create a solid base on which to build. ‘Whilst it doesn’t cost a fortune to do it, it does need some funding and support from people like the Co-op,’ said Edible Guernsey spokesman, Jock Pettitt. ‘Trying to create new channels and routes for local produce to market is one of our remits, so working with the likes of the Co-op will help give us a better understanding of how we can try and make that happen.’
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will What sort of Society re be in place in the futu of to serve the interests ? the wider community
What will yo ur Channel Isla nds Co-op store look like 10 years fro m now?
YOUR CO-OPERATIVE YOUR VISION FOR 2025 These were the far-sighted issues discussed at length and in detail at the special 60th anniversary member events staged in Jersey and Guernsey this autumn. A cross section of the membership in both islands, together with a number of students who were invited to represent the next Co-operative generation, gathered in groups to decide where the Society should be in the future. As a member-driven organisation, The Channel Islands Co-operative Society has pledged to incorporate the key trends and concepts that emerged from the two member events as it puts together its Vision for the future. ‘The value of this to me has been immeasurable,’ was the immediate verdict of the Society’s chief executive, Colin Macleod, who was present for every minute of the two events as they unfolded. At the beginning of each gathering he stressed that it was a unique opportunity for every shareholder involved to articulate how he or she would like to see the business develop. At the conclusion of the second event staged, he praised their collective contribution. ‘Seeing this level of enthusiasm for your business and seeing this level of interest in the future development of your business has been inspirational,’ he said. ‘Giving so freely your time, your energy and your thoughts, you have generated so many ideas and so much food for thought as we begin this process of moving forward together.’ The programme for the member events was separated into two main areas of discussion – The Co-operative Store of the Future and The Co-operative Society of the Future. Starting with what the Society’s retail outlets will look like and feel like years from now, members were asked to concentrate on topics such as the in-store experience, technology and customer service.
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Taking into consideration developing market trends and an ever changing business landscape, they left no stone unturned as they debated and discussed their individual views, writing down the output to share later with the rest of the room. Of course, not every suggestion will feature in the future development of The Co-operative’s stores across the islands. However, a consistent picture did emerge as members exchanged views on the solutions and innovations that they wished to see as part of the Society’s long term future. The human element also formed an important part of the discussion as members explored how they interact with the dedicated staff colleagues who provide them with their in-store service – and how they would like to see that relationship enhanced in future. The second part of the discussion looked beyond the core retail operation and onto the Society’s wider activities, with members invited to reveal how they would like to see the local Co-operative’s already very strong community involvement propelled to ‘the next level’. Among the questions asked of them was: ‘What does community mean to you?’ and ‘What is our local Co-operative synonymous with?’ Also, they were challenged to say what the Society should do to maintain and strengthen its proud local identity. ‘These two meetings will form part of the conversation we’ll be having with our Board. Of course we couldn’t necessarily evaluate the feasibility and challenges of some of the concepts raised within the allotted time so that will be reviewed later, but it is important that the consistent themes and views of our Members are reflected at this stage’ said Mr Macleod. Summing up his expectations of the future, The Channel Islands Co-operative’s chief executive described his aspiration for the Society as an organisation that dares as well as cares. ‘We dare ourselves to think of new ideas and different ways of serving the community,’ he concluded. ‘We dare people to be better and we dare people to get involved.’
What the members said The room was buzzing with excitement at the conclusion of the member events in both Guernsey and Jersey. Speaking about their involvement, ordinary shareholders of all ages and backgrounds were united in their conviction that it had been well worth their while. This is just snapshot of what they had to say. ‘I think what was really amazing for me was the real sense of ownership that people had. That this wasn’t a business that they just interacted with but a business they felt passionate about – a business they felt they belonged to.’ ‘I thought it was very well run and I’m glad I came along. It is quite good to feel that I might have contributed something to the Society in 10 years time.’ ‘Great fun, lots of discussion and the fact that people can have different ideas and perhaps change your sensibilities and your concepts of something by the suggestions that they put forward.’ ‘A good age range of people, lots of different views, people from different backgrounds, which is important just so that we can collectively see everything that is needed for us. For the Co-op to move forward and hopefully make it a better store for everyone that uses it.’
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GRAND MARCHÉ ST PETER GRAND MARCHÉ ST PETER REACHES A NEW LEVEL OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE After many months of work and more than a little disruption for staff and customers alike, one of Jersey’s largest Co-operative stores has reached a whole new level in terms of what it has to offer. The Society’s Grand Marché at St Peter has been given a thorough refit to provide a vastly upgraded shopping experience in tune with the consumer trends of today, but this is just one aspect of its transformation. The store at Rue de L’Eglise is now home to a brand new Healthcare Centre, complemented by a front-of-store Pharmacy Locale, while the Post Office has been relocated to welcome customers as they enter. The project at St Peter will be completed with the opening of a new Travelmaker and, just in time for the Christmas rush, the launch of a ‘Tot Stop’ interactive children’s area. ‘It is a very busy store and these developments will take it on to the next level,’ said the Society’s Chief Operating Officer, Mark Cox. ‘We have brought in new, non-food services and we have created an environment for members to engage with us under one roof while taking full advantage of the Society’s diverse brands.’ The project to transform Grand Marché St Peter involved only a modest increase in floor space, from about 16,000 feet to 17,500 square feet, but it is the way that space has been redefined that counts.
“ Clearly over the years shopping habits have changed, so we’ve introduced more space for fresh food and lots of new lines” 10
‘Overall it has enabled us to refocus the store’s space to devote more to the categories that are performing well. It has also improved the flow around the shop, making it much easier to shop with the new layout.’
Improved access is another key feature of the refurbishment. Last year the main entrance was opened out, resulting in a clearly improved interface with the Pharmacy Locale, and there is now a lift to the new GP surgery upstairs.
The refurbishment began last year with the installation of new fresh meat and fish serve over counters and a new deli counter. This was followed by a major upgrade of the refrigerated sections to increase capacity and improve energy efficiency.
There is more parking outside for disabled customers and there will soon be more parking for customers with children.
‘As well as being able to stock more lines in frozen foods, the trials we have done in other Co-op stores have shown a 40 per cent reduction in the cost of running those refrigerated spaces,’ Mr Cox pointed out. ‘We have also improved all the air conditioning and the heating in store, and we have installed new LED lighting. We have invested heavily to reduce the carbon footprint of the entire building and drive down energy bills.’
Throughout the project the store has continued to operate, with contractors, ROK Construction, working weekends and nights. ‘They’ve done a fantastic job, pulling out all the stops to make it ready in time for our Christmas rush,’ said Mr Cox. ‘Clearly there has been some inconvenience to our customers and we’re grateful for their support. ‘We’ve also had great commitment from our staff colleagues who have worked many extra hours and one of the most pleasing aspects is that we’ve been able to refurbish their areas too.’
GUERNSEY’S MOST CONVENIENT STORE GETS THE GREEN LIGHT! The newest Co-operative store in the Channel Islands can also lay claim to be the Society’s most convenient store – certainly in the eyes of many of our Guernsey members and customers. En Route St Sampson on Les Bas Courtils Road is ideally situated to cater for the constant flow of passing traffic and trade along the island’s main east coast arterial road. From the moment it opened its doors at the end of October, it has been a case of life in the fast lane for the En Route team of 24 staff colleagues who now keep the store going seven days a week, from 7am to 10pm. A great place to stop for commercial drivers, tradesmen, commuters and for the hundreds of people who live within the St Sampson/ St Peter Port ‘corridor’, it offers a full fuel station service, a well stocked grocery and convenience store, plus food and drinks for those on the go. Outside there are eight fuel pumps set within a large and spacious, fully covered forecourt with plenty of room for manoeuvre, even during the busiest rush-hour periods, plus 25 parking spaces for non-fuel shoppers. En Route St Sampson also provides a Jet Wash car cleaning service, which is a first for Co-operative customers in Guernsey, as well as an ATM for cash withdrawal, a mini coal depot during the winter months, and a covered area where cyclists can lock their bikes at any time.
Within the store, convenience and ease of shopping is the watchword. With a generous amount of space between the aisles, there is a comprehensive offering of chilled, frozen and ambient goods, including fresh meat, fish and poultry and a good choice of wines, beers and spirits.
‘We have been looking for a long time for suitable premises at the north end of the island, especially to enhance our fuel offer in the north,’ Mr Lewis explained. ‘I think this St Sampson site will certainly be busier on fuel than En Route St Andrew with all the passing traffic.’
En Route St Sampson is equipped with the latest, energy efficient fridge and freezer technology, including special doors that keep temperatures low on the inside yet prevent cold air escaping into the store when opened. Further technical advancements include the use of electronic shelf edge price labels, the first of their kind in Guernsey.
Bas Courtils Road is certainly one of the busiest roads in Guernsey and this fact is not lost on En Route St Sampson manager Marika Gravleja.
With an in-store bakery operating every day of the week and two hot food cabinets, the ‘food to go’ offering at En Route St Sampson was always going to be very popular among all the busy working people going by. ‘We knew there’d be lots of passing trade and we believe our food to go offer will be very successful,’ said the Society’s Operations Manager John Lewis. ‘We also knew it would be a very convenient place to stop for all those people driving into Town and coming home from work.’
‘It gives our members who live and work in the north of the island a very convenient place to fuel their cars and to get their shopping,’ she said.
“ We are all very excited at the potential for this brand new store and the early signs are fantastically encouraging.” 11
MOVED RECENTLY? MAKE SURE YOU LET US KNOW. If you have changed address recently or you are about to move house, please let us know so we can keep your details up to date. This can be done in a number of ways Call into our Member Services Counter at one of our Post Offices Call us on 01534 879822 Email us at member.services@channelislands.coop rite to us at Member Services, Co-operative House, W 57 Don Street, St Helier, Jersey, JE2 4TR Or visit www.channelislands.coop/addresschange
ENTER OUR COMPETITION TO WIN ÂŁ100 OF CO-OPERATIVE SHOPPING VOUCHERS! SIMPLY ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION (ANSWER CAN BE FOUND INSIDE) AND YOU WILL BE ENTERED INTO THE FREE PRIZE DRAW. Q. How much money has The Channel Islands Co-operative Society donated to local environmental projects through its Eco-fund since it was first initiated? Enter our competition online by visiting: www.channelislands.coop/competitions A winner will be drawn on 29th January 2016. Please see website for full Terms & Conditions.
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