Connected magazine nov 2016

FOR EVERYONE AT DIXONS CARPHONE

November 2016

Jason Kenny and Laura Trott’s RACING BIKE AND A google pixel smartphone page 24

AUGMENTED REALITY SPECIAL POKÉMON GO OR POKÉMON NO? 7

MAIN FEATURE

BRING IT ON WE’VE GOT THE PLANS IN PLACE TO MAKE BLACK FRIDAY AND PEAK OUR BEST EVER 10

STILL GOT CHRISTMAS PRESENTS TO BUY? CHECK OUT OUR GIFT GUIDE 16

WELCOME TO

THE HOT LIST THE TOP FIVE things you need to know THIS ISSUE We’re in the festive season. And with it being our busiest time of year, we’re doing more than ever before to prepare in our stores, warehouses and distribution centres.

Last year was the most successful Peak period in our history, and we’re planning to make it even better this time around – learn how on pages 10-11.

On pages 12-13, find out how our new Christmas TV campaign celebrates that we’re the place to go to get the best gifts for friends and family. And that goes for us too – check out our Christmas gift guide on page 16 if you’re looking for some last-minute shop-spiration.

Do you remember your best Christmas present ever?

See if it’s made our festive-themed quiz on page 17.

And when the festivities get too much, take a break with our reviews of the Top 5 strategy games on page 23. Plus, following on from our August issue, we go back to Africa on page 20 to see how BluPoint technology has transformed the lives of schoolchildren in Durban. Enjoy!

ITOR GUEST ED

Would you like to be a guest editor? Get in touch with us and you could help with the next issue of Connected.

Meet JOE o’neill,this issue’s guest editor: Joe started out working in Carphone Warehouse stores eight years ago, and now works in our Central Operations Medic team at our Support Centre. This year he’s done Race to the Stones and been part of our BluPoint project in Africa, and he’s embarking on another challenge – trying to live without his phone for a week (see right)!

Joe told us: “I feel privileged to edit Connected and read about how colleagues are working hard to make our Peak period a success.”

Get real!

Augmented Reality is about much more than Pokémon Go. On pages 6-7, gaming journalist Keza MacDonald looks at how technology could be used in retail to give a world-class customer experience.

Seventh heaven The Apple iPhone 7 launch kicked off a super-hot chain reaction in our business as we worked together to make sure we were first to offer the best deals to customers.

Find out more on pages 8-9.

It’s your move If you want a great career, you’re at the right place.

On pages 14-15, meet two colleagues who have moved to other brands in our family as they continue to work their way up through the ranks.

The big picture With more and better entries than ever, this issue’s photo competition is an impressive collection of shots you’ve taken out of work. From relaxing cats to meteor showers, there are some gems here! Find out who won on pages 18-19.

The wheel to win Christmas is all about giving, so we’ve got some great prizes up for grabs this issue. Turn to page 20 to stand a chance of winning a Google Pixel smartphone, and one of the bikes ridden by Team GB cyclists Jason Kenny and Laura Trott.

Contact us WITH YOUR THOUGHTS, STORIES AND SUGGESTIONS BY EMAIL

GET IN TOUCH

connected@dixonscarphone.com ...and you could bag yourself £25 worth of vouchers of your choice!

Strictly private and confidential. This magazine and its contents are the property of Dixons Carphone plc and are for internal use only. No part of this magazine may be reprinted in whole or in part without the prior written permission of Dixons Carphone plc.

Look out for the hashtags throughout this issue, which show different parts of our Customer Promise in action: #EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE #FAMOUSFORSERVICES #UNIQUELYCONNECTED #CUSTOMERSFORLIFE #UNRIVALLEDVALUEANDCHOICE

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CONNECTED | november 2016

Can you imagine spending a week without your favourite tech? our guest editor Joe O’Neill tried to go iPhone-free for seven days OFF THE BACK OF PHONELESS FRIDAY, A SAVE THE CHILDREN INITIATIVE THAT CHALLENGES PARTICIPANTS TO DITCH THEIR PHONES FOR A DAY.

I couldn’t help but feel like I was out of the loop with what was happening in the world. Phones are the key to communicating with the people and world around us.

While I didn’t miss Twitter or Facebook as much as I thought I would because it made me speak to more people, I did miss being connected to my friends and family.”

“When I was on the bus, I couldn’t listen to music because I had no Spotify.

So I just read the Metro newspaper.”

“I regularly experienced those horrifying ‘why isn’t my phone in my pocket?’ moments.”

Most passengers on my commute were looking at their phones. It would have made a great photo, but I had no camera to take it.”

“I was waiting for my bus to work and it started raining.

I got to the stop and realised that I didn’t know when the bus was going to arrive – I had no bus tracking app!”

“I was a bit nervous when turning my iPhone back on after a week without it, but it was great to catch up with people I hadn’t contacted for a week.”

Without my work calendar I’d forgotten about an important meeting I had first thing in the morning. I remembered when I was on the bus, but I couldn’t ring ahead to let my colleagues know I was running late.”

November 2016 | CONNECTED

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Here’s what’s been happening across THE BUSINESS since our August issue

news flash

#YOURNETWORK

Stepping up a grade Our iD customers can now continue to take advantage of our great iD plans by upgrading online, in store and over the phone. It’s a big step in keeping the customer base we’ve been growing since our launch nearly two years ago.

#CUSTOMERSFORLIFE

#SERVICESPILOT

What’s in store

Super Services

Customer Promise store visits took place in November.

Support Centre colleagues travelled across the country to find out about how we’re preparing for Peak in Retail, and to gain feedback and insight to improve how Support Centre operations provide the best support for stores.

Our Services pilot offers customers faster repairs on their mobile, computing and white goods.

The pilot is taking place across Leeds, and focuses on Currys PC World in Birstall, the Tech Hub in Briggate, and the Leeds CSC. Our NPS score (measuring how likely customers are to recommend us) for white goods engineers is 82 20 points above the rest of our CSCs.

Find out more at: bit.ly/2dKqK4Q

#MULTIPLAY

Multiplayed to perfection Multiplay is going from strength to strength.

Sales are increasing every week and our combined deals on TV, landline and broadband are saving customers over £200 per year. 530 stores will have Multiplay fixtures at the start of Peak.

All stores now have our pink Multiplay T-shirts, and we are on air with our first TV campaign.

#NEWAPP

#BUSINESS

We Knowhow to save

Down to business

Our Knowhow Energy Saver app is available to download. It lets colleagues and their families and friends know the best deals in area, based on their usage and preferences, and offers an average saving of over £300 on their energy bills.

We can now help business customers find their perfect mobile deal. To compare offers from iD, EE, O2 and Vodafone, all they have to do is visit carphonewarehouse.com and click on the Business tab, or call 0800 049 6000 to speak to one of our specialist advisors.

Download the app now for Apple or Android

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CONNECTED | november 2016

GIG– iD

proud sponsors of:

G IG – iD

GIG– iD!

Our mobile network, iD, has advertised on TV for the first time by sponsoring the new series of animated comedy Family Guy on ITV2.

i

D will also be sponsoring American Dad!, Bordertown and The Cleveland Show on ITV2 for the next six months.

“It’s a huge opportunity for us,” said Mark Bowles, Head of Marketing. “Family Guy is mainly watched by 18-34-year-olds, which is bang on our target audience. We’re predicting the sponsorship will be seen by over 52% of people in that age bracket who tune in over the course of the next six months.” iD’s previous campaign, #doyourownthing, celebrated the lives of people who aren’t afraid to do things differently. Launched in April on its social channels and Vice’s video series ‘The New Originals’, it promoted iD to a wide audience – and boosted awareness of its brand by 22% among young people.

Mark added: “The ITV2 sponsorship is a great chance for our young, growing network to get its name out there, and let everyone know that it’s the place to go to get the most flexible, chris personalised and fuss-free deals going.”

Tune in o t see the iD clips every day on ITV2

say what?

Can you iD the Family Guy character behind these quotes?

Answers on the back page.

1.

“I’m gonna go upstairs and eat a whole bowl of peanuts.”

2.

3.

“I’ve got an idea... an idea so smart that my head would explode if I even began to know what I’m talking about.”

“I’m not going to call an ambulance this time because if I do you won’t learn anything.”

4.

“You’re bribing your daughter with a car?”

5.

“Nothing says Obey Me like a head on a fence post.”

6.

“When I stick this army guy with the sharp bayonet up my nose, it tickles my brain. Now I don’t know math.”

peter

Lois MEG

brian

stewie November 2016 | CONNECTED

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Whether you’re PokÉmon Go or PokÉmon No, the craze has brought augmented reality (AR) to life across the world.

Tech journalist Keza Macdonald looks at how it could be a game-changer – and not just for games.

keeping it surreal

JOE SAYs... Can’t say I’m a massive fan of Pokémon, but it’s exciting to think about all the possibilities that AR technology brings to everyday life.

Watch this space (literally)!

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CONNECTED | november 2016

Y

ou might not have heard of AR a few months ago, but you almost certainly have now.

It’s the technology that powers Pokémon Go, an app that has united the world in pursuit of non-existent monsters hiding down every side street of our real-world towns and cities. I recently had to explain to an alarmed woman standing by a TK Maxx that I did not suddenly stop in the middle of the street to take her picture, but that she happened to be standing right next to a Growlithe.

AR – or mixed reality, as it’s sometimes phrased – has been a while in the making.

In 2003, Sony released a camera for the PlayStation 2 that superimposed the player into the game. The PlayStation 3 had a version called the PlayStation Eye, which let you use real playing cards to conjure spectacular beasts on-screen, or play with a virtual pet in your living room. The Kinect camera for the Xbox 360 flirted with AR, and both the Nintendo 3DS and the PlayStation Vita handheld consoles had in-built cameras that enabled simple mixed-reality games.

Out of this world The video games industry is often ahead of the curve when it comes to innovation, because game designers love to experiment with new tech. This year, games have driven the new generation of modern virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.

Microsoft is developing a kind of hybrid

Keza MacDonald is a journalist specialising in technology and gaming.

She currently edits Kotaku UK, a website about video games and the people who make and play them, and was previously IGN’s UK Games Editor. She is very pleased that a childhood spent studying Pokémon with scientific intensity is finally paying off.

between Google Glass and Oculus Rift called Hololens, through which you can see Minecraft worlds on your kitchen table. But it’s outside of video games that AR has the biggest potential for change. As Pokémon Go proves, when you get this tech onto people’s phones it can really take off.

AR could soon become a key feature of smartphones. Imagine looking at your phone screen to see the TripAdvisor ratings of all the restaurants on the street you’re standing on. Apps like Pokémon Go have huge potential for partnerships; if a rare Pokémon were scheduled to appear in Carphone Warehouse shops across the country, you can imagine the boost in customer footfall.

What’s more, there’s potential to track customers after they leave the store, using geodata to see where else they go (though this brings with it a host of privacy considerations). You can bet that anyone with a beloved entertainment brand, from Disney to Harry Potter, is now thinking about how to integrate it into fans’ daily lives through AR. There’s been a lot of buzz around VR, but many people still aren’t comfortable with the idea of putting on a chunky headset and cutting themselves off from the world. AR is now considerably more consumer-friendly, and thanks to smartphones it can be accessed at any time. It really could be a game-changer, and not just for games.

Pika-chu must be kidding!

Rhodes, a suburb of Sydney in Australia, was overwhelmed

by Pokémon hunters for weeks, resulting in residents waterbombing inconsiderate trainers. Sydney Council recently succeeded in getting it removed from the game.

There are three reported instances of teenagers playing Pokémon Go stumbling across dead bodies.

The Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for its extreme anti-LGBT views, was designated as a Pokémon Gym. Within days, someone had claimed it with a fairy Pokémon named LOVEISLOVE. Louis Park, an American volunteer fighter with the Kurdish militia in Iraq, was the first person to be documented playing Pokémon Go in an active warzone.

Russian YouTuber Ruslan Sokolovsky was arrested for playing Pokémon Go in a church and could face five years in jail. The charge? “Inciting hatred and offending religious sensibilities.”

November 2016 | CONNECTED

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Buying “We support the overall process of purchasing these exciting new devices and lead negotiations with Apple.”

Rob Maule, Head of Buying

Supply Chain Apple CEO Tim Cook announces the iPhone 7 on 7 September, at 6pm

“We work closely with Apple to procure the stock then, using historical data, work out where to prioritise it within our business to make sure the stock we have meets our customers’ demand.”

Mike Savva, Head of Supply Chain

iLAUNCH: PHONE 7 How we answer the call

Apple’s product launches are some of the biggest events in our tech calendar, and September’s iPhone 7 announcement was no exception. Here’s what happens in our business after an Apple launch, and how our teams spring into action to make sure we’re first past the post to deliver the right deals for our customers. #ExtraordinaryPeople

Sim-Free “We make sure all the products are correctly set up and see how we measure up against our competition when it comes to pricing and stock availability.”

Postpay

“We review our competition and work out how we’re going to price our iPhones to give our customers great value for money. We then create offers that will bring customers into our stores and online.”

ANNE-MARIE BEARDMORE, HEAD OF PAY MONTHLY

CHRIS ROGERS, SENIOR PROPOSITIONS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Accessories “We make sure we have enough accessories, such as premium fashion cases and wireless headphones, in our warehouse and stores.”

Daniella Paparozzi, Head of Category

Marketing “We come up with creative ways to shout about how our products can help customers and make sure we’re first to market the product in public, on TV, in the press, and online.”

Kam Gossal, MARKETING MANAGER

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CONNECTED | november 2016

Central Operations “We’re the middle men between the warehouse and stores, letting stores know how much is being delivered, and making sure all our sales colleagues have all the information they need to help customers understand the benefits of the iPhone.”

Christian Urwin, Operations Manager

Pin Point “We design a selling journey that guides our store colleagues around what to say to customers to give them the best possible experience.”

ALLAN McGEE, SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER

Online “We design and set up the website with all iPhone 7 product and pricing information, ready to start selling on day of launch. We also set up all the product specifications and images that appear in Pin Point for stores colleagues the following morning.”

Richard Hardcastle, Head of POST PAY ECOMMERCE

Logistics “We make sure our distribution centres have the stock to give customers what they want in store and online. We recruit an additional 150 Warehouse colleagues to support the launch.”

Michael Thomas, Programme Manager, Home Services & Logistics

Tech Support

Customer Services

“Our IT teams work 24-7 to make sure our systems are ready to meet the huge demand and to detect and resolve any incidents as quickly as possible.”

“We have hundreds of colleagues on hand to provide technical support and respond to any queries customers and store colleagues have.”

Gary Cooke, Head of Group IT

Natalie Brannan, Customer Services and Quality Vendor Manager

Retail Dixons Travel and Concessions “We create separate deals for our more affluent customers in Harrods and at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports and make sure we have enough in stock.”

“We help customers find and walk away with their perfect iPhone deal, using Pin Point to match them to the right tariff, and making sure they get all the accessories they need.”

MIKE CARSLAKE, RETAIL DIRECTOR

Heidi Woodhouse, Managing Director of Dixons Travel and Concessions

Direct Sales

Customer Relationship Management “We send personalised messages to seven million customers to tell them they can get the new iPhone at Carphone Warehouse – in our stores, on our website or through our call centres – and shout about our best offers.”

Nicola Webley, Senior CRM Manager

“We give our Direct Sales agents the right product knowledge and support, so that when customers call us, we can help them get the deal they want.”

JAMES LEECH, HEAD OF OUTSOURCED SALES AND SERVICE

Our first customer gets their hands on an iPhone!

JOE SAYs... It’s astonishing to see how much work goes into our iPhone launches. It really is ‘all hands on deck’, with everyone working as fast as ‘lightning’. (See what i did there?)

november 2016 | CONNECTED

9

In Retail we’ve...

• Considered customer demand and industry trends, and fitted Currys PC World stores with dedicated gaming gondolas, VR demo zones in key stores, smart tech ranges and new product launches

• Given customers one place to get all the tech and connectivity they need by opening 61 new 3-in-1 superstores, seven new megastores and new concept stores in Cardiff and Oxford Street

• Gathered customer feedback on credit, and tested some propositions with customer panels, so we’ve created Your Plan, which gives Currys PC World customers more flexibility over their credit plans

• Listened to colleague feedback by hiring seasonal colleagues in October, a month earlier than last year, to manage the doubling of stock and customer footfall better

• Found from research that one in three carphonewarehouse.com customers use Click and Collect, so we’ve extended the service to 500 Carphone Warehouse stores.

This includes on small-box Currys PC World items, giving customers more delivery options

• Given Currys PC World and Carphone Warehouse customers 10 days of special offers by running our annual Black Tag event, followed by some great one-day deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Peak Black F preparing the

We’re always very structured as a team during Peak, and this year we’re more prepared than ever with more colleagues, great promotions, and cool new displays like VR and gaming.

Plus it’s exciting that we’ve got more 3-in-1 stores where customers can get whatever they need under one roof.”

Brandon Barnes, Customer Consultant, Carphone Warehouse

JOE SAYs... Since we joined forces as Dixons Carphone it’s been really interesting to see how we execute Peak, and also the influence of Black Friday. It seems to keep growing every year!

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CONNECTED | november 2016

Last year was the most success We look at how, in our stores centres, we’re preparing to

#FamousForService #Customers

Black Friday was so busy last year, but it was good fun too and I enjoyed being part of it. I think this year’s is going to be even busier, which means more happy customers!

I’m confident in the plans and preparations we’ve made – we’re all ready to make it a success.”

Lelde Porina, Warehouse Operative (Online)

Peak is a great time of year. I love the speed, energy and excitement.

It’s an amazing feeling to know we’re not just helping customers purchase an item, we’re giving them a solution that’ll make their time with their families even better this Christmas.”

Sara Ayers, Customer Consultant, Currys PC World

We’ll let you know how Peak went in our next issue!

k and Frida y: the ground

ssful Peak period in our history. s, warehouses and distribution to go even better this year.

sForLife #ExtraordinaryPeople

I’ve worked here for four years, so I’ve seen a few peak periods come and go – and we’re getting stronger every time. With a new warehouse in Leeds and more team-mates on site, we’ve got more resources than ever. We’re ready to make this our best year yet.”

Kyle Scott, Warehouse Specialist (Home Fulfilment Centre)

In Services we’ve...

• Compared our targets for year-on-year growth in sales and found that we need extra space – so we’ve opened an extra warehouse in Yeadon, near Leeds, to keep up with the higher volume of stock • Seen where we can improve efficiency and changed our ways of working so that, where possible, admin colleagues can help Warehouse colleagues pack and shift small-box items in their spare time

• Made ourselves stand out from our competition by increasing our delivery window for Carphone Warehouse products from five to seven days per week, and extended final deliveries from 5pm to 8pm • Increased our delivery window on all Currys PC World products, from five to seven days per week.

November 2016 | CONNECTED

11

HE T E K TA closer look . But here we take a Christmas for just not can help – e we lif , which celebrates how Our customers are for campaign World .

PC Currys and family this Christmas at this year’s festive friends their for ts best gif our customers get the

W

ith the festive season being our busiest time of year, Christmas Day will soon come around.

But it can be tricky to work out what gifts our mates, partners and family actually want – until they drop an unsubtle hint that gives the game away.

That’s the theme of this year’s festive Currys PC World campaign, which shouts about how, with our expert knowledge, we can help customers get it right this Christmas – so they’re not waiting for their loved ones to make unsubtle hints.

In one of our TV adverts, a father proudly takes his

family into their front garden to unveil their Christmas lights. When he flips the switch, instead of lighting up their house, they light up a series of arrows and other Christmas lights that point to the neighbour’s window, where there’s a huge LG 4K Ultra HD OLED TV. In another, we see a mother drop a hint to her husband through the outfit she has made for her son in his role as one of the kings in a school Nativity play.

The adverts will run until 11 December, while the in-store displays will be around until Boxing Day. OLED TVs are brighter, more efficient and thinner than either LCD or Plasma TVs – and deliver a better picture quality

12

CONNECTED | november 2016

“The message is that we haven’t just got the products – we’ve got the knowledge and support too, whether that’s helping customers decide what they need to cook Christmas dinner, or pick great presents,” said James Cheetham, who leads our Advertising team. “So come to us, don’t worry about spotting the hints your friends and family might leave.

“We’re pushing TVs because they worked so well for us last year – leading to a massive uplift in our OLED range – and we’re expecting wireless headphones to be a hit, because of the new headphone jack-less iPhone.”

HINT!

Brit wit James said: “Our Spare the Act adverts with Jeff Goldblum last year were a hit with the public, and won all sorts of industry awards, which we are very proud of.

“This year, we’re carrying on in a similar vein by offering a witty look at British life

So come to us, don’t worry about spotting the hints your friends and family might leave.”

Social science around Christmas – letting customers know that we understand the pressures they face, and that we have the knowledge, products and support to help them have a great Christmas.”

The campaign started with six focus groups, spread across London, Liverpool and Birmingham, which helped with the original story-plotting. The groups were made up of parents, non-parents, male, female, and people of different ages.

“Because our customer base is so varied, we wanted to appeal to as many different types of people as possible, who are preparing for Christmas and getting their homes ready in different ways.”

Look out for our ‘unsubtle hints’ social media campaign and join in the fun! Follow Currys PC World on Facebook and Twitter and keep an eye out for: • Live videos in which a social

scientist tries to guess our customers’ favourite gifts • A colleague selfie competition

where you can send your most unsubtle hints.

#CustomersForLife

november 2016 | CONNECTED November

13

t Each letter is from a different one of our brand logos. Can you guess which is which? Email connected@dixonscarphone.com with your answers!

Looking for a new career? Whether you want to move into management or to a different area altogether, the beauty of working at a company as big as ours is that there are so many brands where you can make amazing happen. Two colleagues tell us how they’ve taken big steps in their career by doing just that. #ExtraordinaryPeople

chetan hirani from to Before becoming Branch Manager at Carphone Warehouse, I was trained at our Academy at Fort Dunlop, just like our new starters are.

Knowing what it’s like to be in their shoes during onboarding will make me a better leader.”

CHETAN’s

CV

Our brands have the same core principle – to look after each other, and give great customer service.”

• 2013 Warehouse Assistant, Currys PC World, Friern Barnet • 2013 Customer Consultant, Currys PC World, Friern Barnet • 2013 Product Investigator, Currys PC World, Friern Barnet • 2014-2016 Team Leader, Currys PC World, Friern Barnet • 2016-present Branch Manager, Carphone Warehouse, Friern Barnet

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CONNECTED | november 2016

Make your David Bamford move now from to visit our careers site CAREERS.DIXONSCARPHONE.COM You need to be open to learning and take new opportunities.

We are lucky to work somewhere that has many routes for career development, so if you get the chance to move between brands, take it!”

Selling techniques vary across our brands, just as our products and customers do.

It’s exciting to know that I can bring some of my Currys PC World experience to my Carphone Warehouse team and learn new ways of serving different types of customers.”

I was initially reluctant to move to Carphone Warehouse because I had built up so much experience in Currys PC World. But I wanted to make a good move, so when the opportunity came up, I went for it.

It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Having Retail experience brings perspective to my role in Services.

While I don’t have that direct customer contact any more, I know they are at the heart of everything we do.

No matter what the brand, the job, or the task, we’re all committed to doing what’s best for our customers.”

Going from Retail to Logistics has felt like moving between industries, and that shows the scale of the work we do.”

We’re a big family of brands, and there are so many different ways to have a successful career.”

When I worked in Retail, I’d always been interested in stock control and the logistics of making sure our products were in the right place at the right time for customers. When the role at Knowhow came up to manage inbound deliveries, it was perfect for me.”

Photo by Matthew Salt, First Line Manager, Knowhow

DAVID’s

CV

• 2004-08 Cashier, Currys, Meadowhall Sheffield • 2008-09 Administrator, Currys, Arnold Nottingham • 2009-10 Operations Team Leader, Currys, Arnold Nottingham • 2010-11 Head of Department for Consumer Electronics, Currys PC World Megastore, Leicester Fosse Park • 2011-13 Operations Manager, Currys PC World Megastore, Mansfield • 2013-16 People Assistant Manager, Currys PC World Megastore, Mansfield • 2016-present Distribution Planning First Line Manager, Newark

November 2016 | CONNECTED

15

Do your

Christmas shopping AT WORK So you’ve not even started your Christmas shopping yet?

Thankfully, you work for a company that has the tech that’ll make the day for whoever you’re buying for. Here are some ideas...

For your

For your

Check out Kate Spade’s range of super-cool iPhone hardshell cases, like this one in Glitter Clear.

Get her a DSLR like this Nikon model.

Whether it’s a phase or not, she will love you for ever for this.

sister

For your

niece or nephew

brother

For your

For your

Get them a SodaStream.

Everyone loves a SodaStream.

Tap water into sparkling water, orange juice into orangeade, the list goes on... for a bit.

The FITBIT Charge 2 could be a good call. It doesn’t matter if he’s into yoga, running, or interval training, this wearable can track how well he’s doing.

By getting him an ION MaxLP Turntable, he’ll be able to play his favourite records and convert his vinyl into digital files – giving him the best of both worlds.

CLICK TO BUY

bit.ly/2erjcmo

16

CONNECTED | november 2016

CLICK TO BUY

bit.ly/2f9wnIo

dad

CLICK TO BUY

bit.ly/2fwFbwh

CLICK TO BUY

mum

CLICK TO BUY

bit.ly/2eroBd7

bit.ly/2eeR2xj

JOE SAYs... Can’t say my dad and I would agree on the music to be played on that turntable, but what a great concept for customers who love vinyl.

However, the Camera wins it for me.

1

Gifts of Christmas past YE

...AND Many of us will remember the magic of unwrapping our favourite Christmas gifts. But can you guess the year these products first appeared on letters to Santa? Have a go, then find out the answers on the back page.

But don’t cheat – because you’ll ruin Christmas for everyone.

AR

YE

AR

5

YE

AR

Databank Watch 1 Casio CLUE: This was the original smart watch. But forget touch screen, it had 24 buttons (remember them?) to play with to adjust the time and date, alarm, stopwatch and calculator.

Boombox 2 JVC CLUE: As we braced ourselves for a freezing cold couple

2

YE

AR

of months, we dreamed of getting one of these ghetto blasters to soundtrack the warm sunny afternoon barbecues of next summer.

3 Tamagotchi CLUE: You used to be able to tell whether you

3

were ready to settle down with kids by how well you looked after this digital pet trapped in a keyring.

Savvy 4 Phillips CLUE: The futuristic Phillips Savvy could

YE

6

send a picture emoticon in a text message – as long as the recipient had a Phillips Savvy. Now it kind of looks like a Sky TV remote.

AR

Wii 5 Nintendo CLUE: After initially sniggering at its name, you realised that this was genuinely (and literally) a game-changing piece of tech.

TV/clock/radio 6 Emerson CLUE: “Why would anyone want a combo of

4

7 YE

AR

all three?” we ask, looking down at our smartphones.

YE

AR

7 Talkboy CLUE: A fictional device in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the Talkboy – a portable variable-speed cassette player and recorder – was brought to life after viewers of the film demanded it.

JOE SAYs... The JVC Boombox has to be the trendiest. You can just imagine resting it on your shoulder and sticking a Run-D.M.C. cassette in there!

November 2016 | CONNECTED

17

Keep sending us your photos – they keep getting better and better!

Here’s our pick of the entries you sent in after our August issue.

Tom Papps, Support Colleague at our Bristol Winterstoke 3-in-1 store, captured the magic of Bristol’s International Balloon Fiesta on a Canon 600D

Carphone Warehouse Branch Manager Stuart Byrnes caught the Isle of Wight sunset at Binstead Beach, with a Nikon D7100

1

Marc Morris, Operations Team Leader at our Canterbury 3-in-1 store, captured the amazing Perseid meteor shower on a Canon 70D

2

Knowhow’s Andy Cox snapped a couple enjoying the early sunrise at Sharm el-Sheikh with a Sony a6000

3

ne Well dMo TO e – you’r r! e n in aw

Rachel Mason’s cat Luna stretching in the sun, taken on an iPhone 6S Plus

4

Trade-Ins Executive Sunil Patel took this epic shot of One World Trade Center on a Canon DSLR

5

Carphone Warehouse Branch Manager Dan Moon’s wife with their dog, taken with a Huawei P9

6

Knowhow Specialist Technician Steve Lucas got a close-up of the USAF F35 Lightning II mid-flight at the International Air Tattoo 2016, on a Nikon D750

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Sales Consultant Jonathan Hardy looking up at the trees with a GoPro

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CONNECTED | november 2016

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Send us your photos!

Think you can do better than the winner of our photo competition?

Now’s your chance! We want to see more of your photos – whether they’re awesome or amusing, weird or wonderful – so make the most of your smartphone camera, or show off with your DSLR, and send the results to connected@dixonscarphone.com.

Find out if you’ve won in the next issue!

november 2016 | CONNECTED

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II:

Durban Legends rn visit the retu Our second group of volunteers has returned from Durban, South Africa, where they’ve been seeing how solar-powered BluPoint devices have helped schools access education tools and services.

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n August we saw how our first five colleagues – which included our guest editor Joe O’Neill – introduced the solar-powered kit to teachers and students. BluPoint connects older mobiles to the internet through Bluetooth and FM radio, meaning even an old Nokia 3310 could be used to access learning and educational content.

In October, another five volunteers went out to see the impact it had made.

We caught up with Apple Trainer Clare Hardy, Graphic Designer Luke Walmsley, Customer Consultant Nauman Idrees, General Manager Ashley Williams and Associate Resourcing Email Business Partner CSR@dixons carphone.com Yasmeen Domingo to register your to find out what they interest in taking part in this learned on their trip. amazing project

“The teachers and school principles were so enthusiastic about BluPoint, and it was fascinating to see the many different ways it can be used”

CLARE

“From helping pupils with research projects, to providing tutorials they can use as lesson recaps – the potential of BluPoint is extraordinary”

ASHLEY

“We met a Year 9 pupil who used BluPoint to catch up on her studies. She was so happy to be able to do this for free, without incurring expensive data charges she can’t afford”

Nauman

LUKE “One school used BluPoint as its primary e-learning tool, while another used it as a back-up for their Wi-Fi, which they lost during power cuts because of bad weather”

“The teachers were keen to use BluPoint in even more ways, like using the educational content to prepare for lessons”

20 CONNECTED

Yasmeen | november 2016

r u o g usin

s d a he picks Here are our s you of the photo er! posted on Twitt

Hodgson George David son @imgeorgehodg ster were My parents & si for me ALWAYS there hest even in my toug s_ ad he @ moments.

UK ix eM together @Th ealthDay #WorldMentalH e #thereform

On World Mental Health Day (10 October) you took part in our #ThereForMe social media campaign to celebrate the people who are there for us when we need them.

It was part of our Royal-backed ‘Getting Our Heads Together’ campaign, which aims to help tackle the negative stigma around mental health.

Dean Hughes @hughesd03 @heads_together @CPWTweets @browns08 #thereforme

Lizzie W @Lizzie_Supports And in the world of work, I want to say thank you to Ben an d Jo, who are always #therefor me

Yves Hughes @yveselen14 @Currys_2339 @heads_together @DixonsCarphone

#thereforme

THERE FOR HIM Operations Project Manager Andy Cox, who has a rare neurological condition called Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), was at the launch of #ThereForMe with his wife Theresa and the Royals.

A

ndy joined us as a Dixons Branch Manager in Slough in 1990, before heading up our stores in Ruislip and Staines.

He then worked at Dixons Travel in Heathrow Airport, and helped open our first store at Birmingham Airport.

Later he ran Dixons Travel stores at Gatwick and Heathrow Airports, and in 2007, he joined our Retail Support Centre. He retired in October.

Andy developed MSA five years ago.

He said: “I used to be very active.

I was a qualified Mountain Leader, an ice climber and a skier. These days I struggle to climb the stairs, and I look and sound drunk all the time, even though I haven’t touched a drop.

“Depression goes hand in hand with MSA, which is non-curable.

But I’m very lucky to have my wife Theresa as my main carer. She keeps my outlook on life positive. She is always one step ahead

of me, and knows how I will feel before I do. On top of that she looks after our home and our two sons.”

ANDY (CENTRE) WITH HIS WIFE THERESA (LEFT) AND PRINCE HARRY (RIGHT)

Take note!

Received your first new £5?

Donate your #FirstFiver to The Mix so we can keep supporting young people to work through their issues via our peer and group chat service: themix.org.uk/get-involved/ support-us

november 2016 | CONNECTED

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Just dropping in You hosted 30-minute tech workshops to reassure local parents how they can keep their children safe in their digital worlds.

Wheel power There’s going the extra mile, and there’s going the extra 365...

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t was part of our Digital Drop In events, which took place across the country between 17 and 24 October, as part of a partnership with web safety experts Internet Matters.

Store Manager Jeff Scantlebury organised a session at his 3-in-1 store on Wandsworth Bridge Road in Fulham.

“You wouldn’t let a 14-year-old loose in a car – and the internet can be just as dangerous for young people,” he said.

“The session went really well. There was a lot of interest from parents, and we were happy to show them how they can restrict internet access on their computers, and check search histories. It was great to reassure them that there’s a lot they can do to keep their children safe.”

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hat’s how far Product Owner (Adobe Experience Manager) Harry Sohal went during an epic bike ride from London to Amsterdam.

Harry covered 90 miles a day, for four days, as he pedalled over the hills of Dover, and through Bruges.

He raised over £1,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis UK. “I was cycling for around 10 hours each day.

It was exhausting, but brilliant – and I’m chuffed I managed to do it,” said Harry.

“I was so excited for the trip that I forgot to pack my cycling cleats, which clip into the pedals. So I ended up doing the first 50 miles in my work shoes!”

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CONNECTED | november 2016

Visit Harry’s JustGiving page here: justgiving.com/ fundraising/ Harleen-Sohal

CELEBRITY Star-struck colleagues in Croydon, Luton and Shepton Mallet had their phone cameras at the ready when these celebs swung by their stores.

BELOW AND RIGHT: Regular celeb-spotter Tom Watson with actor Rupert Grint, and then singer Liam Gallagher at Dixons Travel, Luton Airport

60 SECOND INTERVIEW

We chatted to Philip Bell-Brown, Group Property Director, about his life at Dixons Carphone, AR, and of course Christmas!

What does your role involve?

I lead the Property team, which aims to locate, build and manage great shops for our colleagues and customers Which teams do you work with?

We work very closely with the Format and Retail teams on our store refits – and we interact with all departments in some way What does an average day look like?

ABOVE: RIGHT: Paul Foote with hip-hop artist Stormzy at Currys PC World in Croydon

Katie Dimaline, with singer and model Chloe Jasmine at Carphone Warehouse in Townsend Shopping Park in Shepton Mallet, Somerset

Served a celeb? If you spot or serve someone famous – whether A or D list – we want to hear from you. Who was it, what were they buying and which store is their fave hangout? Get in touch by emailing: connected@dixonscarphone.com and we’ll give a prize for the most impressive photo!

Top 5... strategy games All that planning and preparation for Peak has got us in the mood for some strategy gaming.

So here’s the best 2016’s got to offer.

Darkest Dungeon

Inheriting a manor from a relative sounds like it would be fun, but not so here, where you uncover unspeakable horrors in its surrounding woods and caves.

Available on Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, PS Vita.

XCOM 2

With aliens ruling Earth, you must work to expose their sinister new world order, in this sequel to the award-winning XCOM. Available on Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, Xbox One.

3

Worms WMD

Originally released in 1995 for the Game Boy, Worms is back again to satisfy your nostalgic urge to rip apart cute little critters with precision shots across a huge landscape. Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One.

4

The Banner Saga 2

The remnants of a once-powerful race flee for their lives in this sequel that combines Game of Thrones-style storytelling with Disney-esque animation.

Available on Windows, OS X, PS4, Xbox One.

1 2

5

Plants vs Zombies Heroes

Collect Heroes with outrageous superpowers and build your ultimate battle team to confront mighty opponents along the way.

Available on iPhone, Android.

There’s no such thing! I could be catching up with the Property team at Acton, or visiting stores and potential new sites across the country What’s the best Christmas present you ever received?

In 1978, I got a Raleigh Chopper 3-speed, which is a type of bike What gift are you hoping for this year? Give us a hint.

I’m a big music fan so a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones would be lovely, thanks!

Christmas charades or Christmas telly?

Charades Why should customers be excited about shopping with us this Christmas?

In our 3-in-1 stores, more customers than ever can get anything from quick gifts, to great phone deals.

They’re truly exciting places to shop What do you think about the development of AR? It’s fascinating technology that can extend well beyond the world of Pokémon Go Do you think it’ll change the way you work in the future?

Yes. The ability to overlay a new building into an existing environment and walk around it can only help create better designs Follow Philip on Twitter @pbellbrown1, and the Property team @PropertyTeam2 November 2016 | CONNECTED

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SAY WHAT? Answers 1) Meg, 2) Brian, 3) Peter, 4) Lois, 5) Stewie, 6) Chris

Gifts of christmas past: 1) 1983, 2) 1981, 3) 1997, 4) 1999, 5) 2006, 6) 1984, 7) 1992

Competition

Up for grabs this issue is an Olympian’s racing bike and Google’s new smartphone – which takes your fancy?

google pixel smartphone

Jason Kenny and Laura Trott’s racing bike Fresh from their medal haul at the Rio Olympics, Team GB cyclists Jason Kenny and Laura Trott teamed up with Carphone Warehouse to celebrate the launch of the iPhone 7 by delivering a device by bike to one lucky customer. Now we’re giving one of their bikes away!

Imagine riding in the seat of two of our greatest-ever Olympians?

HOW TO ENTER

Pixel was one of the biggest releases of the year, giving Android users a new super-powered handset.

Here’s the tech spec: • 12.3 megapixel camera • Strong battery life that can handle (plus an 8 megapixel 26 hours of talk time front-facing camera) • Compatible with • The Nougat system, the new Google which lets you run two Daydream VR Headset apps at the same time • 4GB of RAM, for more power and super-fast download speeds • Full HD AMOLED screen, to make every detail sharper than ever

To be in with a chance of winning, just go to

surveymonkey.co.uk/r/connectedmag and tell us what you think of Connected. Simple as that.

Terms and conditions apply. UK & Ireland colleagues only. One prize only will be awarded. Models shown for illustrative purposes only, colour of prize may differ. Winner to be drawn at random from all entries received by 31 December 2016.

Winner to be announced in next issue of Connected.

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| november 2016

congratulations to last issue’s winner of the samsung S7 CHRIS LUCAS FROM THE REPAIR CENTRE IN NEWARK