Waitrose Chronicle - 17 April 2015

Click and
connect
Vol. 75 | No. 11 | 17/04/15

Vol. 75 | No. 11 | 17/04/15
Welcome
Click and
connect
This is the highlight of a
20-year career in special
needs education
-p4
Contact Us
Call: 01344 826 526
Email: waitrose.chronicle@waitrose.co.uk
For the Partnership’s internal post, envelopes
can be addressed to the “Waitrose Chronicle”,
unless the contributor stipulates otherwise.
Editor Ella Foote
ella.foote@waitrose.co.uk
Deputy Editor Print Caroline Cook
caroline.cook@waitrose.co.uk
Deputy Editor Online James Parry
james.parry@waitrose.co.uk
Reporter Judith Zerdin
judith.zerdin@waitrose.co.uk
Reporter Sophie Pierce
sophie.pierce@waitrose.co.uk
Online Reporter Leanne Capuano
leanne.capuano@waitrose.co.uk
Administration Assistant Aliya Dhalla
waitrose.chronicle@waitrose.co.uk
With thanks to Barbara Thompson
This Chronicle aims to contribute to the
teamwork of Partners in business and their
social life. On general Partnership matters, you
may write to the Gazette; on Waitrose matters,
write to the Chronicle, Waitrose Limited,
Doncastle Road, Southern Industrial Area,
Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YA.
Contributions may be used in any of the
Partnership’s periodicals. Except where this is
clearly indicated, views expressed in The Chronicle
must not be taken to be the views of
the management.
Bromley South’s Partners showcased their funky side
Uptown Funk spoof goes viral
Partners in Bromley South
enjoyed 15 minutes of fame
earlier this week when a spoof
music video created for their AGM
went viral, clocking up more than
18,000 hits in a few hours.
The video showed Partners
miming to Mark Ronson’s Uptown
Funk, and was picked up by media
outlets including the Evening
Standard and the Huffington Post.
Senior Press Officer Rob
Cadwell said: “‘Quality funk,
honestly priced’ was how one
tweet described the video and
shows just how Bromley South’s
video struck a chord with viewers.
“Its rapid growth on social
media, local and national press,
though, demonstrates just how
quickly something can gain a
momentum all of its own.
“We’d never discourage Partners
who want to create videos for
The new Partnership Council term starts in July
Partnership Council nominations
Partnership Council elections
are coming, with the opportunity
available to all Partners to stand as
a councillor. Nominations for the
highest level of democracy will be
open from 9am on Friday, 17 April
until 5pm on Tuesday, 5 May, with
voting beginning later that month.
Holding the Chairman to
account and influencing policy
are key roles of the Partnership
Council, and you should also
be able to inspire co-ownership
in others. “Being a Partnership
councillor is a great opportunity for
anyone with a real passion for our
their AGMs. However, if we were
to paraphrase Bruno Mars, we
might say: Stop. Wait a minute.
Firstly familiarise yourself with
our social media guidelines and
policy referred to in the Partner
handbook and, secondly, if you are
using YouTube, familiarise yourself
with its privacy settings to ensure
your video is private and only
shared with other Partners.”
While Uptown Funk and other
videos created by branches for
their AGMs are a fun way to
celebrate our achievements,
there can be consequences for
the business, such as having
to pay royalties for any music
used, impact on the reputation of
the Partnership and making the
business vulnerable to lawsuits.
To access the Waitrose social
media guidelines search ‘social
media’ on the Partner intranet.
democracy and ensuring Partner
opinion is shared to influence
decisions and policies," says
Democracy Coach David Brittin.
“It’s about having the confidence
to ask the right questions to hold
our Chairman to account and the
ability to inspire co-ownership in
others.”
Potential candidates should log
on to the Partner intranet for more
information, which will explain the
role in more detail – as well as
discuss their application with their
Line Manager, Democracy Coach
and Partnership Assurance Lead.
Fiona Rae and Kim Channon took part
in last year’s run for QEST
Calling Partners
to join the team
Runners from Waitrose are
being invited to join a 10k
run in support of the Queen
Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
(QEST). The Trust is putting
together a QEST team to run
in aid of the charity at the
Regents Park 10k on Sunday,
2 August and is hoping to
include employees of Royal
Warrant Holders Association
(RWHA) companies.
As Waitrose is a RWHA
company Partners are eligible
to join the team. Anyone taking
part must commit to raising
more than £100 for the charity,
and there will be fundraising
tips available.
QEST works to support
education and excellence in
craft in the UK and runs the
QEST Apprenticeship Scheme
to support emerging talent.
To register your interest for the
run contact info@qest.org.uk
Annual Report
and Accounts
The 2015 Annual Report
and Accounts (ARA) will be
released to Partners, the
external media and other
external stakeholders on
Friday, 24 April.
This year’s report has
Partners, as co-owners, at its
heart, with seven Partner case
studies reflecting the seven
Principals of the Partnership,
as well as information about
our 2014-2015 performance.
For more information on the
report see this week’s Gazette.
A number of copies of the
report will be distributed in
branches and other business
units alongside next Friday’s
ARA-themed Gazette, and it
will also be available at www.
johnlewispartnership.co.uk
2 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

News
technology
and a modern
waitrose
This week’s Chronicle is a
special tech issue, looking at
how technology has changed
the face of shopping for customers
and Partners.
“Technology is changing how
customers interact with us, so
we must think innovatively to
stay relevant in a modern age,”
says Head of IT Customer
Relationships Tom Fuller.
“Innovation can be misconstrued
as simply newness, but actually it
comes from the Latin for ‘renew’.
We should be renewing what we
do and doing it better. Technology
enables us to offer something
special, but our values remain the
same, which is why people keep
coming back to us.”
Whether it’s customers digitally
updating their shopping list with
a Hiku device (see p6,) Partners
Every branch now has an iPad
interacting via Google+ (p11) or
social media creating emotional
connections with our brand (p7),
technology is at the heart of a
Modern Waitrose.
“It’s about keeping everything
that Waitrose is famous for,
delivered whenever, wherever and
however for our customers,” says
Director, Retail Services Helen
Keppel-Compton. “Retail and IT
are joined at the hip when it comes
to technology, as neither will be
able to move forward or prosper
without the other.”
“Our success will come
from managing the balance of
customers shopping in different
ways and Partners having the
technology to support this,” says
Director e-Commerce Ross Avery.
“A great service means something
different to what it used to, so we
should be empowering Partners
to be the best they can in a very
different market, while staying true
to our principles.”
We’d love to hear what you
think of our technology issue, so
head over to our Partner intranet,
Facebook group or Google+
community to have your say.
It’s about keeping
everything that
Waitrose is famous for,
delivered whenever,
wherever and however
for our customers
The Partnership’s first ever computer being wheeled into
the Stevenage warehouse in 1963
Long before the iPad
We may live in a world
where technology is king,
but it’s only been 50 years
since the first ever computer was
installed in the Partnership.
In the economic slump after the
Second World War, the business
was in trouble and Chairman Sir
Bernard Miller was keen to explore
any avenue to help improve profits.
In the early 1960s, Research
Director Paul May knew computers
could make money by efficiently
improving the supply chain’s
stock handling. A new national
warehouse at Stevenage would
start the process of centralising
distribution and, in April 1963, the
transistor-based IBM 1401 trundled
through its doors.
David O’Connor, now retired,
was the Partnership’s first ever
computer programmer: “We
started off by building stock
control systems,” he says. “I was
soon designing and building a
warehouse demand forecasting
system so we could make better
buying decisions.”
The computer cost the
equivalent of nearly £3 million
today, virtually 10% of that year’s
trading profit, and only had a
tiny amount of storage and
processing power. By 1970 it was
providing both stock and forecast
information.
“Better forecasts meant better
sales,” explains retired Partner
Peter Cox. “The improved
efficiency of the supply chain and
these new computer systems were
key drivers of growth in the late
1960s and 70s.
“The Partnership at that time
might still have been notoriously
risk-averse, but not when it came
to computer technology.”
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 3

News
Standing
ovation for
#RyansRoyals
The power of local
Charlie Stewart
Waiting for Saturday’s kick-off
The team is delighted with the
new branch after a delay to opening
It may have been a goalless draw,
but last Saturday’s Reading vs
Blackburn football match is one
Ryan Duval will never forget.
The 14-year-old Royals fan
designed a special one-off kit for
the Reading team to wear (see last
week’s Chronicle), and received a
standing ovation from the Madjeski
Stadium when he joined the
players for their pre-match line-up.
Fresh bread will entice commuters
The shop is the smallest nonforecourt
branch to date
Moses Bwanika
Store Manager Sarah Gunston
Written by Josh Block | A&M Photography Ltd | See more images on the intranet
The format has
changed so much
since I joined
Convenience
Taking to the pitch with captain Jem Karacan
“This is the highlight of a
20-year career in special needs
education,” says Symon Cook,
Deputy Headmaster of The
Avenue School where Ryan,
who suffers from the incurable
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, is
a pupil. “The impact on the school
and morale has been incredible.
It’s very easy to use superlatives,
but this really is a once in a lifetime
experience, and I am so honoured
to be part of it.”
Ryan’s school logo featured on
the shirts, beneath the Waitrose
sponsorship logo, and before
Saturday’s game, #RyansRoyals
was trending on Twitter, with over
1.5 million people following the
progress of the game.
See the Partner intranet for
more on the game and how
Waitrose helped make Ryan’s
dream a reality.
The new little Waitrose branch
in West Kensington opened its
doors to the public on Tuesday,
14 April, with early bird customers
observing the ceremonial ribboncutting
from an orderly queue.
Most Partners have been
training and helping out other
stores over the past three
months due to a delay in West
Kensington’s opening.
“There’s a great excitement
around the store,” says Store
Manager Sarah Gunston,
“because Partners have been
working in different places and
they’re really happy to now open
West Kensington together.”
As the smallest convenience
Have your say: Partner Survey 2015
Don’t forget, this year’s Partner
Survey is now open. The annual
online survey is your opportunity
as a co-owner to have your say on
how the business is run. You have
branch to open to date, excluding
forecourts, it has a smaller square
footage than the recently opened
King’s Cross branch.
Located close to West
Kensington underground station
and a 15-minute walk from the
Waitrose branch in Fulham, West
Kensington is well placed to entice
both locals and commuters.
The first through the door was
local resident Fozia Ramzan. “I’m
very happy that it has opened
here,” says Fozia, “as this is only
two minutes from my house so it’s
my new local.”
West Kensington is the latest
branch to include both cash
and card self-checkout (SCO)
until 9am on Tuesday, 5 May to log
on to https://orcsurveys.orc.co.uk/
partnersurvey2015 to share your
views, or follow the link from the
Partner intranet.
machines. “We’re looking to push
70% SCO usage,” says Senior
Team Manager Tom Bullough.
“The format has changed so
much since I joined Convenience,”
adds Tom, “and I love the buzz
around opening new stores and
meeting new people.”
Supermarket Assistants Anita
Edney and Imran Ullah were there
to help ready the store for the
grand opening. “I like that Waitrose
looks after their Partners,” says
Imran, “and you’re more than just
an employee.”
“It’s a good company to work
for,” adds Anita, “with a great
reputation – it’s also nice
and local.”
4 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

Tech special... Direct Services
New features for
Direct Services
Making you feel as if you are in a real shop
is the aim of the relaunched websites within
Waitrose Direct, as Judith Zerdin finds out
Web
tools
The new sites have the
following new tools:
• A ‘what’s in the hamper’
functionality, breaking down
the individual products
• A zoom-in functionality to
show detail of the product
• ‘Rich Relevance’: a
personalisation tool to show
other options that can be
bought as well
It’s been a busy year for Waitrose
Direct Services. In May 2014,
they launched WaitroseCellar.
com; WaitrosePet.com followed in
the autumn and, just two weeks
ago, Waitrose Direct, Flowers and
Gifts became waitroseflorist.com
Floral fancy
“With flowers, we want our
customers to feel as if they’re in a
local florist, with beautiful ranges
of seasonal blooms, working with
British growers and promoting our
Waitrose Foundation ranges – all
joined up with a good delivery
proposition,” Kirsty adds.
The new site has a zoom-in tool,
and the photography has been
improved. Once a product is in the
basket, optional products come up
so customers can add gift items.
Every type of customer is
catered for, from last-minute panic
buyers, offering them a range of
same-day flowers and a quick
finder on the home page, to those
who want to browse and watch
videos in the Inspiration and
We want to make
the customer feel
hungry
and waitrosegifts.com, and Click &
Collect was introduced for Waitrose
Pet. These two latest additions come
complete with brand new features
and functionalities, tweaks and tools.
“Direct Services is a real focus
for modern Waitrose, and is an
waitroseflorist.com brings the blooms to life
Advice area.
“The idea is we’re far more
inspirational and bring to life
everything we love doing,” says
Online Content Production
Manager Charlotte Jameson.
“We’re giving customers what they
would expect from a florist – and
making it look beautiful.”
The giving of gifts
“With waitrosegifts.com, we want
to make the customer feel hungry,”
says Content Producer Frances
Lilley. “So we’ve made the site
very image heavy with a focus on
gourmet and food gifting.”
Where customers used to
express frustration at not being
able to see clearly what was in the
hamper, you can now zoom in and
look at products in detail.
There is also a break down of
all the different components of
the hampers, with individual item
descriptions and some background
on the supplier.
increasingly profitable area of
our business,” says Manager,
Online Selling Kirsty Rolfe. “These
new propositions are a result of
customer feedback and insight,
providing great opportunities to
deliver virtual extended aisles.”
We want our
customers to feel as
if they’re in a local
florist
The place to go for the perfect present
“It doesn’t matter how small
or big the gift is,” says Charlotte.
“This is the place we want our
customers to think of when they’re
looking for that perfect present.”
• ‘Monetate’ – a multi-variant
tool that allows the site to
personalise the customer’s
journey and test continuous
site improvement
• Search is powered by SOLR,
allowing predictive search to
support customers in finding
exactly what they’re looking
for
• ‘Bazaar Voice’ – to enable
social content created by
our customers sharing their
ratings and reviews
• Sort ordering functionality
– to ensure products are
presented in the right place
at the right time (similar to a
promotional end)
Did you
know?
• Trading Profits from Direct
Services are applied to
Branch Profit & Loss
• Waitrose Direct Services
include Cellar, Florist, Gift, Pet
and Garden
• C1161 Direct Services Profit
features on the branch P&L
below trading profit and above
branch profit after Pension
• Profits will be allocated to the
branch that is geographically
closest to the delivery
postcode
• So, for every Direct Services
sale within your branch’s
catchment, your P&L will
show the trading profit
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 5

Tech special... Hiku
Meet Hiku and
its inventor
Rob Katcher
Hiku represents what we are doing with Modern
Waitrose according to Head of IT Customer
Relationships Tom Fuller. James Parry meets its
inventor and finds out what all the fuss is about
Feedback
Hiku is a small white scanner, about the size of a clementine, which can be
used to scan products to add them to a list on your phone, or you can say
the name of the product and it will be added, ready for your weekly shop.
Innovation
Inventor of Hiku, Rob Katcher,
visited Bracknell Campus recently
as the company continues to
explore new ways of working
more closely with Waitrose.
“Fundamentally we got tired of
running out of stuff,” said Rob.
“We’ve all had that moment,
running back from the grocery
store, when you realise you forgot
something. Hiku was created to
fix that.”
The result was a system that
populates a list on your phone
automatically as you scan
products when you run out of
them.
“Our vision for the product has
pretty much stayed the same,”
said Rob. “The thing I’m surprised
about is that I didn’t expect to be
over here in Europe – I’ve been so
surprised by the way Europeans
have embraced Hiku. Online
shopping in the US is still 2.5%
Inventor Rob Katcher (second left) met (l-r) Tom
Fuller, Charles De Clerck and Anna Hayman
The scanner
automatically
builds your
shopping list
whereas it’s at least double that in
the UK.”
The ambitions for Hiku are
similar to that of Modern Waitrose,
with an emphasis on new
consumer experiences. “What I’m
super excited about is changing
the way people shop,” said Rob.
“The ethos behind Hiku is bringing
simplicity to people’s lives and I
would like to see it in the homes of
lots of Waitrose customers.”
Initial feedback from
customers trialling the
device has been very positive.
“We’ve targeted a range of
customer types including frequent,
infrequent and lapsed online
shoppers, plus those who shop
online elsewhere,” explained
Customer Relationship Manager
Charles De Clerck, who is leading
the trial. “Over 150 orders have
been placed using Hiku so far,
suggesting customers are finding
it very effective for their online
shops, and it has broad appeal.”
Trial user Juliet Bernard from
the BBC said: “We are now up and
running and in a busy household
with teenage boys who seem to
inhale the contents of the fridge,
I can already see how useful my
little Hiku is going to be.” The trial,
which began in February, will
continue for another few weeks.
“Testing and learning is at the
heart of our trial,” said Graduate
Trainee Anna Hayman. “We want
to prove this technology enhances
the customer experience and has
commercial value.”
We want to prove this technology
enhances the customer experience and
has commercial value
What is Hiku ?
A handheld scanning device for easily adding shopping to your list
Introduced in 2012 via Kickstarter
Being trialled with 160 Waitrose customers since February
Waitrose is Hiku’s first supermarket partner in
the UK
It’s magnetic for easy display on your fridge
and has two months of battery life
6 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

The social scene
The SocialNetwork
Social media has grown up.
Popular video platform
YouTube turns 10 this May
and, having launched 11 years
ago, 27 million UK users now
check their Facebook accounts
every day.
“Social media is now a mustdo
for all businesses,” says
Manager, Social Strategy and
Communications Julie Randall.
“It forms a really important part
of our marketing communications
activity.”
Waitrose has had an online
social presence since 2010 with
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
accounts. Five years on, and the
team is turning its attention to new
and emerging platforms.
“We were one of five businesses
to be approached by Instagram as
a launch partner to trial advertising
on the platform, alongside
Cadbury’s, Sony, Starbucks and
Rimmel,” says Social Media Editor
Andrew Hendry. “This successfully
positioned us as the largest UK
supermarket food Instagram
account.”
Waitrose was also contacted
by Pinterest to appear in a new
‘Pin Picks’ feature, as part of their
content drive with UK brands.
“The UK is Pinterest’s next
growth market outside the US,
so for them to have asked for
our involvement is a fantastic
accolade,” says Julie. “Our
Pinterest followers doubled in a
matter of weeks and, although
Waitrose’s approach to social
media fans has always been
‘quality over quantity’, it’s great to
expand our communities through
engaging content.”
As well as supporting existing
marketing campaigns from
Waitrose, the Social Media
The Social Media team speaks to
Sophie Pierce about the changing
face of our online presence.
team has started its own, socialled
online campaigns. 2014’s
#ThanksMum and #BakeItForward
campaigns, as well as Easter’s
#GoodEgg activity all proved
popular with customers, and this
year’s Valentine’s Day Facebook
competition received a record
18,000 comments in just one day.
“We’re constantly exploring
different ways to interact with
customers online,” says Social
Media Assistant Yasmin Parry. “We
have a variety of regular weekly
features – our #meatfreemonday
posts are a recent hit – and new
campaigns to get people talking
about the brand.”
With a dedicated response team
in Customer Service handling
queries, and the Press Office
monitoring our reputation and
conversations online, our social
media is well managed across all
of Waitrose’s channels.
“It’s an absolute honour to
represent Waitrose on social
media,” says Julie. “It has changed
so much in the last five years, but
with Waitrose being one of the
most engaging UK supermarkets
online, we are very excited about
what the future holds.”
Partners are reminded they can
find our Social Media Guidelines
via the Policies and Procedures,
Personal Conduct pages on the
Partner intranet.
Social media is now
a must-do for all
businesses. It forms a
really important part
of our marketing
communications
activity
160
million
people reached through
social media in 2014
#GoodEgg
On Good Friday, one person
shared an Easter photo on
Twitter every 12 seconds.
38,303 YouTube subscribers.
More than any other UK
supermarket food channel.
75k video loops on Vine
since it launched
Five million people reached
through #bakeitforward
Find us on
/Waitrose
@Waitrose
/Waitrose
/Waitrose
@Waitrose
71%
Percentage social media
community grew by in 2014
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 7

Tech special... Gaming
Gaming is a big part of the
technology world. Leanne Capuano
finds out about the Partners who log
on in their spare time.
Game on
Whether you prefer an Xbox
One, a PlayStation 4 or a
PC, there’s no denying that
gaming is big business.
Millions of people around the
world spend their spare time
plugged into a virtual world and
Partners are no exception.
Bracknell Operational Strategy
Analyst Philip Grinstead has been
playing World of Warcraft (WoW)
for several years and has reached
the maximum level in the game.
WoW is an online role playing
game, which is played by 10
million people worldwide.
It gives the player a choice of
character, skill and look, before
they join a group of similarly skilled
players to complete quests.
He said: “I think characters
end up reflecting their players.
My character has more to do
with strategy and damage than
focusing on the vanity items such
as pets and clothes.”
Once a year Philip and his
gaming pals meet up at one
of their houses, turning virtual
friendships into reality. Philip
said: “The best part is the social
element; there is such a mix
of people. For example one
man works as a soldier in the
Norwegian army.”
Another keen gamer is
Keen gamer Luke Oldfield (left) and friend
Philip Grinstead...
Maidenhead Supermarket
Assistant Luke Oldfield who
organises small Bomberman
tournaments with fellow Partners
and friends.
Bomberman is a strategic,
maze-based video game released
by Japanese game company
Konami, which Luke and his
friends play on the Sega Saturn
gaming platform.
...and his World of Warcraft character
Luke said: “So far I’ve won 12 of
the tournaments. We’ve all been
playing since we were teenagers
and decided to choose a game
that we could all play. Bomberman
was the only one that let 10 people
play at once.
“It’s really exciting and sociable.
It gives us something to look
forward to and a chance to catch
up with each other.”
Help is just a click away
If you’re a computer newbie, there’s
no need to panic. Caroline Cook
discovers the wealth of resources on
offer to help Partners develop
While some Partners spend hours
clicking around on computers, not
everyone is quite so tech savvy.
But help is at hand in Waitrose
to make sure everyone has the
support and opportunity to brush
up on their computer skills.
The Partner Development
website, which was launched last
July, has plenty of information for
Partners looking to improve their
computer knowledge.
Under the Personal & Career
tab, Partners can find the Personal
Development section, which offers
a range of materials under the title,
PC Skills. Beginners can enrol
on a tutor-led Computer Skills for
Beginners Course and access
a Learning Guide which covers
basic tasks like finding your way
around the screen.
There are also opportunities
for those with basic skill levels
to develop further by learning
about programmes like Microsoft
Office Excel and Microsoft Office
PowerPoint.
Head of Partner Development
Jo Kelly said: “The attitude towards
this is just to have a go. There is
that fear that you’re going to do
something wrong, but you’re not
going to break it.
“Staying away from technology
is not really an option any longer.
With the way society is changing,
it is a skill for life. You cannot afford
to be left behind.”
The Partner Development
website is a key resource for those
looking to develop but Jo says
there are also other ways you can
boost your learning.
She said: “There will be Partners
who work alongside you in branch
or in your office who are really tech
savvy and are keen to help and
show you what you can do.
“Use the great resource of
Partners around you. Don’t be
afraid to ask.”
To access the Partner Development Website visit
http://jlp-trainingapp1.johnlewis.co.uk/welcome.aspx.
8 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

Apps
Information At
your fingertips
New ways to connect
with your Chronicle
1
Join our Facebook
group
It’s been a year since more than
4,000 iPads were introduced into
branches, and managers and
Specialists have been making use
of a number of apps tailor-made to
make Partners’ lives easier.
“There’s a huge amount
available on there now,” says IT
Project Manager Jennifer Britten.
“We’re onto version two of some
apps, such as Daily Numbers,
which have been improved based
on Partner feedback.”
Feedback from branches has
been extremely positive with most
app releases featuring in the
positive comments on the weekly
trade review.
“Giving Partners what they want
at their fingertips is key to making
these apps as useful as possible,”
says Business Project Manager
Paul Jackman. “Branches know
what works for them, so it’s been
a two-way process in terms of
feedback and development.”
Apps can also be used to make
your home life easier, whether its
pooling your updates together into
one app (see Flipboard, below) or
keeping track of The Chronicle (see
bottom right).
Giving Partners what they
want at their fingertips is
key to making these apps as
useful as possible
Waitrose app summary
Playtime
Daily Numbers (v2)
View a selection of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
from branch level through to layout group level.
PIC+
Answer product questions from anywhere on the
shopfloor, including stock availability and nutritional
content.
NOOS
Never Out Of Stock shows all lines that should never
be out of stock and have critically low, low or OK stock
levels.
WineApp
Enables Partners and specialists to respond more
effectively to customers’ queries about specific wine.
MerchMobile
Access Planograms for selected branches.
Apps are more than just social media and working out the quickest way
home. Here are our top real-world app choices:
Flipboard (iOS/Android)
Leaf through your interests and updates from tons of
different sources in this beautifully designed app.
Bamboo Paper (iOS)
Create doodles and notes to capture your best ideas
whenever they come to mind and share them all
over the place with ease.
Hyperlapse (iOS)
Create stabilised time lapse videos from the
comfort of your phone, capture a sunrise in
10 seconds.
Waitrose Chronicle is launching
a Facebook group and we want
you to be part of it. “In the group
you’ll find updates similar to
those you may see on Google+,
but it’s accessible by any
Waitrose Partner,” says Deputy
Editor Online James Parry.
“Engagement is at the heart of
what we do at The Chronicle
and we want to connect with as
many Partners as we can in all
areas of the business.”
To join the group, search
for ‘Waitrose Chronicle’ on
Facebook and wait for one
of the team to approve you.
When using the group, Partners
must adhere to the Waitrose
Social Media Guidelines. These
are available on the Partner
intranet, where you can also find
other ways to connect with us by
searching ‘Waitrose Chronicle’.
2
The Waitrose Chronicle
app trial
To make The Chronicle more
accessible on mobile devices,
an app trial is currently in full
swing. Through the app, which
is compatible with both Apple
and Android devices, Partners
can view the online PDF of
The Chronicle every week, as
well as accessing Google+,
the Partner intranet and the
Waitrose Chronicle Facebook
group. “So far the trial is going
very well and Partner feedback
has been really useful in refining
the design,” says James. “It’s
exciting that we have been able
to offer this service to Partners
at minimal cost. We are aiming
to rollout fully across the division
over the next few months.”
To get involved, join the
Waitrose Chronicle app trial
community on Google+.
Apps help managers to do
more work on the shopfloor
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 9

Tech special ... Life online
Logging
on with the
bloggers
Partners are making
a big impact in the
world of social media.
Caroline Cook logs on
to find out more.
Ten years ago no one had sent
a Tweet. Facebook had only
just launched outside university
campuses and Google was five
years away from adding it’s ‘+’.
The growth of social media and
blogging has been astonishing,
and it has revolutionised the way
people communicate.
In less than a decade Facebook
has amassed 1.28 billion monthly
active users while blogs have
evolved from simple diaries in the
1990s to become money-making,
celebrity-creating enterprises.
And Partners like Christopher
Ashley are among those getting
involved with blogging and social
media. Christopher is a Customer
Sales and Support Advisor at
Waitrose and also social media
consultant and blogger for
welovecycling.com, an online
magazine sponsored by Skoda
Auto.
Christopher was asked to write
for the magazine after a member
of the marketing company behind
Skoda’s blogging account spotted
his posts on Facebook about
commuting 13 miles each way to
work by bike.
He said: “You get the real sport
It’s nice to get the
feedback from
blogging and you
get taken a bit more
seriously
enthusiasts reading it who are
looking for performance edge,
then it’s also a transport solution
and people are becoming more
environmentally conscious and
looking to get fit.
“It’s nice to get the feedback
One of Christopher’s articles on
welovecycling.com
from blogging and you get taken a
bit more seriously.”
Christopher has written posts
like ‘what to wear for winter cycling’
and is keen to share the benefits
of cycling such as saving money,
getting fit and avoiding traffic on
the roads.
Another personal blogging
success story is Jonathan
Broomfield, who uses his expertise
as a Cheese Specialist at Waitrose
Lymington to run his own blog –
cheesy1.com The blog was formed
in 2013 when a regular Waitrose
customer introduced Jonathan to
his daughter, the editor of food
website AllRecipes UK.
Jonathan said: “She said I had
so much knowledge and passion
that I should set up a blog. What
amazes me is the number of
people who actually read it. I don’t
take it for granted.”
Jonathan’s blog features
recipes, events and an ‘ask
cheesy’ section where people can
seek recommendations. Since
setting up his blog, Jonathan has
worked with a chocolate company
on developing chocolate and
cheese pairings and become a
British Cheese Awards Judge at
10 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

Jonathan (right) in branch with supplier Mike Smales from Lyburn Farm
The Waitrose Pet website
the Royal Bath & West Show.
As cheesy1.com began to grow,
Jonathan spoke to a social media
expert from Waitrose to discuss
his plans for the blog and ensure
he was adhering to Partnership
guidelines.
He said: “I think my blog
enhances my work and vice versa.
The reason I say that is sometimes
customers think I just work for
Waitrose, but when they find out
I have a bit more behind me they
are really interested and they ask
how the blog is doing."
While Christopher and Jonathan
have been achieving online
success in their own time, others
have been using social media to
enhance their work in Waitrose,
following Partnership social media
guidance to use it appropriately.
Only Waitrose Partners
who have been given specific
authorisation and training can
speak on behalf of the Partnership,
through a business social media
account or through their own
personal Facebook, Twitter or
other social media account.
With the digital world continuing
to develop, it’s anyone’s guess
as to what the next social media
platform will look like – but you
can bet there will be a Partner at
the forefront, clicking away, and
achieving success.
I think my blog
enhances my work
and vice versa
Whether it’s a pug in a fancy
dress costume or a sleeping
kitten, the internet loves an
adorable animal. And Waitrose’s
digital world is no exception.
Following the launch of the
Waitrose Pet website www.
waitrosepet.com, the team
behind Waitrose Pet decided
Okehampton Partners log on to Facebook
A private Facebook page set up
by our Okehampton branch is
proving popular with more than
80% of branch Partners getting
involved.
PCM Charlotte Tucker set up
a closed group for Partners last
year and 167 Partners out of the
204 in branch are members.
She said: “We are putting out
information but it’s also very
The Google+ers
The Facebookers
to create a private Google+
community for Partners to share
their love of animals, to seek
support and to give tips on pet
care. To join the group, search
‘Waitrose Pets’ on Google+ and
request to join the group.
The community is open to all
Partners.
social and a lot of fun. Partners
use it to celebrate results, post
about how many extra customers
we have had and they also use it
to encourage people to take part
in things that are going on in or
out of work.
“It’s a private group which was
important because Partners
want to feel comfortable about
what they post.”
See our social media guidelines at: http://jlp-partnerintranet.johnlewis.
co.uk/content/itr/home/our-partnership/waitrose/communications/
Partner-Communication/social-media-guidelines.html
It’s cheese galore on cheesy1.com
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 11

Regional News | Group L
Brownies in the branch
Brownie badges
A local Brownie pack spent one
of its meetings at our South
Woodford branch working
towards their Healthy Eating
badges. Using their food
diaries they discussed and
chose healthy packed lunches,
before tasting the food they had
chosen.
Epping Gymnastics Club and their Community Matters cheque
Out and about in the community
From horse riding to gymnastics
Group L has been making
donations to a variety of local
causes through the Community
Matters scheme.
Epping Gymnastics Club
received a cheque for £314 from
our Buckhurst Hill branch, while
Bishop’s Stortford presented
cheques to the Learners’
Community Library, a local
children’s centre and Bambers
Green Riding Club for the
Disabled. Community Champion
Jane Holly visited the charities to
present their cheques: “It’s always
good to visit as it’s great to see
the charities in action,” she says.
“It helps to build a rapport and I
get to tell them about our Partner
volunteering scheme too.”
St Albans had a special visitor
to collect the branch's Community
Matters cheque, as Pip the horse
stopped by the store to receive a
donation to the Oakload’s Riding
School, a local riding club that
supports riders of all abilities.
Students at Ashdon Forest
School received a cheque for £334
to help them develop their outside
play area, thanks to donations
raised by customers in our Saffron
Walden branch.
Bambers Green Riding Club for the Disabled
Harpenden’s newest Specialists
Specialists at Harpenden
Harpenden Customer Service
Assistant Tom Grossi and
Fresh Supermarket Assistant
Rob Lanceman have passed
development qualifications in
the branch. Tom has passed his
Product Advisory course while
Rob has passed his Fruit and
Veg Specialist course. “We’re all
very proud of them here at 183,”
says SM Operations Natalie
Hodgson.
Daffodils for Saffron Walden’s mums
Mum’s the word
The mums of Saffron Walden
received a surprise when they
came into work on Mother’s
Day. Each Partner was treated
to a bunch of daffodils to make
them feel special, as a way of
saying thank you.
Welwyn’s chefs of tomorrow
The Mid Hertfordshire Rotary
Young Chefs have been supported
by Welwyn through the branch’s
Community Matters scheme, and
Partners at the store have been
sponsoring their latest competition.
The contest aims to encourage
young people to cook a healthy
meal, hone their food presentation
skills, consider food hygiene
standards and develop an ability to
cope in a demanding situation.
Branch cook Gemma Hollis and
Partner Co-ordination Manager
Partners presented the
young chefs with their
certificates
Nicola Westcott spent a Saturday
morning judging entries from the
six finalists, who were all aged
between 11 and 15.
They each had two hours to
cook a three-course meal for two
people, which had to cost no more
than £15. Maria Christofi was
crowned the winner for her menu
of halloumi ravioli in a garlic and
butter sauce, salmon with sweet
potato and mango,
a feta and
avocado salad,
all finished
off with
a deluxe
apple flan
with cream.
Development focus
at Holloway Road
Partners at Holloway Road
attended a special evening
dedicated to Partner
Development recently. Over
20 members of the team were
shown presentations by Food
Service SM Alex Young and
Partner Co-ordination Manager
Heather Bateman. Topics
covered included getting the
most out of PartnerLink, a
simple guide to what is on offer
on the Partner Development
website and tips to show
their Ability, Engagement and
Aspiration progress, as well as
an interactive session on the
Partnership behaviours. This
was followed by round-the-table
discussions with Partners.
12 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

Ellie and
the Forget-
Me-Not
Fund
Hitchin Partners attended a charity
quiz night organised by Customer
Service Assistant Ellie Males to
raise money for Leukaemia &
Lymphoma Research.
We’re trying to raise
awareness for the
charity as well as
inspire people to
consider giving blood
or platelets, or join the
bone marrow register
Emily Males and Jess Smith on their stall
“The charity is very close to my
heart, because I lost my brother
to the disease in 2007, eight days
after his 16th birthday,” says Ellie.
"Within the charity, we have set
up the Joe Males Forget-Me-Not
Fund, which allows us to keep
track of all the money we’ve raised
in his memory through our various
fundraising events. We’ve raised
£20,000 in total so far, and we
want to keep adding to this.
“We’re trying to raise awareness
for the charity as well as inspire
people to consider giving blood
or platelets, or to join the bone
marrow register.”
More than 25 people attended
the quiz night, where they raised
£500 for the fund.
“I’d like to thank everyone
who helped make the evening a
success, especially Retail Support
DM Lawrence, who was our
quizmaster. I’m delighted that we
managed to get a lot of people
to sign up as donors. I think my
brother would be pleased with
what we’re doing.”
“I’m very proud of my daughter,”
says Ellie’s mum, Sue, who also
attended the quiz.
Visit https://leukaemialymphoma
research.org.uk/ for more.
Water Aid from Jacob
Jacob's Water Aid fund
A possible future Waitrose
Partner came into St Albans
to raise money for Water Aid.
Inspired by an advert on the
TV about the water crisis in
developing countries, sevenyear-old
Jacob approached the
branch to see if he could raise
£15 to donate to the charity. He
had lollipops and match-attack
cards to encourage customers
to contribute to his fundraising,
and was also helped by a £20
donation from the branch itself.
Sampling exotic fruit
and Easter eggs
Birthday surprise
for Dennis
Partners at Saffron Walden
surprised regular customer Dennis
with a card and a present from the
team, to mark his 80th birthday.
“I love coming into the store
and seeing everyone who works
here,” says Dennis. “I’ve been a
loyal customer for 30 years and
the Partners here have become
my friends. I think it’s marvellous to
have them on my doorstep.”
Dennis with BM Malcolm Domb
Tracey is the volunteer’s choice
Tracey Beck has won the North
and Mid Hertfordshire Volunteer
Recognition Award from the Young
Enterprise charity. The Hitchin
Meat and Fish Specialist was
presented with the award at the
regional finals for her work with
the charity, which aims to inspire
young people in business.
“It felt very special to have
won and great to have received
such public recognition from
a different organisation,” says
Tracey. “The branch has a good
relationship with Young Enterprise,
as we support both primary and
secondary school pupils through
the scheme, and I am always
trying to encourage more Partners
to get involved.”
Having worked on the branch’s
relationship with the charity for the
past four years, Tracey gives her
time to as many different events
as she can throughout the year,
hosting school visits and running
employability skills workshops.
“I think being involved with
Young Enterprise is a win-win
situation,” she says.
“You get a lot from it,
and it’s such a good
thing to be able to do.
Plus, parents do their
shopping with
us while they
wait, so we get
something
back from it
as well.”
Tracey with her award
Time for an egg hunt
Barnet recently hosted pupils
from a local primary school,
as part of a visit to learn about
healthy eating. Students from
Christchurch School were
treated to a talk from Meat and
Fish Trainee Specialist Nicola
Papamichael and Fruit and
Veg Trainee Specialist George
Gallin, complete with exotic fruit
tasting. PCM Rod Gammon
and Community Champion
Carole Gallin then took them on
a tour behind the scenes of the
branch, before ending their visit
with an Easter egg hunt.
Getting on top
of EFSIS
L-r: Michaela, Debbie
and Alice shadowed
the branch audit
Bishop’s Stortford had a mock
compliance audit recently, to
ensure they were meeting food
standards set out by the European
Food Safety Inspection Service.
Team Leader trainees Michaela
Moore and Alice Dutton shadowed
the visit, joined by Ops Team
Leader Debbie Prime.
“It was my first time doing it
and I was surprised at how much
there was to it," says Alice. “It
was a really insightful learning
experience to be part of.”
Here's to you,
Mrs Robinson
Welwyn Partners gathered to wish
Wines Specialist Jenny Robinson
a happy retirement, after 15 years
of service with Waitrose.
Partners from Jenny’s past and
present came together in the
branch PDR to raise a glass
and wish her good luck. DM
Retail Melissa Keenan and SM
Jenny retires after 15 years with Waitrose
Ambient David Hickney also
presented her with a hamper of
her favourite wines and a selection
of photographs from her time at
the branch.
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 13

Trade Group L
Capitalising on warm
weather ranges
Jane Barnett-Roberts
Group L, Head of Retail Operations
As customers favour barbecue and outside
horticulture products, the Group is focused
on meeting pay and wastage challenges
The week’s trading in view
10th week ending 11 April 2015
Managing Director: Mark Price
Retail Director: Rob Collins
All figures based on
% increase on 2014-15
Last
week
To
date
Tim Smit
Group A -10.9 4.7
James Allen
Group B -12.1 -0.9
Ian Harte
Group C -12.7 -0.8
This
week
UP
Jersey Royals +160%
UP
Pre-packed fish +10%
With Easter now behind us,
the business is focused
on making the most of
the opportunities that arise with
the, hopefully, warmer weather, and
to capitalise on customers buying
from the barbecue ranges and more
outside horticulture.
In Group L we have been very
focused on meeting the pay and
wastage challenges and have
regularly topped the business for
wastage control.
There has been some relentless
work on controlling operational costs
led by Dave Goodacre, and Group
L has been leading the way in
terms of dining room cost reduction,
championed by Gemma Hollis.
The Group has also got off to a
flying start on the compliance front
with a streak of green results for
European Food Safety Inspection
Service (EFSIS), which has been
championed by Ralph Teer and Kate
Philips.
It has been a pleasure to start
working with the new Forum
reps and congratulations to Rod
Gammon, Maddie Webb and Layla
Buckingham for their contributions
at their first Waitrose Council.
It is great to see the enthusiasm
with which Retail Brilliance has
been embraced across the Group,
headed up by OJ Daya and his BM
colleagues.
The team at Saffron Walden
is producing some strong results
from their condensed store and
customers are amazed with the
assortment available while the new
store and car park are being built
around them.
I would like to say bon voyage
to Kevin Shipley, BM at John
Barnes, who starts his long leave
and is replaced by Jim Brewin.
Congratulations to Charles Brewer
who has been appointed BM at
Whetstone.
I would also like to say thank you
for the very warm welcome that the
Group has offered me; it has been
great to meet and begin to get to
know so many of you since I started
my new role. I have been very
impressed with the passion and
determination with which the Group
is tackling the current challenges in
the retail industry.
Branch of the week goes to
Enfield and my colleagues would
like to highlight the following:
Dibden, Headington, North
Walsham, Raynes Park, Leighton
Buzzard, Stratford City, Swindon,
Hythe, Godalming, Byres Road,
Otley, Banstead, Bath and Four
Oaks.
Trading Reports: 11 April 2015
Andy Felton
Group D -10.2 0.7
Alan Bassil
Group E -12.6 -1.1
Alistair Upcraft
Group F -15.1 -1.4
John Hayes
Group G -4.9 12.5
Seb Monk
Group H -14.7 -3.7
Alistair Smith
Group I -13.2 -2.7
Mark Gifford
Group J 2.4 9.6
Stephanie Cousin
Group K -3.1 3.5
Jane Barnett-Roberts
Group L -9.7 1.6
Simon Rudland
Group M -5.1 13.2
Lucy Brown
Group N -11.0 3.4
Neil Westbrook
Group P -9.7 1.6
Malcolm Way
Convenience 14.8 28.2
Online Services -23.6 -18.8
Category summary
Total Waitrose -9.6 2.4
(excl Fuel)
Ambient -11.8 4.3
UP
Hot cross buns 13% up on
last year's Easter period
Chilled, FVH,Bakery -7.3 2.3
Meat, Fish, Frozen -9.4 0.1
and Dairy
Home & Leisure inc -15.9 -1.4
newspaper
14 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

The Magic Branch
Hitchin
for most improved customer
happiness score since Group
L was last featured in The
Chronicle
“There’s currently a real buzz
around customer service,” says
Branch Manager Brian Harrison.
“We’re engaging a lot more with
Partners, encouraging them to
seek feedback and demonstrating
what great service looks like.
We have a group of SMs, Team
Leaders and non-management
Partners who look after Measuring
the Magic, checking what
we’re good at and what needs
improving, and bringing this to the
attention of PartnerVoice.
"All of this has really helped us
to improve the service we offer.”
/Waitrose
@Waitrose
/Waitrose
@Waitrose
We Love @chloegraceb's Easter
chocolate nest cakes! #Regram
Be a #GoodEgg and share your
Easter photos, you could even win
a prize. Find out more: waitrose.
com/goodegg
#OnTheTable #Easter #Waitrose
❤ 670 Comment
missbskinnier
YUMMY
@woobeck said: Pineberries J
Just bought these and they are
delicious x @waitrose
@juliemcpher said: @waitrose
Thank you for my Heston Golden
Egg. It was really delicious
#GoodEgg
Dave Anderson said: Mmmmmm,
@Waitrose sausage rolls –
absolutely scrumdilyocious!
Magic Partners...
...demonstrating how they’ve
made a personal difference to their
customers
Our QuickPay shop was checked
by Edita, who was friendly, quick
and helpful. Not only did she
repack our shopping perfectly,
she also took the time to see if we
had shopped correctly. Shopping
in Hitchin is an absolute pleasure
and privilege, thanks to your
wonderful staff.
Edita Urnieziena
Customer Service ASM
What's in
your basket?
Waitrose
Flora cuisine cooking liquid 500ml
Price £1.80 After Discount £1.53
Sainsbury's
Flora cuisine cooking liquid 500ml
Price £2.00
Waitrose
essential Waitrose broccoli per kg
Price £1.40 After Discount £1.19
Sainsbury's
Sainbury's broccoli loose
Price £1.35
Supermarket Assistant Jenny
Gamble is PartnerVoice rep
for Barnet.
I have been on PartnerVoice for
many years and recently was
lucky enough to be able to attend
a PartnerVoice meeting closely
followed by a Group L Forum
meeting – and then, a week later,
a Waitrose Council meeting.
Our PartnerVoice meeting was,
as always, full of debate coming
up with solutions to branch
issues and also questions for
our Forum rep to take to the next
level. I was invited to attend the
Forum, which I thought was very
interesting and to see the common
themes across the Ops Group.
The following week I went along
to Odney to observe the Waitrose
Council meeting, where our MD
Mark Price was asked many
probing questions from councillors
that would have originated from
Waitrose branches across the
Partnership. All the while, this
was all being streamed live into
branches for Partners to watch for
themselves.
To be able to see the journey
from PartnerVoice through
Forum to Waitrose Council was
very inspiring and really was
democracy in action. It was great
to see questions that originate
from branch taken to Forum where
they are widely discussed and
then asked by our councillors
to the Waitrose Management
Board. They are questions that
we all want asked and Mark
Price definitely answers them
with openness and honesty and
was questioned further by our
councillors when needed.
I feel very privileged to work in
a co-owned business where the
conversations we have in branch
about our business – whether
at the coffee table or in a formal
meeting – really do get to the
leaders of our business.
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 15

Letters
Business Strategy
Dear Editor: ‘Sets vision and direction’
is a Leadership behaviour – it says so
on the intranet so it must be true. But I
wonder where is this vision and direction
at the moment? With the board, other
directors and ever-growing pile of Level
Fours – how many has this increased
to in the last year? – you would think
we had enough leadership talent to
communicate to Partners what is
happening and how we will approach the
next year.
Instead, it appears to normal working
Partners that there is no strategy and we
have resorted to short-termism bordering
on panic. Yes, yes, we all understand
the need to reduce costs, to tighten our
belts and focus on efficiency but that
must be twinned with some strategy to
address falling sales, surely? But here
we are in Easter week, one of our key
trading weeks, with virtually non-existent
marketing, unsure of our place in the
market, pushing a value line that we will
be forced to step away from when the
big boys get their cheque books out later
in the year. Surely it is time for us to do
something different?
Hacking out Partners from the
shopfloor while the job is more complex
and varied than it ever has been
will degrade Partner and customer
experience and could have far longerterm
impacts on our profit than the short
term pay saving frenzy in progress.
Perversely we have just given inflationbusting
pay rises that will make this
impact worse measured year on year.
And quite how an 11% Bonus was
justified is unclear. Strategic vision,
really? Maybe it is time to secure the
ground we have won in the past few
years by improving our operations
(how can we if we keep reducing
hours?), providing consistent service
and experiences? Maybe we need to
accept that retail profit reducing, as
many commentators are suggesting,
is inevitable. All this as we continue
to promote home deliveries and
farcically inefficient grazing offers in our
expensively refitted branches while the
older estate rots.
This sounds like a rant. Well, it is, but
is it time for someone to tell us what our
strategy is rather than just reduce costs
at any cost – because we say no?
Not a very grown-up approach at the
moment, is it?
Yours etc,
Bangsheadontable
Reply from the Managing Director:
Your letter arrived just a couple of days
after the latest market share data was
released, showing that we are the
only mainstream supermarket to have
increased our share; the report also
stated that we have grown our sales
in an unbroken run stretching back to
March 2009.
A forum in which to express your views
The Chronicle welcomes letters from Partners and retired Partners, signed or
anonymous, which can be sent by post to The Chronicle at Waitrose Head Office
or by email to Waitrose.Chronicle@waitrose.co.uk. Letters are acknowledged in
print, and are published as soon as possible with a comment from a principal
director or manager, if appropriate. Concise letters are often the most effective,
and allow better use to be made of the letters column. Letters in excess of 500
words will not be published. Those who submit letters in excess of this limit
will be given the opportunity to resubmit a shorter version.
Increasing sales, gaining market share
and winning new customers in a time of
intense turbulence for the UK grocery
industry does not happen by accident.
It is the result of pursuing our strategy –
based on Volume, Efficiency, Growth – for
the last six years. Of course we are not
immune to the impact of the dramatic
shift in how customers are choosing
to shop, extreme price deflation and
intense competition in the market, but
we are withstanding the negative forces
far better than most of our competitors.
Indeed, we’re starting to see our sales
get stronger and, thanks also to tight
cost control, we are moving in the right
direction.
Our plan is to create Modern Waitrose:
being brilliant online; giving customers
reasons to visit our branches with new
services and hospitality; deepening our
relationships with and understanding of
customers through myWaitrose; building
our convenience business and opening
new core shops where it makes sense to
do so; transforming our technology and
increasing our efficiency.
More detail on the vision and direction
for our business has been made
available through various communication
channels over the past couple of months.
You can still access this through Google
Drive and the Partner intranet – there's
both written and filmed material from
the Waitrose Management Conference
(including the full text of my keynote
speech). In addition, there is my 13 March
letter to Partners and the AGM pack,
issued on 20 March, which includes a
presentation on Modern Waitrose.
Mark Price
Co-ownership
Dear Editor: Well, after a disappointing
Bonus, no doubt the WMB decided it was
only 11% as we were going to pay no
tax. Never mind. However, isn’t it about
time we made sure that we are called coowners
and not owners, please?
Yes, we have a say in the running of
the business, just like we can have a say
in the running of this country, and look
where that gets us! Please don’t insult my
intelligence by saying we got through the
pension and FBS by votes from Partners.
Just like FBS, we were told by Mark Price
we would get more staff to do the job and
the trial branches did, funny that!
If this Partner Survey reveals another
red score with “we need more staff to do
the job” then that clearly shows after the
best part of at least seven years with the
same scoring that we are certainly not
owners of the business.
Nevertheless, the result of an 11%
Bonus just goes to show we are starting
to reap what we have sown. Every year
budgets get tighter and staff fewer,
FBS being the biggest joke ever, which
destroyed solid managers and gave us
no one to pass on the green blood to the
up and coming.
Sorry to sound a nag but we now have
a fleet of all talking and dancing set of
managers, who can certainly talk and not
deliver, but it doesn’t matter as long as
they can talk the talk.
Also, could you provide the
percentage that the 7,000 customers
represent who voted us number one in
Which? magazine, against the actual
number of customers we have coming
through our doors? I suspect that it’s just
another quantum figure to try and get
excited about.
All the while, Lidl and Aldi increase
their market share and we pretend that
we pride ourselves on service in the
hope it will get better; I think someone
needs to wake up before it’s too late.
One final thing, when we as a
business are unable to survive or make
a profit, and I mean Waitrose not John
Lewis, what happens to the business –
does it just vanish?
Yours etc,
Cods Wallop
Reply from the Retail Director:
I am not sure if the writer is aware of
this but our Founder made very clear
the Partnership is as much about the
responsibility of ownership as it is the
rewards of ownership. I see Partners and
managers in every part of our business
living and breathing that responsibility
in Waitrose, day in and day out, as part
of helping to ensure we are indeed “a
successful business”. The fact that we
have won the Which? award to which
you refer in six out of the last seven years
(coming second in the other year) is just
one fantastic testament to that success
voted by our customers. All of our
grocery competitors have had the same
opportunity to win which is the key point.
On hours specifically I do of course
recognise just how hard Partners are
working in our business, especially at
a time when the UK grocery market
is so challenging. I have also been
very consistent in saying that we need
to ensure that our costs across our
business are not growing faster than our
sales as that is clearly not sustainable.
On hours our sole aim is to ensure that
our pay costs are not growing faster
than our sales this year and I know that
each of our shops is working very hard to
achieve that goal.
I do not recognise any substance in
the other points you make with reference
to the WMB, our managers or your fellow
Partners.
Rob Collins
Partner support
Dear Editor: It is often the worst of times
that we experience the best of the
Partnership.
On 30 January Walbrook Partners
received the devastating news that
we had lost our friend and colleague
Shaquan Sammy-Plummer at just 17
years of age. In the following days and
weeks the outpouring of support and
encouragement that we have received
has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Many Partners at every level in the
business took the time to visit, write,
email or call, offering words of comfort at
a deeply distressing time.
In particular, the responses from our
Area Manager Helen Heighes, and
Director of Convenience Jackie Wharton,
have been incredible. The Partner
Support team have also been amazing
– most notably Komal and Suzanne
who have supported Shaquan’s family
with enormous dignity and patience. On
behalf of all Partners at Walbrook I thank
you all.
Finally, my team of managers and
Partners have coped admirably whilst
also maintaining a strong set of trading
results. I am so very proud of you all.
After a significant delay, Shaquan’s
funeral has now taken place and I have
no doubt that we will continue to support
each other in the weeks and months to
come.
Yours etc,
Ritchard McVeigh, Store Manager,
Walbrook
Branch security
Dear Editor: I have been a Partner for
Waitrose and the Partnership for the last
three years and 10 months, and will soon
finish my four years.
I always have a question in my mind:
that if Waitrose and John Lewis are part
of the same Partnership, why are the
safeguarding policies different for both?
I mean, I worked in a John Lewis for
two months in 2012 over the Christmas
period and I am quite happy to see that
when the branch closes at 8pm and all
16 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

Partners go to the reception and collect
their things, they get them scanned to
make their clear checkout, no matter
what department they are, or even if they
are the branch manager.
Whereas in Waitrose only two
Partners (selective) are asked to show
their shopping at 10:30pm when they
finish. Why?
My query is: 1. We live in the country
where we obey the Magna Carta which
means even the King is subjected to law,
and we are the co-owners of the same
business, right? Then why does no one
dare to check what the manager’s got
in their shopping bags? A thief can be a
thief no matter whether he is a manager
or a shopfloor assistant.
2. Just because a person is manager
or store manager, that doesn’t mean he
or she is not answerable to anyone. Why
is there this discrimination? Is that office
politics or something else? Please clarify.
Yours etc.
Reply from the Manager, Business
Protection:
Thank you for your letter and for raising
an important point.
There are many different size and
shapes of store across the Partnership
and quite rightly different types of
security process are in place to manage
the security risk relevant to the type of
premises (this includes non retail sites).
With regards to your two specific
points:
In the ‘Right of Search’ section, BOP
outlines the process that should be
followed by Waitrose branches, indicating
who is authorised to complete searches
and how searches should be carried out.
The following Door Check section from
BOP highlights the process re the points
you raise.
“Door checks: The aim of door checks
is to maintain a climate of security by
deterring theft. The number of checks
that must be carried out depends
upon the branch and the size of the
management team and should be
reviewed by the Senior Management
Partner. Managers should aim to carry
out a minimum of five door checks on a
number of Partners at least once a week
in order to meet this aim.”
Management Partners are not exempt
from these procedures and if selected
to be searched they should comply
as per any other Partner. All Partners
are responsible for the security of the
business and are encouraged to bring to
attention any concerns they may have.
If branches are not following these
security guidelines, then this should
be raised with the management or
reported to the Business Protection
team either in person or via email at
businessprotection_waitrose@waitose.
co.uk
Alternatively if you wish to raise
any concerns over internal security
confidentially, you can call the
confidential Whistle Blow hotline on 0800
055 6986 or confidential email address
partner_support_administration@
johnlewis.co.uk
If you want to discuss this with me
directly then please get in touch.
Peter Shuttleworth
Partner development
Dear Editor: As someone who forwent
a university place in order to pursue
a career in the Partnership, and as
someone who has been working
extremely hard for many months with
little prospect of progression, it was
somewhat frustrating when I learned that
a number of graduates or soon-to-be
graduates at my branch had received
signed letters from the Branch Manager
encouraging them to pursue a career
in the business and implying a possible
speed of progression far beyond those
without a degree.
Inarguably, many graduates are bright
young people but some, who I know
to have received the aforementioned
letters, see their employment simply as
a job rather than a career. Therefore, it is
vexing to see the attention automatically
directed to these individuals when others
are committed, passionate, and talented,
but consistently overlooked.
Admittedly, a degree teaches many
important skills but very few university
courses are specifically relevant to the
industry and, notwithstanding that fact,
a degree certainly does not teach three
years’ solid retail experience. I think that
I represent a disgruntled minority when I
say that I feel as though the business is
placing too great an emphasis on shiny
graduates with extraneous qualifications,
whilst simultaneously failing to harness
the latent talent that permeates the
Partnership.
Yours etc.
Reply from the Head of Business
Partnering, Branches:
Thank you for your letter. It is important
that all Partners have the opportunity
to progress within the Partnership,
regardless of the qualifications that
they have. There are lots of different
ways for Partners to develop and every
Partner has ownership for their own
career aspirations, and managers have
a responsibility for and play a key role in
developing talent.
The Partner Development Website
has a section on ‘Developing My Career
in Waitrose Retail’ that includes career
discussion and development tools, and
I would encourage you to look at the
materials available. Without knowing
which branch you are in, or seeing the
letter, it is difficult for me to comment
on the letter that your BM has sent to
Partners in your branch, but I am sure
that the intentions of the BM were
positive and not intended to discourage
any Partners from developing their own
careers.
Lynne Stannard
Job application pprocess
Dear Editor: I am a Partner of 15 years,
and have held a number of positions
within Waitrose at a number of different
levels.
I have just successfully completed the
application process; it was the first time I
have had to do it in its new format. There
are a few things I don’t understand.
Firstly, what is the purpose of doing
all the online tests before you even get
an interview? If I am already employed
in the Partnership at one level, and
I am applying for a job in that same
level, surely the fact that I am already
employed at that level should be
enough?
Secondly, why, as I am already
employed by the Partnership for so
long, do I then need to fill out a health
questionnaire and other details that the
Partnership already has on file? I do
understand that if I was applying for a
job from outside the Partnership, we
would need all of this information, but
as a current Partner, I can’t get my head
around it.
There must be another way of making
the application process for Partners more
‘Partner friendly’ as I feel – and have
been told – that some Partners are just
not applying for jobs. I look forward to
hearing a response.
Yours etc.
Reply from the Resourcing
Account Manager A:
Thank you for your letter. Since the new
Resourcing service has gone live we
have had a considerable amount of
feedback about the internal candidate
experience and we are currently
reviewing the whole end to end
experience with the aim of making it
more Partner friendly.
With regard to your question about
why the tests are before the interviews,
this is so that we can effectively and
efficiently sift candidates in a fair and
timely manner to provide a good quality
shortlist for hiring managers. All the
tests were created specifically for the
Partnership and have been designed
bespoke for each role using job analysis,
based on interviews with Partners and
their line managers about the role, its
demands and typical situations they
face, so the tests have a high degree of
relevance to the role being applied for.
As part of our review we are looking at
when it would be appropriate for internal
candidates to go through these tests.
Where it is appropriate for Partners to
undertake a test, eg when applying for
a promotion, we have recognised that to
have to re-do tests that have previously
been passed is not a good Partner
recruitment experience and I am pleased
to tell you that we have registered a
change request with IT to adjust the
system so that it does retain scores for
any tests taken within the last six months.
I am unable to confirm at this point when
this will go live. To ensure we adopt an
approach that reflects bests practice,
we will aim to retain test scores for a
period of six months, the time period for
which the British Psychological Society
recommends scores remain valid.
With regard to your point about health
questionnaires, we are also reviewing
current practice regarding Partners’
completion of health questionnaires
within the recruitment process.
Please do get in touch directly if you
have any further questions.
David Williams
Reductions and Promotions
Dear Editor: I am a proud Partner who
has worked for the Partnership for three
years and will soon finish my four years
next month. I work in Clifton Waitrose. I
am concerned about the recent changes
in the till upgrade and changes in
reducing stuff from March onwards.
The good thing is that now tills won’t
give you an offer if you buy items reduced
to an extremely low price, which means
we won’t be giving any money back and
I really appreciate it. But, on the other
hand, now customers are reluctant to buy
the reduced stuff even if it has got one to
two days’ shelf life like, for example, ready
meals are three for £6 and when they are
reduced to £2.19 from the £2.57 (which
is their actual price), the offer still gets
cancelled and at the bottom of the receipt,
with a message: buy three for £6 and total
savings £0.00, which is quite wrong and
code-wise incorrect as the customers
should still get the offer and save 57
pence instead.
What went wrong is the whole code.
Instead, I think it should work like
this – put all the sum of the items in a
temporary variable.
TEMP VAR = (2.19 + 2.19 + 2.19)
and then compare it with six like
TEMP VAR>6 = OFFER APPLICABLE
(ie 3 for 6)
ELSE
NOT APPLICABLE
With this code, it will still give benefit to
the customers and will help us to resolve
our reduced items before their actual date
of display.
Yours etc,
Prabhkirt Sidhu
Reply from the Head of Retail
Change:
Prabhkirt, thank you for your letter
regarding the recent changes we have
made to how we calculate offers which
include reduced items. I am glad that
you appreciate the change; we have just
completed the rollout ahead of the Easter
Continued over
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17

Letters
IT Embargo. I would understand your
concern if the system were to work in the
way you describe, but it has not been
designed in this way. We still have to
honour promotional offers, so in the case
of the three for £6 offer the calculation
would be 3 x £2.19 (£6.57) - £0.57 to
take it back to £6. The receipt would
show this saving for the customer.
If the reduction was such that it took
the total cost below £6 (eg 3 x £1.99)
then the customer would not receive
any additional saving and would be
charged £5.97. When the total amount is
at or below the offer threshold the receipt
will state ‘total savings £0.00’. Following
your letter we have tested this once more
in branches and can confirm that it is
working as designed. If you still believe
that this is not the case in your branch
then please do not hesitate to contact me
and we will investigate further.
Matt Clifton
Branch temperature
Dear Editor: Can someone please
answer this? On 17 December 2014
the heating across our shop completely
stopped working which resulted in
no heating whatsoever. During late
December 2014 and early January
2015 temperatures started to become
unbearable, recording below 10°C
on multiple days and sometimes
lasting almost a week. The gov.co.uk
recommends that the temperature in
workrooms should normally be at least
16°C or 13°C if much of the work is
physical. What would the Partnership’s
stance be if Partners refused to work in
these cold conditions?
As of 5 March the heating still isn’t
anything near being fixed. I hold no
one in store responsible, with the Duty
Managers regularly calling up MML and
being told it’s gone for a quote, and my
store manager emailing the relevant
people to try and stop this becoming any
more of a shambles!
As petty as this may sound, I struggle
to accept that this is the norm and how
anyone in a L7 and higher role would find
this acceptable. Would this time scale
be allowed at any of our head office
buildings?
Yours etc,
Luke O’Donovan, High Holborn (601)
Reply from the Manager, Branch
Maintenance:
Thank you for writing raising your
concerns. It is always our intention to
resolve issues as quickly as possible
so that Partners and customers are not
inconvenienced. The reason for the delay
on this occasion is because a more
complex issue than was first thought
was identified. This required support
from our Engineering team and the
manufacturers in order to properly root
cause and resolve the issue. This meant
that unfortunately it took longer to work
through than we would have liked and
I apologise for this. Your Maintenance
Operations Manager (MOM) Jim
Chambers has been involved throughout
and has confirmed that the issue has
been resolved.
If you have any reason to escalate any
maintenance related issue going forward,
your MOM will be only too glad to help.
Mick McLeavey
Branch growth
Dear Editor: With some of our
larger shops missing their targets
week in, week out, and the industry
acknowledging that smaller and
convenience stores are where the profit
lies for the future, why on earth are we
still looking to build a new very large store
in Coulsdon? Not only is it going to cost
the business a huge amount to build and
fit out, but it will also take a lot of profit
away from large local branches including
Banstead and Caterham that cannot
afford to lose any more money against
budgets.
Maybe the judicial review planned
is a blessing in disguise and could be
a good excuse to pull the plug? While I
agree that the company cannot stand still
and needs to add to the estate, a huge
branch built from scratch and so close
to other large branches seems a waste
of our resources when we are going
through a bumpy patch, and won’t know
when things will improve.
Yours etc.
Reply from the Property &
Development Director:
While it is convenience shops driving
the growth in the supermarket sector at
present and will remain integral to our
own future expansion, it’s important we
don’t lose sight of our core stores, which
make up more than 80% of our estate,
and the value they bring to our business.
Our policy has always been
to thoroughly evaluate every new
opportunity to ensure it is the right one
for us in the long term, in whatever format
that takes. In the current marketplace, this
is more prudent than ever. We apply a
strict stress test to our forecasts to ensure
that, even in the worst-case scenario, we
can be confident that it will give us the
best return on investment.
We have established a loyal customer
base in Coulsdon and the surrounding
areas thanks to our Partners, despite it
being one of our oldest and smallest
core branches. The new store will enable
us to build on more than 40 years of
trading in the town rather than run the
risk of losing ground within a densely
populated catchment area and our
heartland territory. This would have been
greatly increased had we not been
successful in our bid to lease the unit.
As you rightly say we cannot afford
to stand still and although we must
scrutinise every new project, we must
also continue to invest where it’s viable to
do so in order to remain competitive and
attract new customers.
Nigel Keen
New furniture
Dear Editor: Please could Mark Price
explain how it’s acceptable for his
directors to invest in new sofas and
chairs for their offices at a time when
every other Partner is being asked to
save money?
Who controls the unnecessary costs
these people add to our business?
An extra 1% Bonus would have
bought me a sofa for my house! I hope
they are very comfortable in their offices
that they rarely sit in!
Yours etc.
Reply from the Property &
Development Director:
Whenever work needs to be carried out
on the Bracknell campus, our facilities
team is acutely aware of the need to
find the most cost effective solution
for the business. The purchase of new
furniture is always kept to a minimum and
recycled items used from elsewhere on
site wherever possible.
The majority of the work on the fifth
floor consisted of updating electrical and
data connections to ensure that offices
were suitable for modern technology.
However, a small number of items of
furniture in three directors’ offices were
replaced when the original items, which
were more than 10 years old, were no
longer fit for purpose. Where possible the
replacement items were recycled from
elsewhere on the Bracknell campus to
keep costs to a minimum.
At Bracknell we are constantly looking
at ways to use our space more efficiently.
The replacement furniture selected now
allows directors’ offices to be used by
their teams for meetings when they are
not in Bracknell.
Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to clarify the situation.
Nigel Keen
Group G BM Meeting
Dear Editor: I wonder if you could explain
something for me. Waitrose has recently
announced a considerable drop in profit,
current market conditions are well known
and all responsible Partners are striving
to reduce costs.
Last week, for example, Branch
Managers were asked to further reduce
their pay spend. This is understandable,
but is bound to increase pressure on
branch Partners to some degree.
Under these circumstances, why did
the Group G HoRO see fit to extend
his Branch Managers’ meeting to three
days and hold it in the comfortable
surroundings of Brownsea, a minimum
two-hour journey from the branches in
the Group?
Yours etc.
Reply from the Head of Retail
Operations, Group G:
Thank you for your letter. I understand
your concerns.
My Group G team and I are very
much aware of the challenging trading
conditions that we are in and the vital
importance of saving costs.
Against this backdrop, having booked
this event in the early part of last year, I
decided to go ahead with our two and a
half day conference at Brownsea Castle.
The main purpose of our time together
was to concentrate on the year ahead,
agreeing our Business Plan and our
cost-saving focus.
There was also an opportunity to
continue to build on how we will work
together as a newly formed Operations
Group, with me as a relatively new Head
of Retail Operations for Group G.
Last year we underspent against our
Group G venues budget by £1,940.50.
The costs of our two and half day
conference this year was £282.62 per
Manager. I remain committed to using
Partnership venues where we can and
this year we will underspend against our
Group G venues budget by £2,800.
The Group and I are very committed
in everything we do, especially around
driving profitable sales, delivering
operational efficiencies and developing
Partners at all levels – something I wrote
about in The Chronicle only last month. It
is precisely with this in mind that I wanted
to invest in my Branch Managers the
time, energy and skills to equip them to
successfully lead their respective branch
teams in these challenging times.
I do understand your concerns,
however I remain convinced that this
modest investment in my Managers
is sound and will deliver lasting
achievements as a cohesive group.
John Hayes
Delivery van issues
Dear Editor: I am a driver/picker and we
have four Mercedes delivery vans in daily
use. I have seen several pictures both
in The Chronicle and The Gazette of the
fleet at Coulsdon DFC, of which there
must be 10 nice shiny new Mercedes
vans. Now I realise that a new delivery
point will not have had older models of
the van, however, we were at a Deliver
meeting in February 2014 and were told
that our branch was to receive new vans
in September 2014. Now it is March 2015
and there is no sign of any new vans.
Now this wouldn’t normally be a
problem, but our four vans do not have
a single body panel that does not have
serious accident damage. They are an
embarrassment to drive, particularly as
members of the public take a second
look at the vans as we drive past them!
Many of our online customers remark
on the state of the vans. Having driven
an average of 100 miles per shift, I see
many of our competitors’ vans and I have
18 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

Letters
never seen any that have any damage on
them. The damage I refer to has been on
the vans for several months, some even
up to a year. I do not believe any damage
has been repaired in the last year on any
of the vans. All the serious damage will
have been reported in the usual way but
no repairs have taken place.
Are you able to say when our branch
is to have replacement vehicles?
Yours etc,
Stephen Grant, 691
Reply from the General Manager,
Central Transport:
Stephen, thank you for your letter.
I’m pleased that you’ve noticed the
new type of eCommerce home delivery
van. Its design gives significantly higher
productivity and they have been well
received. The new vans are prioritised to
those branches with the highest volumes
and intensity.
The rollout schedule for the new vans
has always had to remain flexible to the
changing needs of our business and
whilst I appreciate your eagerness to
receive new vehicles, it is important, as
with any new equipment, that it is placed
where it will have the greatest benefit.
For this reason I hope you’ll understand
that plans have been altered since
February last year, as would be expected.
The rollout is progressing well, with 291
of the new vans in service out of a total
eCommerce fleet of over 900 vehicles.
I’m also glad to see that you take pride
in the condition of your vehicles and
you rightly recognise that each van is a
valuable opportunity to promote Waitrose.
After looking in a bit more detail, I can
see that your branch has been diligent
when reporting to Central Transport any
incidents that have occurred in the past
two years. The next important step is for
the branch to contact the local repair
agent (found listed in each Vehicle
Management Folder) to arrange for
repair work to be carried out; it doesn’t
look like this has happened consistently
in this instance. For detailed information
on the correct procedure to follow when
reporting damage, please refer to the
appropriate pages on BOP entitled ‘Van
Damage’.
At this point it is worth mentioning
some of the changes currently under
way that aim to increase the support
that Central Transport offers branches.
The Driver Development Team has
been established to support branches
with driver training, risk reduction and
fleet management, and the External
Maintenance Team is progressively
launching a support service that will
provide a single channel approach for
reporting and managing all maintenance
related defects and accident repairs.
These two changes are aimed at
reducing the number of accidents that
we have, and managing repairs with
greater efficiency and reduced cost. Your
line manager will be able to provide more
information when it becomes available.
Any concerns you may have are
best discussed first in branch with your
Section Manager. If necessary, this can
then be forwarded to your Business
Development Manager (details are
available on the eCommerce portal), as
they will be in the best position to outline
the future implementation of new vans.
Justin Laney
Partner Discount cards
Dear Editor: As a Partner, one of the
great benefits that we are offered is the
Partner Discount card, which is fantastic.
However, this benefit is easily abused
as there is no expiry date or anything to
validate the card, which leaves it open for
misuse from Partners who have left the
Partnership.
I have recently come across someone
who proudly told me they had a discount
card and when I asked where they
worked they told me that their son
worked for Waitrose but left a few years
ago. I did explain that she shouldn’t be
using this card but my words fell on deaf
ears.
Having discussed this with other
people, this seems to be a common
story. The Partnership is trying to save
money and cut back on waste, but we
must be losing millions from parents of
ex Partners, who have kept their discount
cards.
I appreciate that you don’t want to
spend money at the moment, but there
must be a cheap way of correcting this –
maybe start with new employees having
a new-style card issued (coloured, with
an expiry date or ideally one which is
swiped to be validated). If this is not an
option, maybe a system where your final
salary is held until all your discount cards
are handed back to branch?
Yours etc,
Nadia Finn,
Wokingham
Reply from the Development
Manager, Employment Policy:
It is disappointing to hear that there are
individuals who abuse this benefit, which
is offered on a principle of trust and
goodwill.
I certainly appreciate your frustrations
around this matter. We have extensively
discussed introducing a systemised
approach to tracking and regulating
Partnership Discount use. In 2012 we
introduced our green discount cards as
part of a phased project.
After their introduction, the Partnership
Council assessed whether the cards
should be activated further to allow a
tracking capability. The costs of this were
deemed too high for little gain in that
evidence of fraudulent activity was much
lower than the cost required. Partnership
Council and the Chairman decided
that unless fraud did become a greater
concern or the costs of implementation
were to reduce substantially, then this
activation would not go ahead.
Whilst there are other alternatives that
could be considered, such as changing
the colour of the cards every few years
as you have suggested, this would need
to be considered as part of a wider
review of Partner Discount rather than as
a one-off, isolated piece of work.
In the meantime, you will see on the
reverse of your green card some options
for reporting fraudulent activity. I would
encourage you and all our fellow Partners
to use this facility when any suspicion of
wrongdoing arises.
Samara Townley
PartnerLink access
Dear Editor: Congratulations on the (not
so) wonderful PartnerLink. Myself and, I
would think, many others prefer to do our
online training courses in the peace and
quiet of our homes. This is a feature that
you have taken into consideration when
designing it.
So it begs the question, why are you
using an outdated Internet Explorer
version – IE9 – when the current ones
are 10 and 11?
As most people use laptops,
this prohibits them from accessing
PartnerLink at home, especially on more
up-to-date versions of Windows, as you
cannot gain access on Internet Explorer
10 onwards. I know, I have tried.
I am lucky as I have Windows 7/
Internet Explorer 9 so I can access
PartnerLink (apart from this new
Induction course – I can get the course
up but it won’t start) but my wife, who is
also a Partner, can’t and many others, I
imagine, suffer the same fate.
Doing these courses at work is not
always viable as generally our workload
is greater than the hours we have to
complete it, so it doesn’t allow sufficient
time to sit around doing online work.
With a couple of clicks of my mouse I
could update my Internet Explorer for free
(if I chose to do so). Doesn’t the same or
similar principle apply to John Lewis?
Yours etc,
Derek Andrews,
Andover (168)
Reply from the Business
Engagement Manager, Personnel:
Thank you for your letter regarding
external access to online training.
Unfortunately the process for ensuring
browser compliance for our Partnership
systems such as PartnerLink is not as
straightforward as a browser upgrade for
an individual user on their home PC.
The PartnerLink system, through
which online learning is accessed, is an
Oracle product and as such we are first
and foremost reliant on Oracle ensuring
that its system is certified against
the latest versions of the mainstream
browsers. Once Oracle has provided
us with a compatible version, we then
have to carry out tests to ensure that
the customisations we have made still
function correctly. Our internal testing
takes a minimum of eight weeks per
browser to execute and there is usually
remediation work required over and
above that to correct any issues.
The most current Oracle release is
compliant against Internet Explorer (IE)
versions 7 through to 11, but we have yet
to apply the necessary patches to make
PartnerLink accessible using IE11 – that
upgrade is planned for later this year. We
know that PartnerLink is accessible using
IE10 because that is the browser in use
on the HP tablets currently used within
John Lewis branches.
There may be some local settings on
your home PC that are impacting your
ability to use IE10, but any problems
you experience can be reported to the
Personnel Systems Support Desk and
they will attempt to resolve the issue with
you over the phone.
Phil Stonehewer
Cricket sponsorship
Dear Editor: In light of England’s abject
cricket performance in the ongoing
World Cup, should we, as a top class
supermarket, continue to sponsor such
a second class team? Exactly how
do we benefit, as Britain’s favourite
supermarket, by being associated with
such losers?
Exposure? No such thing as bad
advertising? Getting the name out there?
All well and good but surely the people
who watch cricket, the people we are
targeting, the afternoon tea, cucumber
sandwich brigade, already shop at
Waitrose, or at least have heard of
Waitrose. If that is the case, then what
is the point? Looks like money down the
drain to me.
Just as a matter of interest could
someone inform us, the co-owners,
how much is spent on the England and
Reading deals, or is that information
confidential, only to be seen by some
co-owners?
I can understand endorsing Reading
Football Club. At least they manage to
win the occasional game (12 from 36
currently)!
When the three-year deal comes
up for renegotiation next year, can we
please be reassured that the cricket
sponsorship will not be renewed?
Would it not be a good idea if all
Partners, as co-owners of the company,
had a say regarding which rubbish team
we sponsor next?
I hear the Scottish football team is
looking for a sponsor.
Yours etc,
Bob Pringle,
Comely Bank
Continued over
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 19

Letters
Reply from the Manager, Local
Marketing, Customer Events &
Sponsorship:
Over nine million UK adults with a similar
demographic to our core audience follow
cricket in the UK. Their interests range
from playing, watching, and attending
matches, which could be an international
game at Edgbaston or The Oval.
However, with over 5,000 registered
cricket clubs in the UK, it is more likely to
be at their local cricket club which is an
integral part of the local community and
one in which we no doubt trade.
Therefore, the objective of our
sponsorship is to drive awareness
through all the national teams -– Men’s,
Women’s, The Lions, Under 19s and
Disability teams – to enable us to engage
with these customers at a local level and
build their loyalty to our brand through
cricket.
In our first year we benefited from
a global TV media value of £18.9m.
Specifically in the UK, that amounted to
£7.2m and our brand was viewed by a
cricket audience on TV for 589 hours last
summer. With Test cricket against New
Zealand and The Ashes this summer,
viewing figures are set to increase by up
to 30%.
I am afraid that I am unable to share
the financial details of the sponsorship
for cricket or Reading FC as these are
commercially sensitive. I can reassure
you, though, that before the renegotiation
of contracts, we will fully evaluate the
investment and only proceed with the
agreement of the WMB.
Paul Hogan
Product descriptions
Dear Editor: As a historically informed
and socially conscious Partner, I find
some of the herb packaging in branch
rather offensive. For example the
tarragon has “believed by the Chinese to
bestow immortality” on it – what type of
ridiculous comment is this? It’s the 21st
century and I would say that is borderline
racist or at the very least racially
insensitive.
The main issue I have, however,
is with the red chillies which have
“Discovered by Columbus” on them. I’m
sorry but that is just pathetic! I hope you
realise that there were indeed native
peoples in the lands that Columbus
explored. Do a bit of research and you
will find that Columbus ordered the
rape, murder and enslavement of native
people in the Americas.
In conclusion, think before you
package.
Yours etc.
Reply from the Head of Graphic
Design:
I’m very sorry that our packaging design
has caused offence – this was certainly
not our intention.
Our research into the long history of
herbs and spices led us to the Cook’s
Ingredient’s design. We wanted to
share some of the myths, legends and
beliefs we had found and believed
our customers would also find them
interesting.
It was the Ancient Chinese who
believed coriander (not tarragon) could
give immortality; but I accept that
perhaps we should have made this
clearer.
We found many references to
Columbus introducing chillies to Europe
and the East but, again, I can see that
‘discovered’ may be an over-statement.
We don’t have any immediate plans for
Cook’s Ingredients packaging, but when
it comes up for review I will ensure that
we have your points in mind.
Maggie Hodgetts
WMC costs
Dear Editor: How much did it cost to hold
the Waitrose Management Conference?
What a lovely place Celtic Manor
Resort looks! Five star luxury
accommodation and a gala dinner
thrown in as well – what a nice outing.
I thought that times were hard and we
had to save money, or is that just the
ordinary workers that have to make all
the savings? Do we not have our own
conference facilities? At least the cost
would be within the Partnership.
Perhaps you could arrange the same
facilities for us ordinary workers to have a
couple of days out to see what a Modern
Waitrose is all about, after all we are all
Partners and should be treated equally.
I am definitely not ‘dancing in the rain’,
just trudging home after a long day and
having baked beans for tea.
Here are some nice quotes: ‘When
bosses talk about improving productivity,
they are never talking about themselves!’
and ‘I have not failed, I have just found
10,000 ways that do not work.’
Yours etc,
Steve Glanville,
Newark
Reply from the Managing Director:
We always manage the Waitrose
Management Conference budget very
tightly and never more so than this year.
The cost per attendee was £490, a 10%
reduction on the £546 I reported on these
pages for the 2014 conference – and
21% lower than the 2011 figure of £620
per person, which I also set out in a
Chronicle letter reply.
The Conference is an important
event. It is the only time in the year when
we bring the leaders of our business
together to give them an in-depth
understanding of overall strategy, the
challenges we face and our specific
plans for the year ahead – and to equip
them to share this information with their
teams.
We have held the event at the Celtic
Manor Hotel in Newport, South Wales
for the past 15 years. It is one of the few
venues in the UK that offers what we
need and there are no Partnershipowned
conference facilities on this scale.
Mark Price
WMC catering
Dear Editor: As a bearded deli Partner
who has to wear a beard snood every
day that I am working, I am infuriated
to note that none of the three Partners
depicted serving food at the WMC – all of
whom have beards or substantial facial
hair – are wearing them.
Likewise, since Partners in store are
not allowed behind the counter without
a hat, why is this an exception at the
WMC? What about health and hygiene
compliance standards – are they different
at this event? Did not managers flag this
up while there?
Not wearing a hat or beard snood
would be a potential IDP in my branch. To
flaunt this on The Chronicle cover seems
a mixed message at best.
Yours etc,
Neil Snowdon
Dear Editor: Lovely to see that the
WMC was so beautifully catered for
(The Chronicle, issue dated 6 March)
but I thought I would lead the inevitable
tirade of letters that you are about to
receive regarding dress code of Partners,
in particular the section on personal
hygiene when handling open food.
The front cover proudly displays three
hirsute Partners complete with beards,
one of which is particularly impressive,
and not a hairnet nor a beard snood in
sight!
Yours etc.
Reply from the Manager, Waitrose
Cookery Schools:
Thank you for your letters regarding
our stand at the WMC. The WMC
audience provided a great opportunity
to demonstrate the types of things we
are doing at the schools to create theatre
around our offer for our customers.
I can advise the writers of the letters
that whilst the cookery school is a
different operation to branch, I want
to reassure you that our activities are
fully audited and supported by the
compliance teams to ensure the food
preparation and teaching methods meet
the relevant criteria for Waitrose.
It is also worth mentioning that
the compliance teams are currently
reviewing our business dress guidelines
with regards the wearing of snoods.
Karen Himsworth
Reply from the Editor:
Thank you for your letters. I take both your
points about using this photograph on
the front cover of The Chronicle, when it
appears the compliance regulations vary.
We chose the picture as it was a lively,
colourful and eye-catching image which
represented the event. I do, however,
understand how this could have been
frustrating to see on the cover for some of
our Partners who work across the estate
in various food preparation roles.
Ella Foote
myWaitrose benefits
Dear Editor: Quite often customers will
remark that they have been using their
myWaitrose card for some years but
apart from a free coffee and newspaper
they never seem to get any discount
(eg 10% on everyday lines). Yet they will
stand in a queue with other customers
buying similar items and they get the
10% discount.
Some customers are threatening
to send back their myWaitrose cards
as they feel that certain cards seem to
have a preferential status with respect
to discounts. A rational explanation that
can be offered to customers would be
welcome.
If the reported problem is widespread
is anything being done to resolve it?
Yours etc.
Reply from the Manager, Customer
Loyalty:
Thank you for your letter. It’s always good
to hear that customers are enjoying the
coffee and newspaper benefits of the
myWaitrose scheme.
The myWaitrose offers featured in
store apply to hundreds of lines and
are available without limitation to all
myWaitrose members. The recent 10%
off Easter eggs myWaitrose offer had
large appeal, featuring in the press and
social media with a significant customer
uptake.
The other type of offer for myWaitrose
customers are ‘personalised offers’
through the post and email, which
require a customer to be opted into
marketing and engaged with that
communication channel. If customers
do not open emails or respond to direct
mail, we will assume they would prefer
not to engage and we may stop using
this channel to contact them.
Customers who do not swipe their
card may receive less relevant offers
and not using a myWaitrose card when
redeeming vouchers may also prevent
customers receiving any rewards in the
future.
Some of our personalised offers are
funded by buyers and suppliers who
may have specific groups of customers
they want to target. Any vouchers funded
by the myWaitrose team are designed
between the marketing and finance
teams to drive specific behaviour
from certain groups of customers the
business wants to focus on.
We are continuously reviewing
the myWaitrose scheme and have to
balance the customer appeal with the
needs of our business.
Sam Winterson
20 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

Letters
myWaitrose offer abuse
Dear Editor: Could you please let us
know when the planned till upgrade will
take place to stop customers abusing
the myWaitrose card offer by using their
drink and paper to make the transaction
total up to £5 (£10 on the weekend) and
therefore provide the discount without the
minimum spend?
I know it has previously been identified
as a small issue (around 4% I believe?)
but I see it in my branch every shift and in
a time of cost savings we need to protect
our profits.
Yours etc,
Matthew Jones, Bloomsbury (207)
Reply from the Head of Customer
Loyalty:
Thank you for your letter. As you say, in
this time of cost challenges we have
been looking closely at the levels of
hot drink and newspaper transactions
that are not driving the right customer
behaviour. The average basket value
associated with the newspaper deal in
the week is £30 and at weekend is £38.
The occurrences whereby a hot drink
and a newspaper are in the same basket
and the transaction value only just meets
the threshold (as you describe) is one
per cent. Looking at the cost of system
changes vs the cash saving, it does not
make sense currently to invest in the
system changes.
I hope that gives you comfort that
this has been closely looked at and
considered resulting in the most costeffective
solution taken.
Leigh Rengger
myWaitrose newspaper offer
Dear Editor: Using a myWaitrose card
between Monday and Friday, a customer
is expected to qualify for a free Times,
Daily Telegraph, Guardian or Daily
Mail newspaper if they spend at least
£5.00. In some cases the customer
has to spend £5.00 and the cost of the
newspaper is additional to the £5.00 and
deducted when the myWaitrose card is
applied. In other instances the customer
spends £5.00 including the cost of the
qualifying newspaper and when the
myWaitrose card is applied the cost of
the newspaper is deducted leaving a
customer spend of less than £5.00.
What is correct, as many customers
have noticed the variance and quite often
ask?
Yours etc.
Reply from the Manager, Customer
Loyalty:
Thank you for your letter. All of the
weekday newspapers are subject to
a £5 minimum spend and should not
trigger unless this threshold has been hit
– which can include the cost of the paper.
This process is the same for the £10
minimum spend at the weekend.
Therefore, there should be no
differences occurring, and no customer
confusion. However your letter indicates
otherwise. To help investigate, I’d like
to ask that you advise the Operational
Support Desk when you next encounter
this. They (along with myself) will then be
able to investigate further with transaction
information at hand and resolve any
confusion.
Neil Stead
Partnership hotel prices
Dear Editor: Is it possible to find out why
the Partnership holiday homes charge
children aged over 16 the same price
to stay as an adult but, in fact, in the
eyes of the law would be classified as
dependants until they are 18 years old?
If they are to be charged at an adult
rate, are they then able to partake in
adult activities – order from the bar and
presumably stay without the need for a
parent to accompany them?
The government has deemed they are
in full-time education or training until the
age of 18 years and it is therefore likely
that they will not be earners of any great
means until after that time.
Therefore could I suggest that there
is perhaps a student rate or young adult
rate added to the charging policy to
enable Partners to take their children with
them on breaks but without having to be
charged the full adult rate? Perhaps three
quarters of the price to show a rise from
the half price offered to those under 16.
What happens to children that are 16
years old? They are neither under 16 or
over 16 but clearly just 16 years old.
I know that the rate offered is
exceptional value, but it is getting less
affordable as children grow up. I also
appreciate that they probably eat more
and may well take up an additional room,
but I would also like to think that the
Partnership values families and therefore
this should not be a barrier to being able
to have a holiday. Thank you.
Yours etc,
Now a less frequent holiday home
user
Reply from the Head of Hotels,
Leisure and Benefits:
I do understand the expense of raising
children and that is why, unlike a
good deal of the hospitality industry,
Partnership hotels charge the child rate
up to and including the year they are 16.
Generally guests who are 16 can, and
do, partake in all activities offered by the
hotels, with the exception of purchasing
alcohol. They tend to occupy their own
room and certainly eat as much as an
adult so the costs associated with their
stay are no different from that of an adult.
The application of any Partnership
leisure subsidy is always a balance
between the value to the Partner, cost of
the benefit and the available budget.
If we were to include, as suggested,
a lower rate up to the age of 18, we
would have to increase rates for others
so as not to increase the overall cost of
subsidising the hotels. I would hope we
have struck a fair compromise.
Regardless of age, the Partner, who
can be 16, must always be included in
any booking to stay at a Partnership hotel,
with the exception of Odney membership,
so a non-Partner – regardless of age –
cannot stay without the Partner being
present.
Lawrence Chapman
Leisure Benefits
Dear Editor: I’ve got to say my wife,
daughter and I have just enjoyed a great
day out at Alton Towers with a great
discounted rate for Partners.
As a newcomer to the Partnership
(just six months), this event was the first
of many we hope to take advantage of.
Not only does it feel special that the
park is open just for Partners, but it
was also a great cost saving for us as
a family, costing us less than half the
normal entrance fee. The weather was
kind to us too and, although chilly, it was
nice and dry.
The park had a great feel and there
was minimal queuing for many of the
rides. We can’t wait to book again for
next year.
Yours etc,
Oliver Eadon,
ASM Ambient Northwich
HHA Chronicle feature
Dear Editor: Referring to the Historic
Houses Association (HHA) membership
promotion on the back page of the
13 March edition of The Chronicle,
the choice of Leeds Castle for
the accompanying photo is a little
unfortunate as this property is not, in fact,
one of the 300+ properties that are free
to members.
Hever Castle, also in Kent, is definitely
free and is infinitely more photogenic (in
my opinion).
Yours etc,
7oakslady
Reply from the Editor, The
Waitrose Chronicle:
Our mistake, thank you for making us
aware for future promotions.
Ella Foote
Branch aprons
Dear Editor: I can’t understand the fuss
about wearing aprons on the shopfloor.
For me, I find it a most useful garment.
It is the only place to keep pens, shelf
edge spoons, and the most hideous
box-opening knife. It also protects from
spillages. So let’s hear it for the apron!
Yours etc.
Thank you
Dear Editor: Wollaton in Nottingham
opened very recently and has been a
huge success with very encouraging
sales and very many positive customer
comments.
As always with any new branch
opening, especially an acquisition, it is a
massive team effort to bring the branch
to fruition in such a short time and there
are simply too many stars to mention
anyone by name. Needless to say the
opening represents the true values of
Partnership at its very best – a large
number of Partners pulling together to
achieve a common goal. The team spirit
demonstrated by Wollaton Partners and
many branch Partners from around
the business, Bracknell Partners and
contractors has been humbling at times.
Thank you sometimes doesn’t feel
enough, but we at Wollaton are incredibly
proud of what everyone has achieved for
us and with us.
Thank you so much. It has been a
pleasure to work with you all.
Yours etc,
Ian Fraser BM, James Eskriett DMR
and Carl Markwick DMRS
Dear Editor: The unexpected arrival of
Waitrose in Locks Heath a year ago
has been very welcome with significant
savings on our shopping bill (even before
discount) and fantastic customer service.
Waitrose’s arrival was all the more
surprising as there had been a public
exhibition of a radical scheme involving a
competitor a few months beforehand.
I’ll be going into more detail on the
Waitrose Memory Store in due course
along with a very tenuous link to the start
of my working life exactly 50 years ago.
Best wishes to 563 for the future.
Yours etc,
Terry Hammond
Dear Editor: Due to the fact that my train
line from Chelmsford to Liverpool Street
had track repairs, I was able to do my
four Sundays work at Waitrose Billericay.
I would like to say thank you to Ellaine
on tills and all the cashiers who were
so helpful and friendly, making it an
enjoyable experience.
I also want to thank the restaurant
Partner who looked after me.
Thank you all again. You’ve turned
me into a Waitrose shopper because it’s
such a friendly store.
Yours etc,
Terry Day, John Lewis Oxford Street
(001)
One letter has been edited and three
letters have been printed a week late.
We acknowledge receipt of letters
from the following: Totally demoralised,
Stumped and six letters from unsigned.
The Chronicle may withhold or edit letters
that are personally abusive, defamatory,
or commercially damaging to the
business or its suppliers.
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 21

Classifieds
required on six-month secondment. Pay
in range £7.80 - £9.60 ph.
fiancée Laura on their recent wedding.
We wish you many happy years together.
Here at the Waitrose Chronicle we
love seeing photos of what Partners
are doing around the country.
We've put together five top tips to
think about when taking photos.
Send your photos to waitrose.
chronicle@waitrose.co.uk
Shoot multiple images
When taking a photo, there is safety
in numbers. Hold down the camera’s
shutter to take multiple photos in
rapid succession, particularly when
taking group photos. This will help
ensure everyone is looking in the
same direction with their eyes open.
Hold the device like you
would a camera
Use the Apple device as if it was
a traditional camera. The volume
buttons also act as a shutter for
convenience. Holding the Apple
device with both hands will give
your photos added stability and
therefore focus.
Zoom in with your feet
The zoom is not one of Apple’s
greatest achievements and should
be avoided at all costs. The best
solution for this is to use your feet.
Moving closer to the subject will
keep the image from losing quality.
Make sure your image is in focus
Apple has an easy way to ensure
your photos are in focus. Tap on
the screen in the camera viewer
and an outline of a yellow square
will appear meaning that selection
is focused.
Consider lighting
Light with Apple devices is
important, the lower the light the
more grainy and poor quality
it becomes. Always make sure
the subject is well lit for the best
results. We want to see your
smiles!
Off
HDR
WAITROSE HEAD OFFICE
Robert Bradbury will be Productivity
Analyst, Operational Strategy from
20 April. Robert is currently Business
Analyst Financial Systems at the same
location.
WAITROSE HEAD OFFICE
Nathan Laurie was appointed Systems
Developer ITL4, IT Systems Design &
Development from 13 April. Nathan was
previously Systems Developer ITL3, IT
Systems Design & Development at the
same location.
Jane Stevenson
Head of Business Partnering, Head
Office & Supply Chain
WELWYN GARDEN CITY (204)
Department Manager L7 required. Pay in
range £39,900 - £45,450 pa.
NEWTON MEARNS (327)
Section Manager Customer Service L8
required. Pay in range £26,906 - £32,803
pa.
RUISLIP (197)
Section Manager Ambient L8 required.
Pay in range £26,350 - £37,750 pa.
CANARY WHARF (664)
Assistant Section Manager Nightshift L9
required. Pay in range £24,250 - £34,200
pa.
STAMFORD (484)
Section Manager Customer Service L8
required. Pay in range £22,350 - £31,750
pa.
STROUD (210)
Section Manager Customer Service L8
required. Pay in range £22,350 - £31,750
pa.
PETERBOROUGH (531)
Section Manager Ambient L8 required.
Pay in range £21,900 - £30,225 pa.
DOTCOM FULFILMENT CENTRE,
COULSDON (513)
Vehicle Technician, Workshop L9
required. Pay in range £13.33 - £16.00
ph.
HAMPTON (612)
Team Manager L8 required. Pay in range
£11.25 - £17.65 ph.
LECKFORD LODGES (550)
Food & Hotel Services Manager L9
Apply online via Partner intranet under
Policies & Procedures/ Personnel/
Resourcing/ Vacancies/ Internal
Vacancies. Any positions that are open to
external applicants will be advertised on
www.jlpjobs.com
Classifieds
In memoriam
It is with great sadness and regret that
we report the death of Heather Snelling
from Abingdon. We extend our deepest
sympathy to her family and friends.
It is with great sadness and regret that
we report the death of retired Partner
Patrick Mullins from Berkhamsted. We
extend our deepest sympathy to his
family and friends.
Congratulations
All Partners at 695 would like to
congratulate Mark Sturman on his
appointment to SM Ambient and for
successfully completing his Duty sign off.
Good luck, Mark!
Well done to Richard Rousell at 689
for passing his advanced WSET Wines
examination. We know our customers
will benefit greatly from your additional
training!
All Partners at Ely would like to
congratulate Lucy Acred on passing her
Level 3 wines specialist course.
Congratulations to Dan Speed on
passing his Duty Manager training. Best
wishes from all at Stevenage.
Everyone at 689 would like to wish Mike
Burton-Dowsett a happy retirement. We
will miss you!
Partners at York would like to send their
congratulations to their PCM Helen
Liddle and her husband Pete on the birth
of their beautiful baby girl, Rosie. We
can’t wait to meet her!
Congratulations to Lisa Harbottle and
her husband Dave on the birth of their
beautiful son, Patrick, who made his way
into the world on St Patrick’s Day! Well
done Lisa, he was worth the wait. Love
from all at York.
All Partners at Goldsworth Park would
like to congratulate Martin Leary and his
Congratulations to 689 Partner Karen
Aitken who tied the knot to her beloved
Alan Merritt on Friday, 10 April. We wish
you a wonderful future together!
All Partners at Ely would like to
congratulate Steve Funnell on his recent
marriage to Mercedes. We hope that you
both have long and happy lives together.
All Partners at Rickmansworth would
like to congratulate Grant Hurrell on his
recent engagement to Kate Leigh. Well
done on your amazing proposal and all
the best for your future together.
Good luck to Amy Dexter and her fiancé,
James Stickland, for their upcoming
wedding on 25 April. Hope you have
a truly special day and long, happy
lives together. Best wishes from all at
Stevenage.
Notices
For Sale: Outwell Bearlake Six Tent.
£475 in excellent condition. Please call
Jenny on 07790 100046 if you would like
more details.
Holiday Homes
Tuscany, Italy
17th century farmhouse with private
heated pool for weekly rental. Sleeps
up to ten. Check our website at www.
casaleanatuscany.com or email casa_
barliano@live.co.uk for further details.
Bunn Leisure, Selsey
Six-berth caravan close to beach and
club house. For more info please go
to www.static-caravan.co.uk/scully_
westsands.htm or contact Paul Scully on
07449 124272
Javea, Spain.
Five-bedroom villa situated on wellestablished
and quiet urban landscape.
Stunning views of Javea and Mount
Montgo. Private swimming pool,
BBQ area, games room, wifi, satellite
TV and air conditioning. Contact:
Lorrainerobinson2002@gmail.com
Rock, Cornwall
Luxury six-berth caravan on the beautiful
Cornish coast. Close to Rock, Padstow
and Polzeath surfing beach. On-site
facilities including indoor pool.
For details please visit http://cheladela.
wix.com/chel-adore or call Lauren on
07929 381465.
22 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015

Leisure
Everything is
awesome
Tickets are now available for the
Partnership takeover event at Legoland
on Saturday, 6 June.
The special event is hosted by Leisure
Benefits, and Partners will have exclusive
use of the park from 6pm to 9pm.
Tickets cost £13 for Partners, spouses
and dependants, and £22.50 for guests.
Children under three go free.
For tickets, and a chance to win a
Lego pack, call 08712 224 001 or visit
www.legoland.co.uk/JLP. Full details can
be found at www.partnerchoice.co.uk
Sing in the Italian sun
The Music Society is arranging a trip to
Sorrento, Italy, for a weekend of sun, sea
and singing.
“Trips like these have become
legendary in the society,” says Musical
Director Manvinder Rattan. “The quality
of the musical experience and the fun
Partners have in each others’ company
doesn’t compare to any other event. This
year’s trip to Sorrento is likely to be an
exceptional one, not only for the location,
which provokes superlatives, but also for
the hotel we are staying in.”
Any member of the society is welcome
(and it’s free to join via the Partner
intranet), and places on the trip cost
£320 for Partners, £620 for guests and
£183 for children.
More information can be found on
www.partnerchoice.co.uk or via the
Music Society’s pages on the Partner
intranet.
Sudoku
Look good on the
dance floor with
Partnership DJs
Solutions published:
24 April 2015
Sixteen Partners – nine of them
from Waitrose – have been chosen
to DJ at two of the UK’s top clubs,
after entering a competition run by
Partnership Leisure Benefits, and
there are still tickets left to watch them
in action.
The Mix Competition offered Partner
DJs the chance to join the line-up at
two exclusive club nights at London’s
Ministry of Sound on Sunday, 26 April
and The Factory in Manchester on
Sunday, 10 May when the Partnership
takes over the two venues.
Waitrose Dibden’s Joe Cartwright
is among the Partner DJs who will
be playing at London’s Ministry of
Sound.
“It feels amazing to have been
selected to DJ in one of the best
clubs in the world,” he says. “I’m
most looking forward to playing on
the incredible sound system and
meeting the other DJs there.”
Tickets cost £10 for Partners,
and can be purchased at www.
partnerchoice.co.uk. Hurry though,
as they are selling out fast.
17 April 2015 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 23

My world in 5
JZ: What does your job involve?
KM: It’s a relatively new role and I work closely with ITCR
(IT Customer Relationships), looking at new technology, for
example Hiku, digital signage, electronic shelf edge labels and
seeing how we can use them in Waitrose.
JZ: Why is it so crucial to the business?
KM: Food retailing has never been so competitive. We look at
how Waitrose can maintain the edge over the competition using
technology, from both the Partner and customer perspective.
JZ: What’s the most exciting thing about it?
KM: The pace of change; helping the business look at new
technology and being able to respond quickly. We're in the
process of building an Innovation Lab in Jubilee House for
Waitrose called the Green Room that will allows us to bring in
new technology to evaluate and showcase to other Partners.
JZ: How long have you been a Partner and where did you
start?
KM: I’ve been a Partner for 26 years – I started off in the John
Lewis Buying Offices in Clipstone Street, London and moved
into what was Computer Operations four months later. I met my
wife, Janice, there. Janice still works for Waitrose IT in Bracknell
although we try to keep our work lives separate.
JZ: What do you do outside work?
Innovation Architect Keith
Meachem works in IT Strategy
and Architecture at Head Office.
Judith Zerdin caught up with him
about what makes him tick
KM: I travel the world taking photos of military planes. I take
photos of aircraft in flight, on bases and on exercises. I’ve been
to Japan, Russia, New Zealand, the US and different parts of
Europe to take photos and in May I’m off to Turkey for two days
to take photos during a Nato exercise at an airbase. I’ll probably
spend my long leave travelling through the southern hemisphere
and, yes, I expect it’ll involve taking photos of military planes as
well.
24 | The Waitrose Chronicle | 17 April 2015