The Winners 2024

The Microsoft Award for The Happiest Place to Work in association with the Retail Trust

Winner: Majestic Wine

The judges named Majestic Wine the winner on the back of its impressive initiatives to build staff morale after its separation from Naked Wines in 2019.

The characteristics that differentiated Majestic needed to be reinforced and enhanced after a period of business decline when staff morale plummeted. The retailer, therefore, introduced measures to build employee morale, including conducting its largest-ever listening programme: 13 day-long focus groups with 150 colleagues across its stores, warehouses and support centre.

The wine specialist also launched employee forums to improve communication between frontline and senior staff, made its biggest-ever investment in pay, and invested in learning and development.

The initiatives delivered a marked improvement in employee engagement, workplace happiness and retention.

One judge said: “The breadth and depth of what Majestic Wine is doing gives me a very clear sense that colleagues weren’t on the receiving end but at the heart of deciding what matters.”

Another concluded: “It could have taken a really corporate view about how to drive profitability, but it has gone to first principles again and really understood its people. And what it learned can make a real difference to success or failure.”

The Distribution/Delivery Hero Award

Winner: Bobby Storey, delivery driver, ScS Group, Seaham

Silver: Simon McMahon, senior programme manager, Amazon

The judges recognised the excellent work done by Bobby Storey from ScS Group, who scooped this award.

Based in ScS’ Seaham distribution centre in County Durham, Storey joined the retailer in 2016 and works to ensure customers’ furniture is delivered and installed to the highest of standards.

Over the past year, Storey’s track record includes receiving three customer feedback emails sent directly to the chief executive and being one of the retailer’s most reviewed drivers on Trustpilot throughout 2023. He has more than 812 reviews in total and an average Trustpilot score of 4.97 out of 5.

The judges were particularly impressed that Storey had received 106 five-star reviews on Trustpilot in two months. Out of 110 drivers, he also bagged six out of 12 ScS Driver of the Month awards in 2023.

Apart from consistently providing exceptional service, Storey also went the extra mile by alerting a customer to a gas leak while delivering.

The customer said: “He literally saved our lives today and I can’t thank him enough. He is a credit to your company and I will be forever in his debt.”

One judge concluded: “Bobby is a great example of really going above and beyond, and potentially making a huge difference to customers.”

The SAP Head Office Heroes Award

Winner: Team Fusion – Zara Harding (project lead), Steven Adam (project manager), Nicky Webber (lead business analyst) and Jac Hodges (development and change management), Ann Summers

Silver: Michael Pang, Senior Merchandiser – International, WHSmith

The judges recognised the sheer amount of hard work that Ann Summers’ Team Fusion put into committing to a complete overhaul of its direct selling channel.

In a category that recognises head offices that delivered tangible value to the business or customers over the past 12 months, the panel agreed that Team Fusion was the worthy winner of the award.

The retailer’s direct selling channel has faced challenging conditions post-Covid and the business had to invest in a radical remodel to ensure a successful future. That meant tasking Team Fusion with delivering the remodel in 10 months.

The team engaged all relevant departments, who took this on as a priority, and was successful in achieving the biggest transformation of Ann Summers’ direct selling channel in 40 years while also delivering the “desired profit margin”.

One judge said: “The selling model has been refreshed and it has worked. What a great example of a successful transformation.”

Another observed: “This project had to bring the whole business together and that takes a lot of hard work, especially as it was delivered in such a short time frame.”

The Community Hero Award

Winner: Andrew Moores, store manager, Homebase, Catford

Silver: Michaela Hawthorne, community champion, Asda, Queslett

After much debate in a category with so many deserving nominees, the judges united on their decision to give the accolade to Andrew Moores and the team he leads at Homebase.

Based in Catford, south London, this Homebase team has achieved great things over the past 12 months, including helping the Lewisham fire brigade build a garden area at the station, organising free supplies of Christmas trees for schools and helping to tidy up the local pond.

The judges believed the initiatives represented a “true team effort” that put the community at the heart of what they do in a way that “really resonated”.

The biggest project that made Moores and his team stand out as community heroes was one they started in honour of local teacher Sabina Nessa who was murdered in 2021.

After Rushey Green Primary School approached the store and shared its plans for a memorial garden, the team jumped at the chance to help and supported the school with design, materials and advice.

One judge concluded: “To get a whole team doing great things… that is what you want as a retailer – your brand, your team and your business being represented so well in the community.”

The Best New Store Award

Winner: EE Studio, Westfield White City, London

Telecomms specialist EE’s “future face of retail” flagship store in the west London shopping centre bagged this year’s award for Best New Store.

EE’s intention was to offer customers “standout experiences that reflect the increasingly connected lives they lead” and the judges unanimously agreed it had succeeded. They said the shop was a big “step-change in how tech is presented and in customer engagement”.

The store opened in June 2023. In two-and-a-half months of trading, monthly footfall was 220% ahead of target. Average footfall at the new studio store is exponentially higher than that achieved in the comparable period at the previous EE Westfield branch and it is achieving a significantly higher net promoter score from customers.

The store features a raft of “experience zones” such as a dedicated gaming area, a “taste of the future” smart home zone, a “digital spa” designed to support digital wellbeing and workshops enabling people to get the most out of their technology.

One judge concluded: “EE’s experiential element and the way it is pulling in customers and the immediate effect it had on footfall is a standout.”

The Relex Solutions Responsible Retailer Award

Winner: Cook

Silver: Co-op

Specialist frozen food retailer Cook wowed the judges with its “well-rounded” approach that is making an impact in multiple areas.

Cook is focusing on creating a community and an inclusive workplace with more female leaders and ethnic diversity.

Through its RAW Talent programme, Cook provides jobs to ex-offenders or those experiencing homelessness or mental health issues. Altogether, 4.4% of its workforce was hired through the programme by the end of last year.

One judge believed Cook, as a comparatively small retailer, was punching above its weight with such initiatives.

In Cook’s list of achievements, the factor the judges liked most of all was that it allows its team to “make a difference”.

Staff are given three cards to distribute to customers in need, entitling them to 30% off Cook’s food for a year. Use of the cards increased by more than a third last year.

One judge enthused: “It’s great to let your people have a unique impact on individual customers.”

The Green Initiative of the Year

Winner: Currys

For the judges, Currys stood out as a winner because it more than met the criteria for an impressive sustainability programme.

As the leading electricals retailer, Currys believes it has “a duty” to slash waste and the team has been working hard to encourage customers to buy or sell refurbished products.

Its Cash for Trash scheme enables customers to bring in unwanted tech in exchange for a £5 Currys voucher. Currys will then repair and reuse the product or harvest valuable parts for other repairs before recycling the rest.

The team at its distribution centre in Newark, Nottinghamshire, assesses and repairs 5,000 products per week to sell via currys.co.uk and supports local causes and low-income families.

As well as focusing on benefiting the environment, Currys is working closely with charities to provide thousands of low-income families with access to refurbished devices.

One judge said: “I’m a big believer in refurb. I don’t think it’s got the penetration it needs yet and Currys is doing so much in this area.”

Another said: “Currys has the opportunity to do something really positive because it’s got the scale.”

The Fashion Retailer of the Year

Winner: Marks & Spencer

In 2022, high street institution Marks & Spencer set out a plan to transform and grow all areas of the business, including its clothing and home division.

Eighteen months into its reshaping strategy, M&S has upped its game in fashion. The retailer’s clothing and home sales climbed by 11.5% in 2023, while like-for-likes advanced by 11.2%.

The improvement reflected a raft of initiatives covering key aspects of the M&S clothing offer, such as improvements in style – demonstrated by actress Sienna Miller’s involvement as the face of its autumn womenswear campaign – and enhanced value. This was accompanied by more confident buying and a willingness to back its biggest categories, such as denim.

M&S also built its omnichannel approach as evidenced by the increasing use of click and collect and the retailer’s app. All this work helped it add market share.

One judge said: “The work the clothing team has done at M&S is commendable.

“The job it’s done to turn the clothing business around and the fact it’s had people like Sienna Miller involved in a brand some people might have thought was becoming untrendy shows how far it’s come.”

The Softserve Grocer of the Year

Winner: Lidl

In a fiercely contested category that prompted much debate, Lidl won Grocer of the Year both for its impressive growth over the past 12 months and its value offering.

The discounter draws custom through impressively low prices and a YouGov survey showed that consumers rated it the “most popular” supermarket.

The judges said Lidl impressed because of its community involvement, such as offering food donations, and product quality as well as “amazing prices”.

The retailer achieved its fastest growth in more than five years in 2023, making market share gains and growing its customer base.

Revenue increased by 18.8% to £9.3bn during its most recent financial year and it recently posted a “record-breaking” Christmas, with an additional 4.5 million customers and a 12% increase in overall sales.

Lidl’s investment in people also stood out as it became the UK’s highest-paying supermarket, implementing three separate pay rises over the past year.

One judge concluded: “It’s not just the affordability, it’s the quality, and I think Lidl has got a tremendous business where it’s captured a lot of market share.

“Unless the rest of the supermarkets do something, that’s going to continue.”

The Salesforce Best Retailer Under £250m

Winner: Jollyes

Jollyes took the top award in this category as a result of its business proposition and commercial success.

The judges were impressed by the specialist pet retailer’s growth over the past 12 months and praised its “sense of creativity” reflected in initiatives such as “pet-ernity day”, which entitles staff to a day off when they welcome a new pet into their family.

One judge was especially impressed by the fact that every one of the 26 stores Jollyes has opened in the last two years is “trading profitably”, which is no mean feat.

The retailer’s sales soared 33% to £115.5m in the year to May 2023. Like-for-like growth also came almost exclusively from transaction growth, rather than price inflation.

Jollyes’ store estate has increased by almost 40% in the past two years. It has also invested in staff and new services, such as vet clinics and grooming parlours.

One judge summed up: “I like how it went down a simple pricing route for customers but added services that were incremental. Its values really stood out and it felt like a fun and energised business.”

The Best Retailer Over £250m

Winner: Tesco

Silver: Frasers Group

In a hard-fought category, Tesco triumphed.

Tesco’s initiatives to help consumers during the cost-of-living crisis, such as Aldi Price Match, Low Everyday Prices and Clubcard Prices, reinforced a reputation for value, helped win market share and cemented customer loyalty.

As part of its determination to be the most convenient retailer, Tesco extended its Whoosh rapid delivery service, which is now in almost 1,500 stores, and opened its 2,000th UK convenience store and ninth urban fulfilment centre.

In the first half, Tesco reported retail like-for-like sales up 7.8%. Since entries closed, the grocer has subsequently increased full-year profit guidance after delivering a strong Christmas.

At the same time, Tesco has not taken its foot off the pedal in supporting communities and driving forward its sustainability ambitions, such as the Stronger Starts scheme for schools or switching to electric delivery vehicles.

One judge said: “Tesco has put in work to help consumers in the cost-of-living crisis while also improving market share at the same time. I don’t think you can shy away from the numbers it’s put up but also the good it’s done.”

Judges applauded Tesco’s consistency of performance. As one said: “It’s bloody hard to be a big retailer and consistently be successful.”