Foreword from Salesforce

The innovation on show this year has been truly remarkable. All of the entries at this year’s awards showcase the very best of our industry.

In what has been a unique and challenging period for all of us, these nominees and winners have demonstrated dedication and resilience to the recovery and future of our industry like never seen before. 

The pandemic has transformed and accelerated the digital transformation of all aspects of our society. From now on, ecommerce will just be commerce, remote work will just be work and video meetings will just be meetings. 

We are in an all-digital, work-from-anywhere world and these awards represent the innovative ways in which businesses have reimagined everything about the customer experience and how to serve customers from anywhere.

Congratulations to all the winners of this year's awards. 

We would like to extend special thanks to all of the incredible Frontline Heroes, from store managers to delivery workers, distribution centres and head office teams: it would not have been possible without all of you on the frontline. Thank you. 

As the headline sponsor of the Retail Week Awards 2021, Salesforce is proud to partner with these industry-defining awards.

Frontline Hero – Store Manager 

Becki Gorman, Marks & Spencer

M&S store manager Becki Gorman, who runs the Cheetham Hill Simply Food branch in Manchester, was heralded “an amazing role model and inspiration” by the judges, after winning this year’s Frontline Hero – Store Manager award. 

Becki has been the branch manager since 2018, but was diagnosed with a brain tumour shortly after being appointed to the role. She took an enforced nine-month break to undergo surgery and recover. She returned to work three months ahead of schedule and, having made a full recovery, Becki wanted to give back to the NHS for saving her life. 

When the virus first hit the UK, Becki immediately signed up as an NHS volunteer and logged 90 hours of volunteering in the first month. Continuing to work full-time, she made herself available after store shifts and on her days off for pharmacy runs and deliveries to people who were self-isolating. Becki also encouraged staff at the store to volunteer, too

The judges felt that Becki’s recovery from a brain tumour and her subsequent commitment both to her role at M&S and to the NHS was commendable. As one judge commented: “I feel passionately that she deserves to be recognised – she has done multiple things exceptionally well in the most challenging of circumstances.”

The Critizr Frontline Hero – Store Team

Boots Piccadilly Circus

This year our judges were blown away by the store team at Boots’ Piccadilly Circus branch, which operated services far beyond its usual remit at a time when “central London was the new Isle of Arran” and travelling to a central city location was “incredibly risky”.

Staff cancelled time off and worked on their scheduled days off to ensure the branch stayed open to serve people in need, including homeless people, methadone users and victims of domestic violence, who sought refuge there.

As well as transforming pharmacy consultation rooms into Safe Spaces for victims of domestic violence as cases soared during lockdown, employees took calls from patients in need of support day and night.

Pressure on the branch also mounted as nearby Boots stores closed throughout lockdown. Staff members had to shield at various times, which led to more responsibility and tasks with a smaller workforce.

As one judge said: “Boots’ Piccadilly Circus store transformed from a flagship to an outpost during the pandemic, and the staff who worked there delivered services and care that no store colleague would ever realise they were signing up for when they took the job. 

“It’s no exaggeration to say this store and its staff will have been a real lifeline to those in the most desperate need, and may well have contributed to saving lives.”

The American Express Frontline Hero – Store Colleague

Mark Chisholm, Halfords

The pandemic has thrown up many inspiring retail stories, and Mark Chisholm, from Halfords, is the deserving winner in the American Express Frontline Hero – Store Colleague category, for his selfless action that saved the day for many patients in critical need.

Late one night in April, 2020, not long after the UK had been plunged into its first, disorientating lockdown, Mark took a call at Halfords’ Autocentre in Coatbridge, Scotland.

It was from wholesaler AAH Pharmaceuticals, which delivers critical medicines to patients. Vandals had slashed the tyres of its vans, leaving them stranded. 

Mark drove 50 miles to Edinburgh at night to assist. His hard work and selflessness ensured that all the vans were back in working order by the morning, in time to make their deliveries. 

Mark did that despite having to cope with personal challenges. He had only just recovered from the virus and his grandfather was in hospital with the illness. 

Colleagues attest that the story sums up Mark. One said he is always “cheery, reliable and always up for fun, even when times are tough”. Another commented: “You can phone him at any time for advice and he will never ever refuse to go to a breakdown.”

The judges said: “Of all the nominations, Mark’s story really stood out. He made great personal sacrifices… and responded to a situation that in itself was extremely unfortunate, assisting a critical medical delivery during Covid”.

The ParcelLab Customer Experience Award

Morrisons' doorstep deliveries

Tens of thousands of older and vulnerable people were forced into indefinite isolation as Covid-19 rapidly spread. By rolling out doorstep deliveries, Morrisons not only provided those households with food and other essentials but gave isolating customers a connection to the outside world through its phone service. 

At the height of the first wave of the pandemic last year, there were as many as 2.2 million people in the UK who were told to shield in their homes and not go out. Many of them were elderly and others lived alone or were without help.

Unable to go to their local supermarket, some were also unable to shop online. Morrisons identified those customers quickly and launched its doorstep delivery service in April 2020 with the stated goal of ensuring that “no customer gets left behind”. 

The thinking behind the scheme was simple enough but it was the details that made it so important. Reflecting the needs of many older customers, Morrisons opened a phone line for ordering.

Within a few weeks, Morrisons had made more than 100,000 vital food deliveries. Just as important, its phone operators were companions for many customers in isolation.

“This initiative showcased huge levels of consumer understanding and focused on a diverse set of customers," said one judge. "Morrisons turned a challenging situation for many such customers into one that offered flexibility, support and a point of contact.”