Backing UK Retail isn’t just about the role the industry plays in the economy – it’s about the part it plays in communities too. Charlotte Hardie asks how store jobs have helped local people

If it hadn’t been for Marks & Spencer, life as a Zimbabwean refugee in Glasgow might have been very different for Jonathan Mbiba.

The 35-year-old and his young family arrived in Scotland in 2005 with no home, no job and no prospects. But then he joined M&S’s Marks & Start work experience programme with the help of the Scottish Refugee Council and Scottish Business in the Community. After two weeks he secured a temporary Christmas job and then a permanent role in the Argyle Street store.

Mbiba says: “Securing this job with M&S has had such a big impact on my life. Having worked as a sales representative in Zimbabwe I’m glad to be able to make use of my skills working with people – which is one aspect of this job I particularly enjoy.”

He is now studying for a business management degree and hopes to achieve his ambition of becoming a trainee manager at M&S.

About 11 per cent of the UK workforce is employed by retail stores. But the role the sector plays in the lives of the 3 million people who work on the shopfloor extends far beyond a pay packet. Behind the numbers are thousands of personal tales reflecting the profound effect retailers have on people’s quality of life.

Dean Pears, 50, had been trying to find a job for a decade. When the Manchester slaughterhouse he had worked at since the age of 15 shut down, no one would employ him because of his age and lack of experience. Then he read about Tesco’s training scheme for its Manchester Cheetham Hill store, which opened last week. The course helped him with team working, confidence building and life skills, as well as English and maths. It put Pears among more than 100 long-term unemployed people who have secured a job at the store.

Pears says: “It’s been rough over the past 10 years and I was desperate to find work. I’ve been going home with lots to tell my wife. I can’t wait to start in the store and want to work hard and eventually become a team leader.” The one thing he is looking forward to most? “Taking my wife out for a meal,” he says.

Tesco executive director for corporate and legal affairs Lucy Neville-Rolfe says that in the past year the grocer has helped almost 2,000 people come off benefits.

“By working with a range of partners we are able to break the cycle of worklessness,” she says. “These partnerships give us dedicated, well-trained teams and make a real difference to local communities.”

Many more of the biggest retail employers in the UK have a similar stance towards inclusive employment. At Asda’s Breck Road store in Liverpool 233 of the 330 store roles were filled with benefits claimants from Jobcentre Plus. Asda chief executive Andy Bond says: “We’re committed to employing and retaining a diverse workforce.”

It is working with Remploy, a provider of employment services to disadvantaged people, which Bond says has allowed it to significantly increase the number of people it employs with disabilities or health conditions, enabling them to “establish a future within the Asda business”.

He adds that since 2007 more than 2,600 staff have joined the business through Jobcentre Plus and Local Employment Partnerships, with most returning from long-term unemployment.

A new start

The M&S Marks & Start scheme that was so helpful for Jonathan Mbiba was launched in 2004. With the help of charity partners such as the Prince’s Trust, it provides a work experience programme for disabled people, the homeless, lone parents and young unemployed.

Since it began, 3,000 people have taken part in placements under the guidance of M&S employees who act as buddies. About 40 per cent have gone on to find a job, either at the retailer or elsewhere.

Among them is single mother of four Janette Green, 46, from Pollok near Glasgow. She had spent six years at home “often bored and lonely” caring for her children, one of whom is autistic.

“I became quite introverted and increasingly lacked the confidence I needed to take charge of the situation and change my circumstances,” she says. “I’d convinced myself I just wasn’t good enough.”

Finding employment has made a huge difference. “I’ve learned new skills, I’m financially independent and I’ve formed great friendships,” she says. “It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Marks & Start has completely changed my life.”

M&S community partnerships manager Alexis Steadman says such feelings are not uncommon. “Many wouldn’t have felt it was in their capability even to apply for a job,” she says. “When you look at some of the homeless people that have taken part, these people have lost their home, their job and usually their families too. It’s very difficult to get an employer to even look at you.”

There is usually a positive knock-on effect on the families as well. Lisa Silclock, a 33-year-old single mother of seven, is another new employee at Tesco’s Cheetham Hill store. She left school at 13 with no qualifications and her checkout role will be her first job for 14 years.

The income will mean she can save for a family holiday at Pontins next year – the first in some time. “My whole family are proud of me,” she says.

Long opening hours mean retailers can also provide flexible employment. B&Q director of retail HR Gill Lewis says: “We offer term-time contracts and lots of flexibility, so we’re able to help working parents strike the balance between bringing up their family and bringing in an income.”

Lewis adds that B&Q’s older-worker policy (see box) also offers opportunities to those who aren’t ready for full retirement. She recently met a store colleague who had retired as a secondary school headmaster. “He wanted to carry on working, so he works 20 hours in the store,” she says. “He said he really enjoys the social aspect and it keeps him occupied and makes him feel useful.”

Retailers recognise the importance of developing store staff skills. Last week Morrisons announced the launch of its Fresh Food Academy, which will benefit 18,000 employees in the first year. Qualifications on offer include an NVQ level 2 in retail and full apprenticeships for butchers, bakers and fishmongers.

Store openings also bring wide-reaching benefits to the local community. Despite widely publicised job losses in the sector, there are many examples of job creation that should be celebrated. This year alone Morrisons plans to create about 5,000 jobs, as does Sainsbury’s, while Asda intends to create 8,000 according to chief executive Andy Bond.

Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King says:
“We took on 20,000 temps over Christmas instead of the planned 12,000 and 10 per cent of those will stay with us. While we’re concentrating on taking costs out of the business where we can to deflect inflation, we are opening stores and creating new jobs.”

On a local level, Tesco’s Cheetham Hill store created 230 jobs, while B&Q’s New Malden store, south London, which opens next month, will create more than 200 positions.

B&Q and Kingfisher UK division chief executive Euan Sutherland says this store opening is a perfect example of the contribution store development can make towards urban regeneration. It has invested time and money into the local infrastructure to improve traffic flow and has made the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists. B&Q’s community strategy has also enabled the refurbishment of local facilities through grants.

Sutherland says: “We strongly believe opening new stores brings real benefits to the local community and always work hard to improve the area in which we operate. Staffing the New Malden store has been a great boost for the area when times are tough.”

Who knows what the individuals mentioned here would be doing if it weren’t for the retail sector.
Dean Pears might well still be receiving one job rejection after another, Jane Greening might still feel isolated while trying to cope with her children, and Jonathan Mbiba and his family might still be struggling to adjust to life as refugees in Glasgow.

Thousands more with their own uplifting stories will testify that, for them, the retail sector is far more than just an employer.

Case studies

Three profoundly deaf men have secured jobs at Tesco’s Cheetham Hill store. Zain Khan, 22, Segun Ajayiope, 38, and Muji Hussain, 24, (pictured left to right) all completed an eight-week training course after Tesco’s partnership provided a professional signer to translate classes.

Ajayiope says: “I have been unemployed for seven years and have found it difficult to get interviews for jobs. I am really pleased to have secured one of the jobs in the fruit and veg section. I can’t wait to get started.” He is looking forward to saving his wages for a holiday to America.

Hussain adds: “It’s been great to go through the course and start the job together. We’ve made some great friends and text each other a lot. It will make a big difference if other people in the store also learn to sign.”

Syd Prior, 94, and Tony Warner, 75, both demonstrate the importance B&Q places on keeping people in work through its older-worker policy. Prior, who works at the Wimbledon store, south London, will transfer to the retailer’s nearby New Malden store when it opens in the next few weeks. He is a customer adviser and has worked at B&Q for 18 years.

He says: “It gives me the chance to put my knowledge and experience to good use, advising customers on their gardening projects. Working with people of all ages gives youngsters the chance to learn a little from an old timer like myself and they help to keep me young at heart.” After leaving his role at General Motors in the US, Warner felt he wasn’t ready to retire and is now part of the service squad at the Milton Keynes store because “he loves being in contact with people”.