Ryman Stationery

Founded: 1893

Based: Ryman House in Crewe, Cheshire

Number of staff: 2,300

Number of stores: 238

Annual days’ leave: the standard is 20 days plus bank holidays, which can rise to a maximum of 25 days plus bank holidays after six years of service. Staff automatically receive an additional day for each year of service from their second year at the company

Employee benefits: holidays, bonus schemes and discount cards. These increase the longer an employee stays with the company

The inside opinion from group operations director Terry Maywood

What makes the ideal Ryman employee? “Someone with the ability to deliver first-class customer service. A person who feels passionate and cares about the business.”

What is the Ryman work ethos? “Work hard and play hard. Owner Theo Paphitis always says that the three key points about business are to make money, have fun, and don’t forget to make money.”

As a workplace, what sets you apart from your competitors? “A typical employee pays attention to detail and strives to deliver a high level of service, which means their product knowledge needs to be good. Employees receive a great deal of training and are encouraged to understand the detail of what’s in-store.”

How do you ensure your employees have a good work/life balance? “A typical full-timer’s working day is seven and a half hours, during which time people have an hour’s lunch break and two 20-minute breaks.”