What did you think of Sainsbury’s results this week? I would echo what Justin King had to say, that is was a good performance in a tough customer market. We are trying to distinguish ourselves from our rivals by showing off the quality of our products. 

Tesco released its half-yearly results at the same time. What did you think of those? I heard that it is their worst UK negative like-for-like sales for 20 years. I haven’t had a look in detail, but from personal experience I would say that it is not just about price gimmicks, it is about offering great value and great service. That is what we are trying to do at Sainsbury’s. 

You are swamped with local competition. How do you compete at a local level? We obviously push really hard on service and availability. But we also do a lot of work in the community – it is something that I am very passionate about, and so are my colleagues. Last year we raised more than £8,000 for the local Red Cross and on Saturday we got involved in the local Macmillan coffee morning and raised £500. Twelve of our male colleagues – myself included – got our legs waxed. Three even got their chests waxed. And yes – it hurt. 

Why do you think getting involved in the community is so important? We get 50,000 shoppers a week coming through our doors. It’s not just about selling them products, it is about being involved in the community, being part of it. We want to let them know that we are actively involved. And we love it! 

How was the recent heatwave for business? It came as a bit of a surprise, didn’t it? But it was fantastic for us. We sold more BBQs, charcoal, salads, burgers, buns, sausages and outdoor furniture than we sold over the whole of last month. It was strange to see the shop filled with people dressed in shorts and T-shirts. 

Had you already shifted your seasonal aisles over to Halloween and Christmas? We had done, yes, but we had a quick change around and it was great. In fact it did us a favour. It hasn’t been the greatest summer and we were heavy on a lot of summer stock, so it gave us a great chance to shift it and clear some space for Halloween, Christmas and fireworks. 

Are you trialling anything in store? We are one of the 200 stores about to unveil the new Gok Wan clothing collection at Sainsbury’s. It’s all very top secret and sealed up in plastic at the moment – but there is a good buzz about it. I think it will do well. 

Jamie Moore, store manager at Sainsbury’s Hereford, was talking to James Halliwell

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