Sainsbury's Heyford Hill: store of the week

What was your reaction to the strategic review announced by Mike Coupe last week? I thought it was well thought out. I have complete trust in what the company are doing. We are a company that is driven by its values and Mike set everything out with complete clarity.

Sainsbury’s results, and this week’s data from Kantar Worldpanel, shows it’s very tough out there. How do you cope? We all recognise we are in a unique market with tough conditions. We need to focus on customers and react to their changing shopping habits.

Sainsbury’s also unveiled its Christmas ad last week. What has been the reaction from your shoppers? I can honestly say overwhelmingly positive. People appreciate that we delayed launching it until after Armistice Day. They say it is very thoughtful and moving.

And how has the chocolate bar featured in the ad been selling in your store? Very well indeed. It shows how much people have responded and identified with the ad, and builds on the theme that Christmas is for Sharing.

What Christmas activities are you planning for your store? We’re really bringing Christmas to life this year with new product ranges. Our ambient Christmas lines are already out and we’ve got food sampling and greeters at the front of the store. The activity is at every touchpoint, including our pharmacy, café and petrol station.

Have your staff been given extra training for the festive season? We’ve been telling them to focus on the customer and to put themselves in their shoes. The customer journey starts right from the car park. There’s are a lot of colleagues who have been here a long time and are very experienced, and if you look at how many have progressed throughout the store, then I think we are well equipped for Christmas.

And how are you promoting Christmas is for Sharing? Our store does a lot of community work. We worked with the British Legion last week and we support local charity, Restore. A lot of colleagues live near the store, so we do lots of events in the area.

What are shoppers buying for Christmas now? Customers are shopping little and often. Non-food is doing well - we’re definitely seeing them buy gift sets and Christmas non-food early. All our ambient Christmas products are also proving popular.