Store: Tesco Pontypool
Store manager: Nadine Clarke
Opened: 2004
Size: 30,000 sq ft
Market share: 34.2%
Population: 111,418
Grocery spend: £2,756,679
Spend by household: £57.10
Competitors: 15
Nearest rivals: Aldi 3.2 miles, Asda 3.3 miles, Co-op 1.2 miles, Iceland 0.2 miles, Lidl 3.2 miles, M&S 3.4 miles, Morrisons 3.2 miles, Sainsbury’s 3.3 miles, Tesco 3.3 miles, Waitrose 8.2 miles
Source: CACI. For more info visit www.caci.co.uk/contact. Notes: Shopper profiling is measured using Grocery Acorn shopper segmentation. Store catchment data (market share, population, expenditure, spend by household, competition) is within a five-mile radius.
How is your store helping shoppers struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis? We are trying to do everything we can by really focusing on our Exclusively at Tesco own brands and Clubcard promotions. We are constantly changing our promotions to give even better value to our customers.
Has the current gloomy economic situation dented the mood of shoppers in Pontypool? What we are seeing is that people are getting on with it as best they can. Pontypool has challenges like everywhere else, but it’s a very strong community.
How is your availability holding up currently in the face of so many supply chain pressures? In all honesty it doesn’t feel like there is a problem. We are not seeing any huge holes in product groups. The last time I saw real availability issues was when we went into the first coronavirus lockdown back in spring 2020.
Have you had any big changes in store recently? We are getting a great facelift which is ongoing at the moment. We’re getting a few new departments and overall bringing the store up to date. I’m really looking forward to the store feeling brand new again.
What can we expect from the revamp? There is nowhere in Pontypool now where you can buy men’s clothing, so we’ll be having a range of men’s clothing in store. We’re also getting a new extension for our very popular store café as well as, for the first time, a click & collect department. The store is also getting new fridges and freezers which will be better for the environment.
Tell us about your role as a Tesco race and ethnicity ambassador. It’s all about raising awareness. I use my platform to highlight issues with my colleagues but also in the community. We have focus groups to understand what people from ethnic minorities want from their career and set up mentor systems. It’s about being there as a face and a voice for people who have an affinity with you.
Have you encountered racism in your job? I’m glad to say I haven’t. I have always found that as a store manager you get a lot of trust and respect.
How are you trying to grow the number of Welsh products? We have lots of great Welsh suppliers and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several of them. We have grown our proportion of Welsh products by 4% in the past year. There are some strong brands, like Peter’s who do savoury pies and Brace’s bread who are big in Wales. As a nation we’re extremely patriotic and so I’m proud we are bringing new Welsh products to our customers.
What role does the store play in the community? We do a lot of work with our community champion and other colleagues. We are constantly donating to community food donations and recently our staff all rallied round for a local family whose house had been badly damaged by a fire. There is a very strong community spirit here.
Are you prepared for the HFSS clampdown in October? We have managed to change things around, so it’s not been a huge issue. We obviously have cycles for merchandising, and we’ve managed to incorporate the HFSS stuff as part of that general process, so hopefully it won’t cause us too much disruption.
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