Winner: Tesco Riverside Drive, Dundee
Manager: Derek McRonald
Opened: 1990
Size: 60,000 sq f
Market share: 17.4%
Nearest rivals: Iceland - 1.3 miles, Lidl - 1.5 miles, Sainsbury’s - 3.8 miles
Store data source: Analysis by CACI. Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000
How long have you been managing the store? I’ve only been here about six weeks and I’m covering for the manager Charlie Burness, who is off sick. This is his win. He is a greatly respected store manager, very hard working, a real grafter and he’s also a great friend and we all wish him all the best.
Has anything big happened to the store since you started covering the job? We are close to the new V&A Museum which opened after Christmas and it’s proved to be a real boost to the store. It’s not just tourists and visitors but also the staff who work there and in the hotels that have sprung up nearby. It’s amazing how much this part of Dundee has changed.
Have you benefited from the warm weather in February? It’s 15 degrees in Dundee today and that is official barbecue weather for us in Scotland. This time last year we were in the grip of the Beast from the East. Having this sort of weather is good but we would need it to last longer to see a real impact on sales.
The BRC’s latest crime survey shows crime at record levels, much of it theft. What measures have you used to tackle crime? Tackling crime all comes down to acknowledging customers. We try to do that for all our customers - of course there will always be a small minority, but if you make sure that all customers are being acknowledged and not just being ignored it not only helps the rest of the customers but helps deter theft. It’s a win-win.
Are you involved in any changes to the store offer? We are looking at refreshing some of the fresh food range and having more of an emphasis on ready meals, especially microwavable fast food. It’s partly because of the new museum, but also the number of workers that are now in this part of Dundee at places like hotels. We’re looking at providing them with a better offer of food they can take home that doesn’t take long to prepare.
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