Thursday, May 19, 2005

The 50-plus Sainsbury's secret weapon

This is good article. Apologies for non-UK readers since this all about the UK retail scene. The chief executive of Sainsbury announced a set of profit figures that were down year-on-year by 62%, with pre-tax profits down to £15m from £610m a year earlier, so the markets will needed all the reassurance that they could get.

What is the cunning plan to sort out this mess? You will never guess. The retailer intends to recruitment 10,000 over-50s to man the deli counters and tills in Sainsbury's 530 stores over the Christmas. Tescos eat your heart out.

The company's made a mess of its new IT ordering systems that did not work and was wide of the mark with an ad campaigns that emphasised a breadth of range rather than price. Amends are being made and it is seeking to return to a form of basics aimed at reassuring customers, like giving customers a better service.

It is to be hoped that Mr King (Sainsbury’s ceo) realises that the over-50s are for life, and not just for Christmas.

Two free consultancy tip for Sainsburys. When you have a major press announcement that is aimed at firing up 10,000 of the 50-plus to come and work for you it is not a bad idea to change your recruiting web site to reflect this fact. Tip number two – when you make a major announcement you should give some thought to updating the press releases on your Web site!
Dick Stroud www.20plus30.com

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