In recent years, organisational changes within the store have made space for fresh ideas and innovation, allowing the company huge capacity for growth, as well as keeping our focus on the customer.
Wardens recently featured in a market analysis report by the independent UK Market Intelligence Company, Plimsoll. The report stated that Wardens is ‘one of only 218 businesses in the UK ‘getting it right’’ and this is reflected in our ‘outstanding recent performance’. This report confirms and supports the efforts Wardens has gone to with regard to its sales and stock. While the world remains in recession, Wardens has taken steps and put measures into place to protect the business and maintain the standards of trading expected by our customer.
Our staff are constantly meeting the new standards of flexibility required to uphold the company values. Many staff have been retrained and are now proficient in multiple departments. This has not only improved efficiency and cost reduction in the store but also increased motivation throughout the store as employees experience more variety in their work.
New challenges are constantly established to promote our best products and increase awareness of our store. Within the last year, a Marketing Co-Ordinator was appointed. Through this appointment, the marketing strategy of Wardens has been transformed, instigating a comprehensive advertising campaign to include printed press and radio advertisements. The campaign has also seen the transformation of Wardens website from a single page into a multi-page, interactive web experience with plans to further develop into a fully functioning e-commerce website in the future.
Through our advertising campaigns, Wardens has hosted many competitions for adults and children with the chance to win some fantastic prizes. We have also strived to keep supporting our local community through charitable donations and fundraising.
Wardens are also entering into new initiatives this year to make our business more environmentally friendly. We received the Ards Borough Council Green Business Gold Award in 2004 and are keen to live up to this reputation. We are now more conscious of our waste disposal methods and have reduced the number of skips being taken to landfill sites by half. We are currently making endeavours to reduce the number of plastic bags given out to our customers by enforcing a small charge of 5 pence per bag. This charge aims to encourage customers to
Bring Their Own Bag’.
To help promote our efforts, Wardens launched a ‘Green Week’ in September 2009. During this week, we also introduced our first re-usable, fair trade, ethically produced jute bag . This not only offers a unique and stylish carrier, but also helps our customers to do their bit to save the environment.
Over the years, Wardens has built up a reputation of acting with honesty and integrity. We have the ability to act quickly to respond to unforeseen circumstances and always keep our local community and our customers at the forefront of all that we do. We have worked hard over the past twelve months to continually make improvements in our business through our products, prices, promotions and people. Our levels of customer service speak for themselves and are second to none. Our store is a landmark in the local community and can always be relied upon to ‘do the right thing’, both by our staff, customers and our suppliers.
