Meet Leon, Retail Manager at Hospice West Auckland
Q: Tell us about your role as Retail Manager – what does it entail?
A: Commercial performance is a big focus area for me. That includes data analysis and making data-driven decisions to improve performance, alongside running sales initiatives and working closely with our Marketing Manager to strengthen engagement across retail.
Another key area is health and safety – making sure we apply a health and safety lens to everything we do, which is a big job in itself. I also collaborate with our Volunteer Services team, maintaining a strong feedback loop between them and retail, and second, to ensure a positive volunteer experience. This includes the sourcing and placement of volunteers across our retail channel, because they play such a huge role in our customer experience in our stores.
Q: Supporting the store managers would be a big part of your typical day?
A: Of course, all of this goes hand-in-hand with supporting our paid staff and helping with the heavy lifting, too. We’ve got seven locations in total, and we’ve got a great retail team. No two days are ever the same, so it’s about being agile and adaptive to respond to any issues that may arise quickly and proficiently.
Q: What does a “win” look like in your role?
A: A big win for me is seeing people grow. We’ve had quite a number of people who have been promoted in our organisation, particularly in retail. I’m very proud of the journey they’ve gone through to get to where they are, that progression and the learnings they’ve taken away. Having the opportunity to see where they started to where they are today and playing a part in that is something that I’m very, very proud of. You can see those dynamics in the areas they look after as well and how happy they are, the positive feedback that comes through from their workplaces. It says a lot about the individual and I’m a big believer that attitude builds character – I’m incredibly proud of those people.
Q: How would you describe the overall culture in the retail channel?
A: If I had to sum it up in one word: inclusive. That’s something I’ve worked hard to support, but it’s also part of a broader organisational shift with new leadership and a renewed sense of shared values that resonate right across the teams. Everyone is talking a similar language, and that helps people to connect with each other more – and that really helps in the workplace because of teamwork. I always say it’s about happy people first, and that will lead to happy customers.
Q: Why do you love your job? What makes it rewarding for you?
A: It’s rewarding because we can see what it contributes towards. Retail is one of several fundraising streams that help Hospice West Auckland to provide specialist palliative care services free of charge to people here in West Auckland. Being able to see the role that we play and how that contributes to our clinical teams and the amazing work that they do, and knowing that our work allows them to continue to provide those services is so rewarding. I can’t quantify or measure that because it’s such a powerful thing. Going back to the whole culture of the organisation and what we’re focused on and striving towards really resonates with me, and seeing the result of that is powerful.
