New study highlights retailers’ lack of time off and the impact on mental health
When was the last time you had a weekend off? Our research suggests that it was too long ago! According to a bespoke SBF GB&I survey*, almost 40% of retailers haven’t been able to take any time off away from their stores to spend with family and friends in the past year. What’s more, a shocking 28% of that number haven’t taken time off for more than three years. So SBF GB&I are rewarding the extraordinary hard work and dedication of retailers this year by giving them a chance to Win the Weekend in a brand-new competition exclusively for independent retailers.
Not only will the lucky winner of this exciting competition be whisked away on an all-expenses-paid weekend break, worth an incredible £5k, but we’ll also be working with an experienced guest manager for the weekend to ensure things tick along smoothly in-store while they’re enjoying some much-needed rest and relaxation with loved ones. Paul Cheema, owner and director of Malcolm’s Stores in Coventry, co-founder of retailer network C-Talk and board member of the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), is donating his time to support this important industry cause. Together with members of the SBF GB&I team, Paul will expertly manage the store over the weekend giving you peace of mind that your business is in good hands.
One of the key outtakes from the research was that all of the biggest barriers to taking time off relate to not being able to leave other staff members to run the store effectively, highlighting a need for more training support across the industry. As part of the Win the Weekend competition, SBF GB&I will also be producing a wealth of advice and training materials for small stores to help them empower their staff and enable more regular breaks from the business.
The SBF GB&I research also highlighted the sacrifices many retailers make every day in order to prioritise their business and their customers. Despite 95% of respondents agreeing that having a day off is important to both their mental and physical health, 78% also say that they value the health of their business over that of their own.
Matt Gouldsmith, Channel Director of Wholesale at SBF GB&I, said: “We’ve always known that independent retailers are some of the hardest-working business owners in the UK – we see that every day out on the road with customers – but our bespoke research brought the real figures into the limelight. What I found most troubling is that a huge majority of retailers (78%) value the health of their business over that of their own physical or mental health. That’s a balance that urgently needs addressing in our industry – and no better time to do that than after a challenging couple of years and a global pandemic.
“As an employer, SBF GB&I puts the health and wellbeing of our people at the very core of our culture and working style – so we wanted to bring this ethos to our valued customers in the independent retail channel too and do what we can to help them achieve a better work-life balance. Win the Weekend gives one lucky retailer the chance to take a much-needed break from their business on us – but importantly we’d like to use our platform to help many more retailers make a change to their working habits in order to prioritise their mental health too . Look out for more support and training materials throughout this year – and in the meantime, don’t forget to enter for your chance to win the weekend!”
To enter Win the Weekend, retailers should simply visit https://www.suntorybeverageandfood-europe.com/en-GB/gbi/competitions/win-the-weekend/ and fill in the simple form for their chance to win. Entries close on the 28th October and terms and conditions apply (see here for more details). Good luck to all retailers!
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