Last updated December 2012 Millions of items get scanned through retailers till every second in the UK. Have you ever thought about how these products become available to you? It’s a hugely complex operation, with talented people at its heart. From the field to the shelf; that's what the supply chain is all about. Over three million people work in food and grocery in the UK - an industry w...

Over half of shoppers (52%) often change their meal plans based on which products are on promotion at the supermarket, according to the latest research published today (Thursday) by IGD ShopperVista . And it is better-off families and young people who are most likely to make changes to what they eat: 62% of ABC1 families often change what meals they buy to take advantage of promoti...

When you get the call to let you know that you have been invited for interview or assessment our recommendation would be to start preparing straight away. Interviews and assessment centres can be a nerve wracking or inspiring experience, the more you prepare the more comfortable you will feel. But do remember that you have been selected for a reason… When the interview or assessment c...

A Waitrose manager's one-year development journey. What triggered the initiative? As part of a ‘talent review’ I was amongst managers at my level in Supply Chain selected to be assessed against the leadership behaviours expected of the next level of management. The talent review was considered pertinent due to a number of factors (e.g. expansion of the network) that could have led to hig...

How Waitrose developed managers with an assessment centre supported by classroom training. What triggered the initiative? A selection of Partners were chosen to take part in this development, they had actively shown interest in moving to the next level of management, and demonstrating some of the leadership skills needed to achieve this. Who supported the initiative? Learning & Dev...

How personal development plans (PDP) play a positive role in people development at PepsiCo   What triggered the initiative? Having a personal development plan has been part of the Pepsico culture for a while i.e. this is not a specific project, but just ‘business as usual’ now. This does demonstrate that the company takes the development of its people seriously, and is willing to suppor...

How P&G develops individuals and maximises their performance with the one-to-one attention of a coach, enabling them to go beyond where they thought they could go.   What triggered the initiative? Coaching enhances the performance and learning ability of others. It helps individuals help themselves through interactive and candid conversations. Coaching involves receiving and absorbing f...

How P&G uses structured feedback processes to enable individuals to formally understand their personal improvement areas and develop an associated plan.   What triggered the initiative? Continual development of the individual and the organisations will enable a high performing organisation, which will enable business results to be achieved more effectively and to greater expectations. D...

How Müller ensured its recruitment processes are world class, by taking apart and rebuilding its assessment centre (AC) format.   What triggered the initiative? A review of our recruitment procedures, along with the need to recruit at differing levels across the business. Introduction of more apprenticeships meant we had to find out more about potential recruits due to applicants age an...

How Mars UK ran a two day programme to enhance the development of female leaders within its supply chain.   What triggered the programme/project/work? Development of leadership talent within the supply chain. This a leadership course, it is not specifically designed for women or for supply chain but Mars have chosen to deploy it to female leaders within supply chain to develop the femal...