Edition 61 - Spring 2022
grapevine Bents Colleague Newsletter
It’s all about you...
April’s Plant of the Month Lithadora Heavenly Blue
Latest News and Events Events are back!
85th Celebration
Getting to know
GROWING TOGETHER AS A FAMILY
Introduction from Matthew What a fantastic start to the year! Great achievements in the GCA audit, the return of our delicious Tapas Bar and busy events calendar, and - as I write this - a blast of spring sunshine, which is perfect timing with customers eager to prepare for Easter. All of this sets us up perfectly for spring, such an important time in the gardening calendar, so let’s ensure Bents is a place where our customers can come and enjoy planning for their gardens and look forward to the warmer months that lie ahead. I know the GCA results already seem like a long time ago, but I’d like to say another big thank you for everyone’s hard work and commitment during what were a very challenging few months. This year’s window is now open so let’s all pull together and see if we can go one better next time. Hopefully 2022 will be a more settled time for us all, but let’s be ready to respond to whatever challenges come our way and be the very best Bents we can be.
Matthew Dates for your diary Wellbeing Day
Tuesday 26th April - in the Bistro
Lakeland Opens Friday 29th April
10+ Meal
Thursday 19th May - 6pm arrival. Invites to be sent out shortly
Colleague Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June
Bents Charity Ball
Friday 16th September - details to follow
And lots more fun things to happen.
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85 years & counting... This year marks the 85th anniversary of Bents. Our heritage is something that we are extremely proud of. Founded in 1937, the business is now in its third generation, and has seen lots of building changes too. We are a very different building/store from when Alfred and Margaret started selling roses from their garden on Warrington Road and the small shed type building until 1980. It was then that one of the most important decisions was made and we opened a brand-new permanent custom built garden centre which still resembles the front of the store that we see today. We started to offer food and drink in the 80s, and some of you may remember the balcony coffee lounge where customers use to queue on the stairs that led upstairs to the small café area. It wasn’t until 2001 when we expanded and opened the Fresh Approach restaurant serving delicious fresh food and coffees in what is now a 1000-seater restaurant, a few years later we embarked on another project that was innovative and progressive in new garden centre buildings, our Open Skies Glass House. 2014 saw even bigger expansion with the project work of Phase Two, to include further concessions, the Food Hall, Cookshop, Children’s Boutique and Pet Place. In 2016, there was a £750,000 investment in our colleague areas introducing a brand-new colleague Bistro, toilets, locker rooms, shower rooms as well as new meeting rooms and Head Office. 2017, saw new additions to Bents in the shape of dinosaurs and eventually pirates in our brand-new Jurassic Cove Adventure Golf with café facility. Our journey now continues into our next phase. We have faced the pandemic, come through the other side of it, and now can start to work in the new norm. Our colleagues are a huge part of making this journey happen. We have an amazing 21% of colleagues (69 people) who are in our 10+ club who are still working as part of the family. Twenty one of those colleagues have over 20 years service. This year we congratulate our longest serving colleagues Ray Smith for dedicating 45 years service to the business and Michael Seddon on 40 years service. This is so amazing to see and thank you to each and everyone of you for your commitment to Bents. Here are some photos from throughout our 85 years!
Getting to know... Steve Tuke,
Executive Head Chef What could you not live without? I would like to say my motorbike but I am a big family man and so I could not live without my family! Where is your favourite place to travel? Florida USA What is your favourite film? Marvel films at the minute with my son What’s your favourite food? Depends what mood I am in - I don’t really have a specific favourite (But I do love BBQs!!!!!) Who would be your perfect dinner party guest? My late grandfather- I am a very serious guy but he always knew how to make me laugh!! What’s your favourite song? Anything with a beat really? Do you have a claim to fame? Made a meal for Elton John that good that he gave me VIP passes to his show - I gave them to my mum.
FIRST STOP FOR PLANT ADVICE, SERVED WITH A SUNNY SMILE. OF
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FROM TOP BRANDS TO CATWALK SENSATIONS. OU
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WENDY’S EXPERIENCE REALLY ADDS TO YOUR BENTS’ DINING EXPERIENCE. O
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Michael
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MICHAEL BRINGS THE SIZZLE WITH THE HOTTEST GRILLS & BBQS AROUND.
The personal touch You may have seen some recognisable faces around store who are endorsing certain products or departments. This is all part of our personalisation project. These colleagues have been identified as the experts of that product/department and who can add the personal touch for the customer experience. 3
Bents BAFTA’s In January, we saw the return of the BAFTAs (Bents Awards for Training and Achievements) and it was wonderful to see so many attend the ceremony. Congratulations to all of the nominees and worthy winners. This year was a special event for a couple of reasons; firstly, this was the first time in 2 years that we were able to host a large event in person due to COVID and secondly the life time achievement award was extra special this year as it was presented to Brian Daniels, Finance Director. Brian joined the business in 1993, and after dedicating 29 years to the business will be retiring this year. Ron on the night of the BAFTAs described Brian as a “god send to the family and the business”. Ron went onto explain that during 1980s when retail sales were booming, and money was coming through the tills it wasn’t being invested wisely. So eventually the money ran out and bankruptcy was around the corner. Then Brian was recommended to us to help us control our finances. Together Ron and Brian built trust, Brian always insisted on having a safety net of which when COVID hit we were ever so grateful for. We have invested our money wisely Brian, Bents would never have made it so far without you. We are proud of what we achieved together, and we wish you all the best in your retirement.
Events and experiences are back! Celebrity Get Gardening Weekend was on the 2nd and 3rd April – Adam Frost and David Domoney joined us with competitions, offers and expert advice for our novice and experienced gardeners.
We are looking forward to our Easter event storytime event with Millie the Easter Bunny handing out Easter treats. Children can take part in our Easter egg hut around store. Easter Saturday sees the return of our mini farm, that will have spring lambs, piglets, hens and much more.
List of winners:
Mr Being Bents Exceptional – David Blott Mrs Being Bents Exceptional – Sarah Lake Best Newcomer – Phil Macaulay Exceptional Service (Customer) – Jane Rigby Exceptional Team Award (Support Area) – HR Exceptional Team Award (Front of House) – Foodhall Exceptional Team Award (Back of House) – Goods In/ Pricing/Warehouse WOW Department Award – The Pet Place Fun at Work Award – Vicki Healy Going the Extra Mile Award – Judith Barratt Lifetime Achievement Award – Brian Daniels 4
Last year we launched our fairy and dinosaur trail through the magical Weeping Ash Garden. Due to its success our Visual Merchandising team have been working hard on making it even more magical than ever so it will be ready for the middle of April, and in time for the Easter holidays. This is another great attraction for families to visit Bents.
On Saturday 23rd April, we have the Bunny Hop event taking place. We will be handing over the charity donations from the last two years to Solving Kids Cancer, the sum of over £42,000 which is absolutely amazing! Thank you to everyone who has supported this great cause. Our new Charity of the Year that we will be supporting through events and fundraising will be MIND Manchester. They have a number of different fund raising events that you can take part in. The second quarter of the year will see the launch of our new and exciting app. More info will be given through the launch for customers. We will be looking for champions of the new app, if you feel that you would like to get involved, please get in touch with the Marketing Team.
Spotlight on
Bents Spring Fashion Show Following the success of the Autumn/Winter show in September last year we were even more excited to be hosting the Spring/Summer fashion show on the 31st March.
A huge thank you to all the colleagues who have been involved and made this a fun and enjoyable event.
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Culture Club Our Culture Champions have been meeting monthly since, 25th January 2022. A Culture Champion is someone who believes in, helps develop, and promotes positive excitement in the workplace. They champion the cause of Bents and are at the forefront of how that culture emerges across the business. At the first meeting as well as setting the foundation of the meetings, we also discussed the importance of the role and forum is and how this can really create such a difference in creating an exceptional culture and place to be. These are our current Culture Champions; Louise Oakes - Outdoor Plants Michelle Wood - Customer Services Rebecca Gibbons - Indoor Retail Collette Nuttall - Outdoor Retail and Christmas Claire Baker - Customer Services Lorraine Allen - Indoor Retail Amy Brook - Phase 2 John Cunningham - Warehouse and Goods In
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This year Rachel Bent is looking to follow on from some of the things Matthew has started and move them forward. To do this, she has created a Sustainability Champions group. These colleagues have a genuine interest in the environment and environmental concerns and are enthusiastic and committed to helping us make some changes for the better. The first meeting was held on Tuesday 29th March 2022, where it was discussed what is involved and objectives were set.
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As a business we have been looking at how we can help with sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint.
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Sustainability Champions
New Bents Ways
The Bents Ways the beating heart of our family business
We are so excited to launch this year the NEW Bents Ways. In line with the new OKRs for 2022. • Making Bents an exceptional place to work • Putting customers at the heart of everything we do • To deliver the WOW in the (NEW) Bents Ways. We are currently planning lots of activities including training to launch the NEW Bents ways. Keep your eyes peeled for more information.
Ukraine Appeal With the devastating situation in Ukraine, we have been blown away by the generosity from Colleagues and Customers when it has come to the aid for the Ukraine. Within a short space of time of asking for donations that included, warm clothes, food rations, first aid kits, blankets etc, we were inundated with your generosity which we delivered to a local warehouse who were making the transit with other donations. Thank you to everyone who kindly donated, everything was greatly appreciated. We have also made a massive donation of £3,500 that was made up of £1,700 donations from customers and matched by Bents. This funding will help buy supplies for those refugees who have left their homes and belongings behind for safety.
Lauren McCaul White - Nursery and Warehouse Parvis - Dining FOH Kathryn Chadwick - Dining FOH Anthony Lawrence - Dining Kitchen Kristen Postlethwaite - Support Areas Your Culture Champion will not only check in with you before the meetings on any action points that are due to be discussed they will also provide feedback to you and your departments. Therefore, we can all work together to achieve the same goal of making Bents an even more exceptional place to work.
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A special acknowledgment needs to be made to Alan our Security Supervisor, who booked annual leave and forfeited a weekend away with his family to drive aid over to Poland for those who are in need. When we spoke to Alan, he said he couldn’t just sit back and watch. We are super proud of you Alan! Well done!
Introducing our new Charity of the Year! In April 2022 we see the handover to our new Charity of the Year – MIND. There are lots of exciting challenges to take part in over the next few months to support this worthy cause.
Great Manchester Run 10k / Half Marathon Sunday 22nd May
Tough Mudder - Yorkshire Saturday 30th July
Three Peaks Challenge Friday 2nd September
Tough Mudder - North West Saturday 10th September
Great North Run
Sunday 11th September
Tough Mudder - Manchester Saturday 22nd October
To sign up to any of these and support out Charity of the Year, check out their website - www.mind.org.uk.
Give your support to Steve!
Steve Burgess from the Warehouse Team is running in the Great Manchester Run on May 22nd for MIND. If you want to support him please go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stevenburgess37
Colleague News
Congratulations to Gill (VM) who married her Husband Simon on the 30th December 2021 at Gretna Green. They then surprised their family and close friends with their news on New Year’s Eve.
A massive congratulations to Annabel (HR) and her partner Matthew who welcomed their gorgeous boy Freddie into the world on Saturday 13th November.
Congratulations to Sarah (Nursery) who got married on the 12th March to Paul.
Hayley (Marketing) and her partner Sam welcomed their beautiful son, Teddy into the world on 9th December. Congratulations!
Congratulations to Rachel (Buying) and her partner Andrew who are expecting the arrival of their first baby in July. We can’t wait for cuddles! 7
Welcome to the family This year we are really focusing on making Bents an exceptional place to work, we have undertaken a review of the HR structure and looking at what the future may hold for the business and how we can upskill our current leaders.
Kate Ganley
Therefore, we are introducing the role of Head of People into the HR structure and are very excited to share with you that Kate Ganley will be returning to the business in this role. Kate has previously worked for Bents, so has first-hand working experience
Since September 2021 we have welcomed 168 new colleagues to our family. The majority of those who started were on a fixed term contract to support over our peak trading time through Christmas. However we were able to offer permanent positions to some. Welcome to everyone who has joined us, we look forward to working with you in the future. Steven Sue Susan Tina Lee Victoria Connie Harry Hazel Mary Mark Libby
CUSTOMER SERVICES COOKSHOP DINING CLOTHING LANDSCAPE LEISURE CUSTOMER SERVICES DINING CUSTOMER SERVICES GIFTS DINING DINING
Benjamin Betty Natasha James Isabelle Olivia Janette Anna Jane Benjamin Janice Stephanie Steven Katie Kirsty Shaunna Amanda Ross Alison Karen Philip Natalie Tyler
and knowledge of the business as well as extensive experience within the HR sector. The Head of People will work with the Senior Team to plan talent development and growth for the future and focus on improving colleague engagement which we believe will encourage everyone to want to be a part of team Bents. We are confident that Kate is going to be a major asset to the business, and we cannot wait to welcome her back in May 2022.
WAREHOUSE DINING COOKSHOP CUSTOMER SERVICES CUSTOMER SERVICES PET PLACE DINING PET PLACE MARKETING OUTSIDE PLANTS MAINTENANCE DINING DINING DINING DINING HR FOODHALL DINING DINING DINING SECURITY DINING DINING
Kayden Brett Susan Michael Hannah Gillian James Bobbie Stephen Sharon Emily Sally Keira Anne Abbey Glenn Gillian Amanda Jessica MacKenzie Steven Chelsey
DINING KITCHEN DINING VISUAL MERCHANDISING DINING DINING DINING DINING DINING DINING HOUSEPLANTS OUTSIDE PLANTS DINING NURSERY DINING KITCHEN DINING KITCHEN DINING PRICING DINING DINING
Don’t forget if you have someone who you think would be ideal to be part of our family, we now offer £250 as a referral fee. Please speak to HR.
Making Moves
It is always great to share internal progression and we are so pleased to announce Angela Oatley, will move into the Junior Merchandiser role within the Buying Team as of March 2022. Angela started with Bents in August 2021 as a Buying Administrator. Congratulations.
Well done and congratulations to Tracey Roberts who has moved into the role of Restaurant Service Manager from 11th April. We wish you all the best in your new role.
Phil Macaulay started in August 2021 as our Health and Safety Advisor, and we are so excited to say in October, his role expanded to include the Maintenance Team and Facilities. Congratulations on all your hard work.
Claire Orsmond has been responsible for the Retail Logistics departments and we are really pleased to share the news that from April, she will be the Retail Manager for the Warehouse, Outdoor and Indoor departments. Lynn Hamment who has been responsible for the Customer Services and Security Teams, will also take on the Phase Two department too. Congratulations and a massive thank you for all your hard work and comittment.
We are also very pleased to confirm that Lindsay Millward moved into the Dining operation on a permanent basis in February 2022 following on from a successful secondment in November 2021. We wish Lindsay every success in her new role and welcome her to the dining team.