FALKIRK STORE MANAGER SHORTLISTED FOR RETAIL AWARD
The store manager at M&S’s recently expanded foodhall store in Falkirk has been shortlisted for a ‘store hero award’ at the Retail Week Awards 2022.
Brian Torley (pictured above) is one of only a handful of people across the UK to have been shortlisted for The Quadient store hero award which recognises everyday shop workers for their heroism, community spirit and selflessness on the frontline of retail.
Singled out for his incredible leadership during the most difficult of circumstances, Brian has led a team of 80 colleagues at M&S Falkirk to every success whilst working to bring the local community together following the tragic loss of two long-serving staff members. This includes setting up a book of condolences for well-known store worker ‘Mr Falkirk’ which saw colleagues and customers flock to the store to remember him and donate more than £8,000 for his family. Brian also created a collection of memories from colleagues for his wife and son.
He then had to deal with tragedy in his own life during the height of the store’s major expansion work, which saw him taking on the primary role of support for his family and looking after his mum who suffers from dementia.
However Brian was determined to return to work and achieve his ambition of the store becoming one of the UK’s top performing M&S foodhalls, something it has consistently achieved since its relaunch in September last year.
He is now getting ready to attend the Retail Week Awards ceremony in London on the 26th of May which will celebrate the outstanding work of British retailers and the retail workforce over the last year by recognising excellence across the industry.
He commented on the awards saying: “I’m very humbled, honoured and proud to be nominated. My M&S Falkirk colleagues and customers have supported me the entire three years I’ve been store manager but last year more than ever.
As a retailer, it is a fantastic award to be shortlisted for – especially representing M&S.”
Megan Dunsby, senior commercial content editor at Retail Week added: “The calibre of entries this year was exceptional. One thing that screamed out at me was the sheer amount of investment, work and collaboration retailers have been driving at their respective businesses this past year; going above and beyond to meet evolving customer expectations.
Retailers are at the coalface of disruption and the entries highlighted that rather than standing back, retailers are leaning into this challenge. Whether this be implementing innovative new solutions to optimise supply chains, rolling out game-changing technology to enhance the in-store experience or adopting employee engagement initiatives that mobilise thousands of colleagues, my hat goes off to our Retail Week Award entrants.”
