M&S Shrewsbury manager picks up top award

Martin Woodhouse, who is in his second spell in charge of the busy Darwin Shopping Centre store, is the Regional Manager of the Month for August after a bumper performance by the branch.

The 44-year-old father of two from Stourbridge came top and was delighted with the accolade: “This is the first time I’ve won it and the first time for some time that the Shrewsbury branch has won this award.

“It’s really an achievement for the whole team here at Shrewsbury and is a massive win for us.

“It’s based on the performance of the store and is based on the fact that we’re outperforming the 18 other stores in the region. We’ve been at the top of the national averages for takings for the last three months.

“I am sure that has been helped by the success of the Spectacular Sundays with all-day parking in Shrewsbury for just £1 and also staying open until 8pm – the customers love it.”

Martin joined M&S 19 years ago from Safeway where he was manager of their Dudley Kingswinsford store and since then he has been in charge at Worcester, Swindon, Shrewsbury, Solihull, Weston super Mare, Birmingham and Stafford.

He has been back at Shrewsbury for over a year now and said: “I have managed a lot bigger stores but I have always asked that if I could get the chance to return to any of them, then Shrewsbury was always my first choice.

“I always felt the store had so much potential and I really wanted to get back to finish off what we started all those years ago.”

Away from work he is a keen archer and Chairman of Stourbridge Company of Archers and he has hit plenty of targets since he’s been back in Shrewsbury.

Kevin Lockwood, Manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping Centres, said: “Martin has been tremendously active in the town since his return and a great advocate for the retail sector here in Shrewsbury.

“He is very proactive and very aware of the importance of working together to promote the town as a centre for shopping, leisure and tourism and he is unfailingly helpful to me and to other businesses as well.”

Martin added: “We do have a lot planned for the store and have recently installed self-service tills and we have computerised touch-screens so we have the whole M&S range literally at the fingertips of our customers and anything they order can be here in two days.

“We are also holding a WI evening event on Wednesday, September 19, when five local WIs will be given a behind the scenes look at M&S, see new products and give their views on them and get some goodie bags.”

Martin believes in being very much hands-on and he said: “This award is very much for the entire staff rather than just for me. Ninety per cent of my time is spent on the sales floor of the store talking to the customers and working with the team because it is no use being shut up in an office in the back.”

The avid reader of Wilbur Smith novels said Shrewsbury has always had a very strong community feel and added: “The people are always so friendly and so proud of their town and this is reflected in the terrific way that people from old to young really care about the look of the town.

“Shrewsbury has some fascinating shops and some terrific restaurants and delicatessens which gives it a real focus as a shopping destination and helps differentiate it from normal shopping towns. I really do enjoy working here.”