"It's the Business" programme, 5 January 1999

Recording of "It's the Business" programme for Sainsbury's staff (mainly store management teams). "It's the Business" was the anchor business television programme on the "SMART" network (Sainsbury's Management and Retail Television). This programme was broadcast live on 5 January 1999 by satellite to Sainsbury's stores, depots and offices. It was presented by John Howard in the studio.

Contents:
1. Introduction by presenter John Howard.
2. Studio interview with Bill Williams (Retail Director). Discusses the company’s good performance at Christmas; some losses due to more turkeys being ordered than were sold; central ordering working well; some unexpected items arriving at stores before Christmas.
3. Report about the new staff uniforms with Nigel Broome (Director of Human Resources Operations) and Paul Costelloe (designer of the new uniforms). Includes footage showing staff wearing the various uniforms inside Clapham store; employee moving trolleys in Clapham store car park; Paul Costelloe and his team working at his studio.
4. Report about the January promotion with Claire Reichenbach (Relationship Marketing) and Barry Wright (International Customer Loyalty Programme). The promotion included special offers for customers with Reward Cards (loyalty cards) including partnerships with other companies for special offers (eg offers on Burger King meals, British Gas utility prices) and Extra Reward Points on some products. Footage is included of: a customer service desk (at a Savacentre store); clips relating to partner offers (eg a clothes show, a Burger King store); point of sale advertising; and a store checkout.
5. Report about the “Value to Shout About” television commercials. Includes interview with John Cleese [comedian] who starred in the commercials. Footage showing filming of the commercial at Pinewood Studios and clips of the advertisements are included.
6. Studio interview with David McNair (Director, Brand Marketing) about the “Value to Shout About” television commercials. Includes effectiveness of the advertisements, the advertisements having changed after people saw the first advert as irritating, plans for the campaign.
7. “Value to Shout About” television commercial about the double reward points offer for Reward Card holders [see LSA/9193]. The commercial would be first broadcast tomorrow.
8. Report about an improved process of line extensions (providing additional products in a range in response to customer requests) with Jim Peters (Ranging Standards Manager) and Barbara Naish (Store Manager, Wallington). Footage is included of checkout and product displays - presumably filmed at Wallington store.
9. Live questions and answers from members of staff answered by Bill Williams and David McNair. Topics discussed: perishable stock control; responsibility for losses due to high levels of stock being allocated by head office; lack of Christmas lines in the ‘Value to Shout About’ price promise; high pressure on staff caused by Christmas/New Year advertising including dealing with the large number of price changes after Christmas; reasons why some stores were open on New Year’s Day but others were closed; shelf life of products at Christmas – Asda having some products with a longer shelf life; whether the company spends too much in the early months in the year on promotions etc meaning the ‘PF’ has to be raised later in the year with savings being required; closure of regional offices – some staff will be physically based in some ex-regional office buildings even though the regional structure is being discontinued.

Duration: 37 minutes. Produced by Sainsbury’s Group Internal Communications in association with CTN [Corporate Television Networks].

There are nine additional videos of unedited footage ("rushes") for this video.