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Ways in which sales technique and Customer service have developed in the retail organisations The two contrasting retailers I have chosen to evaluate for their sales technique and customer service through a timeline are Morrison’s and Primark. 1899Morrison’s was founded over a hundred years ago, as a stall in Bradford market. The company has grown steadily ‘from market stall to superstore.’ With over 450 stores, it is now the UK’s fourth largest food retailer. 1958 – First town-centre shop opens After moving from market stalls to counter service, progress is such that a small town-centre shop is opened. In addition to that Morrison’s was the only store only store in Bradford to offer Rapidly changing sales techniques and customer service which involved Three checkouts and to have prices on its products. Thirdly Morrison’s purposely used sales techniques such as pricing labels to catch the customers eye thereby increase sales /profits .Moreover Morison’s was the first of the stores to use Promotional price labelling which was typically larger, wavy or serrated label designs, and had attention grabbing preprinted wording such as SAVE! or SPECIAL with bold numbers which was considered as something unique back in the mid 90`s .lastly Morison’s scored points with customers who want to see the prices of all their items during their entire shop. 1961 – First supermarket opens 'Victoria', the company's first supermarket, is opens in Bradford. The former cinema is converted into 5,000 sq. ft of retail space selling fresh meat, greengrocery, and other provisions, with free parking available.

1967 – Morrison’s becomes a public company Ongoing expansion and plans for further growth led the company to go public. The share offer is 174 times over-subscribed as more than 80,000 investors try to purchase shares. Since 1961 and currently to provide the best customer service Morrison’s employees specialist instore butchers, bakers, and fishmongers to ensure customers get a personalised service from trained professional in their field. 1971 – New Head Office in Bradford The Hilmore House office, warehouse and factory complex opens in Bradford. 1978 – Takeover of Whelan Discount stores Following the takeover of Whelan Stores, Morrisons operates in Lancashire for the first time. 1980 – Fresh food production begins

The Farmers Boy purpose-built fresh food factory begins trading as a wholly owned subsidiary of Morrisons. Expanding beyond Bradford 1988 – New purpose-built distribution centre The first Morrison’s distribution centre, Wakefield 41 (situated close to the M1 motorway), goes into operation. October 1998 – First store opens in the South Morrisons opens its first store in the south of England in Erith, Greater London. November 2000 – First store opens in Wales Morrison’s first Welsh store opens at Rhyl. April 2001 – Morrisons joins FTSE 100 Following a 35-year record of sales and profit growth since going public in 1967, Morrisons joins the FTSE 100 for the first time.

February 2004 – First store opens in Scotland Morrison’s first store in Scotland opens successfully at Kilmarnock. Opening stores in multiple locations offers a wide variety of potential customers and can help improve profit margins. March 2004 – Safeway becomes part of the Morrisons family Morrisons completes the takeover of Safeway, creating the UK's fourth largest supermarket group. To serve the enlarged group, Morrisons acquires an additional fresh produce packhouse and distribution centre at Thrapston in Northamptonshire. May 2005 – Morrisons acquires Rathbone bakery operation Morrisons acquires three factories from Rathbone. The buyout of the plants in Middlesbrough, Lydney and Wigan saves 400 jobs. November 2005 and continuing conversion programme Morrison’s philosophy of ‘learn while you earn’ means that existing colleagues and new recruits can gain qualifications and experience whilst working. For instance, Morrison’s has invested heavily in training and developing its employees to generate high quality customer service. This benefits both themselves and the business. As a result, Morrison’s has attracted more consumers this past year than ever before. 20,000 of Morison’s employees are to train for a nationally recognised qualification in retail skills, in the biggest programme of its kind

in the UK. Providing tailored training to achieve a QCF* Level 2 qualification. In addition to that development occurs at all levels, including apprenticeships and courses for school leavers, in-house degree programmes, jobs, and training for graduate recruits. The above trainings and qualification will allow the individuals to enhance their skills and improve their understanding of serving customers effectively. Overall Morrisons’ customers are becoming more satisfied with its focus on personal service, efficiency, reliability, quality and freshness. Quality customer service adds value as it improves customers’ experience, making them feel valued and therefore more likely to become a repeat customer. As customers like to be always assisted by helpful and friendly staff. They need clear information and good after sales service. They also want their queries dealt with competently, quickly, and accurately. They seek value for money and high levels of colleague knowledge and expertise. April 2006 – Morrisons moves to a new Head Office 1,500 Morrison’s employees move into a new 331,000 sq ft head office building on Gain Lane in Thornbury, Bradford. 2006Morrisons starts to Measure its customer service in several ways. Quantitative measurement often takes place through exit surveys in every store each month. Qualitative measurement often takes place through methods such as mystery shops, which allows the gathering of customer opinions and comments. This new approach has allowed Morison’s to highlight their strengths and weaknesses in their customer service. March 2007 – Martyn Jones joins the Board Starting his career with Morrisons back in 1990, Martyn Jones becomes Group Trading Director, with new responsibilities including all aspects of trading and supply chain operations. July 2007 – Sir Ian Gibson appointed as non-executive Deputy Chairman Following the announcement that Sir Ken Morrison is standing down as the Chairman of the Company, Sir Ian Gibson is appointed as non-executive Deputy Chairman of the Group. March 2008 – Sir Ken Morrison steps down as Chairman After 55 years of service, Sir Ken Morrison retires after being honoured with an award for his ‘Outstanding Contribution to Retail’ at the Retail Week Awards. February 2010 – Dalton Philips appointed Chief Executive

Dalton Philips takes the helm as Morrisons new CEO. The Irishman joins after gaining global experience working in food retailing, including roles at Walmart and Loblaws in Canada. June 2011 – Flower World acquired Morrisons announces the acquisition of Flower World in Derby, as it aims to become the supermarket of choice for fresh flowers. December 2011 – ‘M Savers’ range launched Morrison’s introduces low-cost food brand ‘M Savers’ to stores nationwide. The m and saver range are a new sales technique which includes 350 products and will allow customers to experience great quality and tasting products at extremely low rates. In addition to that the m and savers range will help families make their weekly shopping budget stretch further as most shoppers complain they have no money left at the end of the month. Overall, the m and savers range were introduced for the consumers benefit. February 2012 – Meat processing site in Winsford acquired Morrisons announces the acquisition of Winsford, a meat processing site in Cheshire, further strengthening the site’s manufacturing capabilities. March 2012 – Seafood manufacturing in Grimsby Morrisons announces the launch of its own seafood manufacturing business in Grimsby. The investment means Morrisons will grow its seafood offering and provide its customers with fresh fish at affordable prices. March 2012 - iPad app Featuring lifestyle and travel articles, as well as interactive recipe cards, Morrison’s becomes the first supermarket to launch its magazine as an iPad app. The above is a clever sales technique to attract a large group of mom shoppers through the innovative supermarket app. As by viewing the numerous recipes people may be interested in constructing the dishes by obtaining the ingredients via Morison’s .As a result it will drive more sales for the store. April 2013 - Helping young people into work Morrisons launches the ‘Our Club’ programme to help unemployed young people get back into work. The programme employs techniques used in sports coaching to help young people develop work skills. April 2013 – Trevor Strain appointed Group Finance Director Trevor Strain is promoted to the Management Board to succeed Richard Pennycook. Trevor joined Morrisons in 2009 from Tesco.

May 2013 – Ground-breaking deal with Ocado

Morrisons agrees a ground-breaking deal with Ocado to offer a state-of-the-art food delivery service focused on affordable fresh food. June 2013 – “Employer of the Year” – again and again Morrisons wins ‘Employer of the Year’ for the fourth time in a row at The Grocer’s Gold Awards ceremony. July 2013 – Banana ripening factory acquired Morrisons announces the acquisition of a banana-ripening factory in Boston, Lincolnshire, giving it full control over the ripening process, meaning greater consistency in the quality of its bananas. 2013 - ‘field to fork’ As one of the largest supermarkets within the United Kingdom, multiple features automatically make Morison’s stand out and differentiate it from competing supermarkets. For example, since the news of the horse meat scandal broke people have become more conscious and hesitant towards buying meat produce unless they are 100% sure of its authenticity. In the event Morrison’s fresh food is processed at their own manufacturing sites. Meaning Morrison’s possess great control of its supply chain and the quality of it produce through their own farms and production line known as "from field to fork”. The above sales technique allows Morrison’s to promote its ‘fresh approach’ and commitment to sustainability therefore customers become aware of the freshness of its food and its concern for the environment. Thus, Morison’s has reported that all their fresh Meat counter sales were up by 18%with the sale of fresh beef burgers rising by 50 per cent and beef mince by 21 per cent. January 2014 - Online food deliveries begin Using technology developed by Ocado, Morrisons launches its much-anticipated online food delivery service and begins a national roll-out starting with homes across the Midlands. Morrisons online food delivery system is a very clever sales technique as it helps target people with minimal spare time due to busy and conflicting schedules. Today more people than ever order online thanks to the smart phones and tablets. Whether stuck in traffic, riding the bus or on a break, anyone can place an order quickly and easily. Not all Stores are open 24/7, but Morrison’s online shopping provides customers with the convenience to shop at a time of their preference and choose a pickup or delivery time as well. March 2014 – £1bn investment in price and proposition Morrisons announces a £1bn investment over three years to lower prices and make stores even easier to shop in.

May 2014 – “I’m Cheaper” announcement Morrison’s next sales technique was the great British price crunch as it slashes the prices of 1,200 items to become permanently cheaper. The Discounts are based on the nation’s favourite groceries. The above sales technique will allow the public to enjoy lower grocery prices and help families on low income buy affordable food. The overall purpose of the food price deflation sales technique is to lure customers in to purchase with immediate discounts. July 2014 – Andrew Higginson appointed Deputy Chairman and Chairman Elect Andrew Higginson joins the Board of Wm Morrisons Supermarkets as non-executive Deputy Chairman and Chairman Elect as Sir Ian Gibson retires in 2015....