Category: News

Stretford teenager meets Katy Perry

Katy Perry pic web 1

A STARSTRUCK Stretford teenager met pop princess Katy Perry after the store where her mum works achieved record sales of the superstar’s perfume.

Tricia Kenny, mum-of-four, has worked at Wilkinson in Stretford Mall for 11 years and helped sell the popular pop star’s fragrance called Purr.

Sales were so successful at the Stretford Mall that the company gave two concert tickets with backstage passes to raffle among the staff as a congratulatory gift.

Tricia’s name was picked out of the hat and she immediately snapped the gold dust tickets up with her 14-year-old daughter Rebecca Clark in mind.

Tricia, 44, said; “Rebecca knew about the tickets and had said to me how much she wished I would get picked so when I rung her and told her, she was over the moon and beside herself with excitement.”

The pair travelled to Nottingham for the California Dreams Tour to enjoy the concert and meet the global singing star.

Tricia said: “The concert was absolutely amazing and our seats were right at the front. If Katy Perry had lent over, she could have touched us we were that close to the stage.

“What was lovely is that when we went backstage to meet her, she recognised us and told us exactly where we had been sitting.

“I can honestly say she was absolutely lovely and I thought we would be in and out like a flash but she took the time to talk to both of us and Rebecca was a bit spellbound!”

Rebecca said she was very nervous before meeting Katy Perry but this was soon overtaken with awe when they entered the room where the global star was waiting with a large purple cat for company. The room was adorned with sweets for the guests to help themselves to.

Rebecca said: “I had a big lollypop with Katy Perry on it and the whole atmosphere of the room we were in just added to the excitement of meeting her.

“She was so nice and happy and a really lovely person. She was not stuck up at all and she was exactly how I expected her to be which was a bit of a relief!”

Rebecca, a Lostock College pupil whose favourite Katy Perry track is Teenage Dream, added: “That’s why I really like her because she always comes across as someone who has lots of fun and doesn’t take herself too seriously and that is how she is in real life too.

“I think she is an excellent role model for someone my age.”

The pair had their photo taken with Katy and her cat to ensure they have a treasured record of their encounter with the singer who is known for chart hits such as Firework and I Kissed a Girl.

Both Rebecca and her mum are fans of the perfume which has proved a big hit with Stretford Mall shoppers.

Mark Corlett, manager of Stretford Mall’s Wilkinson said: “We are a busy store here and perfume is one of our best sellers.

“I was delighted when head office got in touch to say we had been the best performing store on Katy Perry perfume in the whole of the UK and this reflects the fact we have a very hard working team and have some very loyal shoppers who come to us because they know they get good quality and good value.

“It was terrific that the tickets went to such a good home and I know Tricia and Rebecca really enjoyed the once in a lifetime experience.”

Tuesday January 31st, 2012

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Top award for shoe shop manager

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A DEDICATED shoe shop manager from Chorley has a spring in her step after being named as one of the UK’s top store bosses.

Nicola Clark won the award after she oversaw a new store opening and ensured bumper sales over the last year at the town’s Market Walk shopping centre.

She was surprised with a bottle of bubbly and some chocolates to reward her efforts at Shoe Zone and Stead and Simpson.

The luxury prizes, along with a cheque and a certificate, were presented by Charles Smith, one of the owners of Shoe Zone, the well known high street shoe store which also owns Stead and Simpson.

Nicola, 34, from Chorley, came third across the whole of the UK in an annual awards ceremony organised to recognise the achievements of store managers. The company has more than 800 branches across the country.

Nicola, who has worked for the company for eight years, was at the helm of the opening of the Stead and Simpson branch next door to the Shoe Zone she was already in charge of, in November 2010.

Despite suddenly being in charge of two stores, Nicola rose to the challenge and with the help of her team ensured the company’s high standards of customer service were maintained and reported a healthy sales increase overall of almost 30 per cent to boot.

Nicola said: “We were the first store that opened another branch in this way, just next door, and it has been so successful, they have sent people to us for training so they can see how it works.

“I couldn’t have done it without the help of my colleagues. I was really lucky because I had some excellent staff already working with me when we took on the new store. That meant I could trust people, who I knew were reliable and loyal, to watch the shop floor for me and help run things.

“I couldn’t be in all the different places at the same time so knowing I had a good team behind me made what was quite a tough challenge a lot easier.”

Nicola was nominated for the award by her area manager, Martina Toms, who said Nicola and her team thoroughly deserved the recognition.

Martina said: “Nicola is a very conscientious manager who leads by the good example she always sets to her staff.

“Opening the new shop, which is a very different business in itself, has been a challenge but Nicola always has a positive outlook on life and has tackled what we have asked of her in her usual cheery manner.

“She is right to say she has a very good team behind her and whenever you visit, the staff are willing to help and are friendly and this is very important to the standards we set across the country.”

Annalisa Johnson, marketing manager for Market Walk, sent her warmest congratulations to Nicola and her team.

She said: “I think her award is an excellent achievement and by the sounds of things, she definitely deserves it.

“It is great to hear retailers at Market Walk reporting such positive sales results for the last year and it is right to recognise the hard work which goes on behind the scenes to achieve this.”

Nicola said she was very proud of the award and added: “The best thing about it was to have the recognition for the efforts which both myself and the team have put into running the two stores. I am just glad it has all worked out so well.”

Friday January 27th, 2012

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New Year job joy at market walk

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THE NEW year has brought new job joy for a group of hard working Christmas temps at a busy Chorley bumper bargain store.

Five of the eight Christmas temporary staff employed to cope with the festive rush at B & M Bargains at Market Walk have been made permanent members of staff in 2012.

One of the delighted recipients of a new work contract was Josh Hope, 20, of Chorley who has been unemployed for almost all of the four years since he left school.

He started at the store in October last year on an eight week unpaid work experience placement via the local job centre which is set up to help the unemployed gain valuable experience for their CVs.

Manager of the store, Gill Purgac, was so impressed with his attitude and hard work that she offered him a temp job through December and then on Christmas Eve a full time permanent position from the beginning of January.

Josh, a keen sportsman who enjoys playing American football and squash, said: “I think it was the best Christmas present I have ever had!

“I wasn’t expecting it all and I was so shocked and pleased when they told me. It has been such a confidence boost after looking for a decent job for so long now.

“I really like working here because the team are nice and everyone is easy to get on with and it is a chance to get out and meet new people.

“It is also a fantastic chance for me to get some great experience because the job is varied. I have to help with deliveries and making sure it gets out on to the shop floor and then I am dealing with the public while I am out there, helping them to find the things they need.”

When Josh left school aged 16, he had very few qualifications and he regrets not making more of his time at school. Since then he has had one or two jobs for very short periods of time but has found it very difficult to find a permanent, regular position which holds any prospects for him.

He said: “It does get very demoralising and you do have moments when you feel like you are banging your head against a brick wall.

“I was sending out 10-15 job applications a week and I hardly even heard back from most of them. One of the main problems was that I had hardly anything to put down on my CV. That’s why  thought it was worth doing the work experience placement at first and I am really glad I did it now!”

His manager Gill, a mum-of-two from Chorley, said Josh and all the new permanent staff deserved their new jobs.

She said: “It was a nice feeling to be able to give some of our temps a permanent job for 2012 and they have gained their positions because of their hard work over the festive period and the fact they have proved to me that they can show up, on time, every day which is obviously very important.

“We had a very busy time in the run up to Christmas and sales were up substantially on the year before so I felt that if they were able to cope in a busy December with the demands of a retail job, then they were an obvious choice as a new permanent member of our team.”

Annalisa Johnson, marketing manager at Market Walk, said the creation of new jobs at the busy Chorley shopping centre was a positive indicator at the start of 2012.

She said: “It is really heart warming to hear that B & M Bargains and other Market Walk retailers are able to create so many new, permanent positions for people, especially those who have experienced long periods of unemployment.

“Market Walk is a thriving shopping centre and so I am sure the extra pairs of hands will be very valuable and ensure that our visitors continue to receive great customer service at our shops.”

Elsewhere in Market Walk, other retailers were also able to offer full time positions to Christmas temporary workers.

All three of the temps taken on in December at high street fashion favourite, New Look, have been made permanent.

Deputy manager, Dominique Lammas, said: “It is a very positive for the three young people we
have now taken on permanently, who are also at college and need to support themselves while they are studying.

“I hope it helps others, especially young people, realise that there are jobs still out there and hopefully we will be able to provide our new staff with valuable skills and experience for their future careers, whether that is in retail or in something entirely different.”

 

 

Thursday January 19th, 2012

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Happy Dave wins by a smile

Top Smiler award in Pendine Park Care Homes awards, Dave Lewis with Tracey Evans of Smartcare

Wrexham care worker Dave Lewis has a truly winning smile.

Dave, who works for home care specialists Independent Living, has been crowned a champion
smiler.

The annual Smile Awards, sponsored by Barclays Bank were organised by Smartcare, the training arm of the Pendine Park care organisation.

The aim is to reward staff who go that extra mile in making a difference to the everyday lives of its residents and clients who live in their own homes.

Smartcare Teaching Care Centre manager Tracey Evans says clients, their relatives and
staff were able to nominate who they thought should win the award.

She said: “We wanted to recognise those members of staff who not just walk about happy and
smiling all day themselves but bring a smile to the faces of our clients too.

“All residents and staff were able to nominate anyone they thought was deserving of the award. Each one of our care homes as well as our Independent Living and support services staff were eligible for the award.

“There is an award and runner-up for each unit and an overall top smiler award. We see this
is a very important initiative and wanted to recognise the often missed hard work of our staff in brightening up each day for our clients.”

“Dave Lewis, who works for Independent Living, received two particularly heartfelt nominations and in the end was a clear overall winner.

“One of his clients, stroke victim Stan Goddard, who is 78, said Dave doesn’t just do his job and leaves, instead he goes more than that extra mile to help and is always cheerful. Dave takes Stan to the gym and helps him with tasks around the home to make life easier for Stan.

“Another of Dave’s clients is a young man who suffers Down’s Syndrome. Dave takes him out
and keeps him happy. The client’s mum, Margaret Evans, wrote in to tell us how her son really looks forward to Dave’s visits and how he enjoys his trips out with him.”

Dave, who worked at Kellogg’s in Wrexham for 22 years before joining Independent Living almost eight years ago, is proud, but a bit embarrassed, to have been named Pendine Park’s Smile Champion for 2011.

He said: “I just do my job, which I really like. I have wonderful clients and really enjoy their company. Stan Goddard, who put my name forward, is a wonderful man and a pleasure to be with. I take him to the gym and we always have a bit of fun.

“And young Craig Evans might have Down’s Syndrome but he’s a fantastic young man. We go to play boccia, a soft ball game, which he really enjoys. It would be difficult to feel miserable in Craig’s company in any case, he makes me smile and brightens my day too.”

“I am happy to have won this award but I’m sure there are many of my colleagues who are just as deserving and who, I am sure, do as much if not more for their clients than I do for mine.”

Tracey added: “What Dave does is helping people stay in their own community and living in their own homes. His clients are people of all ages and abilities, some of them have family support and some don’t meaning they rely on Independent Living to remain in their own homes.”

John Pitchford, of Barclays’ Head of Corporate Banking for North Wales and Chester, was delighted to have the opportunity to continue supporting and sponsoring the awards.

He said: “It really is a great opportunity to recognise the quality and talent working within the Pendine Park Care Organisation.

“At a time when there is little good news about its great to be able to celebrate the good work of care workers such as Dave and all his colleagues within the organisation.

“The care sector is vitally important to the local economy and Pendine Park is not only a major employer but a wonderful example of how a care organisation should operate. We are proud to be associated, through the Smile Awards, to Pendine Park Care Organisation.”

Thursday January 5th, 2012

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