Irene Robinson may be relatively new to the world of pharmacy but that was no barrier to her being highly commended in the Retail Skills category for her work across all branches of the company

Irene Robinson started at Right Medicine Pharmacy just over a year ago but her previous experience of merchandising and customer service (she had been employed by a major DIY chain) meant there was some familiarity to her new work environment. This led to her quickly attaining her medicines counter assistant qualification, while putting in changes on the shop floor that, in her words, “benefitted not only the company and staff but also the patients who visit our branches”.

Steps that she took included remerchandising the stores in the Right Medicine Pharmacy Group, using information obtained from suppliers where appropriate, to make the layout and fixtures as easy to shop as possible. Other innovations Irene has put into place include locating point-of-sale materials in different areas of the stores to highlight offers and products that are being promoted by their manufacturers. She has also adopted a stripped down approach to window displays, removing anything that could be considered “clutter” and instead installing information posters that highlight what is on offer in the pharmacy.

This does not mean only promotions are featured, as Irene commented that the fresh look has “increased our level of uptake on services offered in the branch”. Irene also plays an educational role, passing on merchandising tips and presenting customer service material to staff working in each store. Such activities led to praise from Awards judge and former National Pharmacy Association chief executive Mike Holden who said Irene showed “great support in breadth and depth”. Irene says customers are equally complimentary: “People regularly comment on how good the stores look and how there is always a great deal on something in store.”

Committed to the cause

It wasn’t Irene’s decision to put herself forward for the Recognition of Excellence Awards. Instead it was her line manager Richard Stephenson, head of retail, operations and HR at Right Medicine Pharmacy, who suggested it to her and encouraged her to complete the entry form. Richard is also instrumental in Irene’s latest career move within the company; she is currently training to become a dispensing assistant, with the ultimate aim of providing holiday and sickness cover as and where needed in a continuation of her relief role.

Relief work is no easy option, particularly at a chain like Right Medicine Pharmacy that has 16 branches as far apart as Edinburgh to the east, Glasgow to the west, Crieff to the north and Dumfries and Galloway to the south – a journey between those four locations, assuming no traffic and no stops, would take well over four hours. So how does Irene manage? In her words: “I have to get up really early, but that’s OK, it’s just part of the job.”

While Irene’s immediate future lies in the dispensary, she says she will retain an eye for the shop floor and would like to somehow combine a dispensing assistant role with spending some time on merchandising once she has gained her qualification. Both are responsible jobs, albeit in very different ways, but in both areas, despite working in different places, sometimes on a daily basis, she says: “I always treat the shop as if it was my own.”

People regularly comment on how good the stores look and how there is always a great deal on something in store