Having worked in pharmacy since she was 17, Rachel Coulter has a knack for turning occasional customers into regulars.

Based in an affluent area of Edinburgh, that also has a large student population, Rachel’s understanding of her customer demographic means she has been able to source products to please all.

“I wanted to make the pharmacy a one-stop shop,” says Rachel. This includes stocking extra household and cleaning items for elderly customers who were less keen to visit shops off the high street during the pandemic. She always endeavours to make mental notes of what sells well and what customers have said they want or like, in order to keep stock flowing and customers happy.

“Rachel looked at the sales reports on all of the ranges that were stocked in the pharmacy and looked at keeping the bestselling lines, removing the slower selling ones and transferring these to local branches who she knew would be able to sell them,” Rachel’s area support manager and nominator Martin Murphy explains. “This, in turn, has helped with their sales.”

All in all, Rachel’s hard work has meant that over-the-counter sales in the pharmacy have grown by around 20 per cent, even during the tough times of the pandemic.

Paula Woodgate, accuracy checking technician, Spotlight Award winner 2019 and RoE judge is impressed with Rachel, stating: “Her retail skills know no bounds.”

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