For Mental Health Awareness Week this year, we’re raising awareness of the impact of loneliness on our mental wellbeing and the practical steps we can take to address it. As part of this, we spoke with eXPD8’s Human Resources Business Partner, Kelly Duncan, about the impact of the pandemic on her own sense of loneliness … Continue reading Mental Health Series Part 3: Mindfulness

As a company, we always pride ourselves on Putting People First. So, this Mental Health Awareness Week, we are raising awareness of the impact of loneliness on our mental wellbeing and the practical steps we can take to address it. In terms of interventions that we’re implementing to help mitigate loneliness in the workplace, there … Continue reading Mental Health Series Part 2: Putting People First

For Mental Health Awareness Week this year, running from 9-15 May, we’re raising awareness of the impact of loneliness on our mental wellbeing and the practical steps we can take to address it. As part of this, we spoke with eXPD8’s Human Resources Business Partner, Kelly Duncan, about the impact of the pandemic on her … Continue reading Mental Health Series Part 1: Loneliness

Protecting our mental health has never been more important. The pandemic marches on and with it comes a plethora of issues for the retail industry and individual alike. A recent Retail Trust survey found that 91% of line-managers have seen an increase in mental health issues among staff since the start of the pandemic, showing … Continue reading Protecting our Mental Health: Retail in Winter

Hi, I’m Derri and I’ve been with eXPD8 for just over 6 years. Poor mental health and stress awareness costs UK employers up to £45 billion each year and many organisations, like eXPD8, are enrolling staff to become Mental Health First aiders, to support and manage wellbeing in the workplace, as well as helping to … Continue reading Stress Awareness – A Mental Health Insight

Each year there is a theme for Mental Health Awareness Week and this year the theme is ‘Kindness’. This may seem like something we all do on a daily basis, but these nine tips will give you some benchmarks and ideas to be kinder to yourself and others! Do not set yourself unrealistic expectations It’s … Continue reading 9 Ways to be kind for Mental Health Awareness Week

A good night’s sleep doesn’t just mean lots of it, it means the right kind of sleep. If we cooperate with our sleep, we cooperate with our mood, performance and our interpersonal relationships. There can be some very negative effects of sleep deprivation. Ongoing lack of sleep can be a huge risk factor for the … Continue reading How a Good night’s Sleep Can Improve Mental Health

It would be counter intuitive to talk about the benefits of exercise to your physical health. We all understand that Do More Exercise = Body Feel Better (even if your legs still ache 2 days later) but what is being understood and expressed more and more is the positive effects regular exercise can have on … Continue reading The Benefits of Exercise to Mental Health

Your hobbies section is often overlooked by employers on your CV, but can really showcase the skills you can bring to a business. Your talents outside work can be hugely beneficial to you and your colleagues, unlocking the potential for you to excel. There are so many hobbies that you can be part of from … Continue reading Lifehack- Hobbies can help your mental health and help you get ahead at work

Mental Health Awareness Week (14 to 20 May 2018) gave everyone at work the opportunity to reflect on their mental health both in the context of work but also in their own personal lives. It was a lovely opportunity to do things differently, trying out activities that could help balance your day to day life. … Continue reading Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week 14th to the 20th of May 2018 is Mental Health Awareness week and what better time to discuss openly, the issues surrounding Mental Health problems. Many people reading this will have experienced a period of mental ill health or supported somebody close to them through it. And in doing so would … Continue reading eXPD8 promotes Mental Health Awareness

As statistics of mental health problems in our society are ever on the increase, we understand the importance of mental health and wellbeing.   Here at eXPD8 we value our people and we see each individual as a whole not just as an employee.  We understand that we all need to play our part in managing … Continue reading Supporting Mental Health in the workplace

It’s been a tough start to the year to say the least.. but we must remain optimistic. Since we’ve all been advised to stay at home where possible, it’s been interesting to see what people have been doing to pass the time. Being at home can certainly become difficult, so we must take a minute … Continue reading Staying at home: How to Remain Happy & Healthy

Tuesday 26th April was GroceryAid Day 2022; an important date in the calendar to raise awareness of the free help and support GroceryAid provides all Grocery colleagues. We took over our digital platforms to promote GroceryAid to our colleagues, including our social media pages, email signatures, video call background images, tablet takeovers, Portal and Telegram … Continue reading eXPD8 embraces GroceryAid Day!

Calling all dog (animal) lovers… Our furry friends bring so much to our lives. The benefits of pets are clear. Making space for them in our daily routine makes our days that much brighter. This is a concept eXPD8 have been following for many years with our cheeky and adorable office dog Olive, who is … Continue reading The Benefits of Pets in the New (new) Normal

“New Year, New Me” is a mantra many have used before, often as we lay down our heartfelt January plans and resolutions. How about a new job? Whatever the pledge we make to ourselves; be it to hit the gym, read more, eat better or spend more time in nature, typically we consider career changes … Continue reading Looking for a flexible new job? Come and join eXPD8!

Thousands of people up and down the country are now working from home due to the pandemic. According to a 2019 research study by TUC people were spending an average of 59 minutes commuting to work each day pre-pandemic. Hopefully, this should mean that employees have more time at home, feel more rested and have … Continue reading How to Fill Your Spare Time Now You Aren’t Commuting to Work

Since early 2020, there have been so many changes to our lives. I think I speak for everyone to say it has been a struggle to maintain a normal lifestyle and this is true for fitness. Gyms have been closing and opening and closing again, it is hard to stay active and motivated, let alone … Continue reading Striving for Strava – Staying Fit, Active and Motivated

So, the New Year kicked off with the UK’s third (and hopefully final) lockdown, and it’s safe to say that most of us have been feeling a little deflated. We have been back once again to the long, dark evenings sitting on the sofa, endlessly scrolling through our phones. With the extra free time we’ve … Continue reading Time To Get Creative!

eXPD8 is a people-powered business. As the leading provider of retail support services to retailers, suppliers and manufacturers across the UK and Ireland, a key aspect of the business is ensuring the right staff are recruited, inducted and engaged at all levels throughout the organisation. So, eXPD8 Co-Founder Mark Thurgood approached Moon Executive Search with … Continue reading Welcome Jess Marsh – eXPD8’s New Resource & Welfare Director

This year we have all taken more time to remember what is important to us during COVID-19. And this year, Remembrance Day will be like no other. Veterans and those who serve in the Armed Forces, both young and old, will again be remembered for the sacrifice that they made and continue to make. This … Continue reading Why Remembrance Day is Important to Me – Leanne Chew

Sustainable Retail. It’s serious business. Going green is no longer just a “trend”. It’s a conscious decision that businesses are making to protect the future of the planet and the environment. Not only does transitioning into a sustainable office help the world around you, it can also contribute to a more motivated, healthy and happy … Continue reading Sustainable Retail: Finding Solutions to Everyone’s Problem

Within eXPD8, teamwork is crucial, though of course the majority of jobs out there will involve working in a ‘team’ of some sort. In the broadest sense, it’s our Central Office team working alongside the Field Team to deliver fantastic results for our clients. That’s teamwork. It’s absolutely paramount to the business. It’s at the … Continue reading Teamwork makes the dream work: Why is it so important?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about equality and the advocacy of women’s rights, with the #MeToo and #HeForShe movements, flexible working and the gender pay gap. It’s headline news. And equality has become an important focus in the workplace, and rightly so. Which is one of the reasons I feel fortunate to be … Continue reading Equal Opportunities – 5 Reasons why eXPD8 is a Great Employer

Self-care is something we should all make part of our daily lives. It’s not only when you’re running on empty that self-care is important, it’s important every day and more so if you have a mental health condition. It can be hard to fit in time for self-care that shouldn’t eat up your day so … Continue reading 7 Self-care tips for 2019

The last 12 months have been very significant for eXPD8 for many reasons – we’ve doubled the size of our business after taking over the merchandising services currently provided to Tesco by Oakwood Distribution, have become the only preferred field marketing provider and accredited partner across three of the UK’s leading supermarkets, we’ve moved offices, … Continue reading Diversity & Inclusion at eXPD8

I was reading an article on Personnel Today (aka the news for HR gurus) ‘How to make home working a success’ and it gave me pause to reflect on how things have changed in the labour market in such a short time.  When I  first started working in the late 90s (not that long ago … Continue reading 21st Century Working

The Beginning Hi, I’m Joe, an IT administrator at eXPD8. I’ve been working here for about 3 months so far and I am very thankful – but it wasn’t always rainbows, happiness, and tablet builds. Let’s go back to a much darker time before I was graced with the bright, orangey light of eXPD8… I’m … Continue reading Working with depression

For anyone that doesn’t know the name, Pete Jones, at eXPD8 Central Office, it is a name that is synonymous with “General Merchandising” Clients and “Clare’s Team” after 4 and a half years of service.  So there were quite a few shocked colleagues when it was announced that I was moving to an entertainment-focused product … Continue reading Welcome to the world of Retail Insight…

I have worked at eXPD8 for almost 2 years, starting as an Admin to now working as a Studio Account Handler. One of my favourite things about working here is how the company makes full use of its employees other skills and interests. I studied Animation at University and graduated with a first, and although … Continue reading How effectively capturing your employees’ skills can change your business

Once upon a time in 2016… There was a lass named Shamaila who came from the complex world of Benefit Assessing and the beautiful & creative world of Makeup Artistry… My journey with eXPD8 began in 2016… eXPD8 are a field marketing agency with field staff spread across UK and Ireland. We go above and … Continue reading My Journey into Recruitment and HR

Did you know, the average full time working person spends 50% of their waking hours at work?  With so much time spent at work, do you want more for your employees? A better work life balance, a healthier workforce, less stress, more fun, lower absence rates? We did, so we set up “Wellbeing@1BSQ”, our company … Continue reading 6 steps to create an awesome office wellness program

There has been a boom in people owning pets since the pandemic started. The population of cats and dogs has grown steadily over the last decade, however it is very noticeable that the pandemic has boosted the amount of pet ownership, as pets play a major role in supporting mental wellbeing and loneliness. As a … Continue reading Pet Retail: How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

Summer has arrived. Seasonal retail opportunities are just around the corner. Normality is returning! Brands are planning now to maximise the peak selling opportunities, not just for Summer, but for Back to School, Halloween, Bonfire Night and crucially for the Christmas period. So, what are the trends and how important is it for brands to … Continue reading Plan now to maximise the peak selling periods for your brand

As you may know, eXPD8 is a field marketing agency which provides support services to retailers, suppliers and manufactures across the UK and Ireland. We aspire to deliver service excellence first time… every time. Our main goal is to provide a tailored service to our clients so that they can achieve their business objectives; however, … Continue reading 5 Things You Didn’t Know About eXPD8 Before

I worry a lot about dishwashers. I mean, I really worry about them. I’m always worrying, as I load a dishwasher, that the dishwasher will let me down. I worry about parting the plates, adjusting the gap just wide enough to give every fighting chance I can to the dishwasher. I worry as I turn … Continue reading What Field Marketing Has Taught Me About Dishwashers

Heard of Syndicated Field Marketing? Read ahead to find out how it will change the BWS category landscape in the era of COVID-19. Like almost every other sector, COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on the UK alcohol market. But it isn’t the first pandemic to have made an impact on the drinking habits of … Continue reading Syndicated Field Marketing – Let’s Raise a Toast!

The current Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the inflexibility of the Dedicated Field Marketing model in contrast to Syndication.  Simplistically, dedicated means working for one brand in many locations, and syndication means working for many brands in one locality. There has long since been a tension between dedicated and syndicated services.   Dedication brings some advantages, particularly … Continue reading Syndicated Field Marketing Solutions – the “New Normal”!!

UK Retail Trends and the health of the retail industry has been a topic of conversation for several years now. This has been specifically around the UK high street and the closure of several stores and retail estates. As hot topic, it is easy to look at the retail landscape and wonder if everything is … Continue reading UK Retail Trends 2020: What Are Stores Monitoring?

People like to challenge themselves and want to live a more rewarding life and New Year’s resolutions can be a way to set some new goals. For instance, they might want to be a healthier version of themselves, workout more often, or learn a new hobby. Some resolutions can give a spike to certain products … Continue reading How New Year’s resolutions can affect retail

Retail Design is the practice of creating engaging retail spaces. It’s about creating spaces in which consumers will want to shop and ultimately make a purchase. If the experience in store is good it will hopefully encourage return visits which will in turn maximise sales. Often the store will be an extension of a company … Continue reading Retail Design – the Concepts Behind In Store Experiences.

The way the world works, and the way companies work, is changing faster than ever. We all operate in a diverse landscape, with the current workforce already housing four generations of employees. This year, more and more Generation Zs (those born between 1996 and 2010) are turning 22 – and are joining the fray. Here … Continue reading 5 Ways eXPD8 Are Prepared for Generation Z Employees!

Will you be setting any New Year resolutions in 2019? Love them or hate them, setting goals and writing lists with the aim of hitting them or ticking them off, is good for the soul. Research shows that people who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t … Continue reading New Year, New Me? 6 resolutions you CAN keep

Here at eXPD8, we are lucky to work with brands in all different industries. Our merchandisers are in stores daily, merchandising anything from DVDs and books to batteries and cosmetics, which means we’re constantly able to see how different departments look, feel and perform including which ones look great, and which look like they could do … Continue reading 5 things brands could learn from the in-store beauty department

On a recent trip to Amsterdam whilst taking in the delights of the Netherlands Capital I stumbled upon an interesting little bar located near the epicentre of Central Station. Outside read: EUROPE’S FIRST VR CINEMA €7 THIS MONTH ONLY All my childhood fantasies of becoming a part of my favourite films were suddenly there in … Continue reading My First VR Cinema Experience