It goes without saying that a trained and engaged team is an effective team. That’s why we invest in regular training for our colleagues that includes everything from our standard merchandiser training, to bespoke client training that immerses our merchandisers in the products they are working with.
Our Learning and Development team use our online learning platform, eDUK8 to create and deliver engaging training modules, which are used alongside face-to-face training at the shelf-edge. Last year alone saw over 25,000 training sessions delivered to eXPD8 colleagues!
As well as covering standard training for things like induction and health & safety training, we have become adept at creating tailored learning journeys that are bespoke for the clients we’re working with. This can cover an in-depth overview of the brand and products, through to highly specific content based on the details of the task at hand. Our clever call scheduling system then makes sure that we only schedule calls to merchandisers who have completed the training! Nifty.
Our current work involving the roll out of The Entertainer Toy Shop in Tesco stores around the country, required some bespoke training content that covered all aspects of The Entertainer story, an overview of the tasks required, and some really detailed content around what makes a fixture compliant.
Collaboration is a key part of project management and with over 750 The Entertainer concessions launched across the UK, we certainly had to project manage! With every new client we spend time assessing and scoping the training needs including things like how much our team need to know about the brand values and the merchandising principles.
The Entertainer and eXPD8 team are solely responsible for managing the concession in Tesco and are accountable for delivering the full end-to-end service from set up, to replenishment, to weekly price changes, and managing promotional spaces. It was therefore important that from an L&D perspective, we covered not just the how (i.e. hard and soft skills needed), but the why (aligning both The Entertainer and eXPD8’s values and behaviours).
We worked closely with our The Entertainer counterparts to share resource, expertise and best practice to ensure the training modules delivered. The Entertainer’s Learning and Development Specialist, Mike Metcalfe-Shaw, shared this thoughts on the process:
“The Learning and Development Team at The Entertainer started working with eXPD8 in early 2024 to develop a training plan for the Tesco rollout. During this time, we had weekly calls to discuss what training was required and what training materials, resources, and content was available. The Entertainer and eXPD8 shared best practises, and their internal LMS systems to ensure the training was created in the best way for all colleagues.
It was a great experience to work with Hayley and Lauren at eXPD8 and I gained a lot of new knowledge from their experience which helped shape the training we have delivered to our teams at The Entertainer. The whole process was smooth, professional, and we had a great rapport with one another which made the collaboration a fun experience, as well as supporting both parties to create and deliver training for The Entertainer in Tesco expansion.”
eXPD8 is committed to enabling and empowering our colleagues, ensuring that they have the skills and knowledge to deliver excellence for our clients. Before a colleague steps foot in a store, they must be fully trained and equipped.
We delivered three separate training programs for The Entertainer in two months, from scoping to launch. One of these was solely focussed on delivering great set ups, the second focussed on the on-going end-to-end service requirement, and the third focussed on training for our newly created roles – our Toy Merchandising Champions!
We have already trained 390 colleagues and with the rollout program continuing until October, we expect to train many more.
For further information on our field marketing services, including our bespoke training programs, please get in touch at hello@expd8.co.uk.
