Staff at Lunn’s in Northern Ireland have been busy swotting up on their retail nous, completing a new qualification in Retail Knowledge.
All 27 members of Lunn’s retail sales and service team completed the course, which was developed in-house by Lunn’s using criteria set out by examination and awarding body OCR.
The team underwent extensive training by experienced industry professionals, significantly funded under the Department for Employment & Learning’s Customised Training Programme.
The retailer, , which sells watch brands including Longines, Rolex, Breitling and Patek Philippe, is understood to be one of the first independent retail businesses in Northern Ireland to have developed and delivered such a programmed with OCR in-house, with funding from DEL. The course included modules on understanding customer service in the retail sector, the retail selling process, security and loss prevention and customer payments in a retail sector.
Lunn’s people development manager Lizanne Gibson said: “At Lunn’s, we have a deep-rooted commitment to delivering the best training to every member of our team. It’s beneficial to team morale and it’s beneficial to our business.
“Competing in retail requires the highest level of customer service to ensure that our brand stands out in a competitive market. We continuously strive to make everyone’s role genuinely rewarding by fully supporting staff development – this is the reason why we have teamed up with DEL and SERC to develop this relevant and practical qualification.
“We recognise the strength of any business is its people and so we are keen to show that retail vocational qualifications have a real impact in today’s work place. Hopefully by sharing our success we can show how others can invest in a win-win that will boost their business and their staff members’ skills.”
The Minister for Employment and Learning Dr Stephen Farry presented Lunn’s staff with an award for excellence in retail at a ceremony last night held at the MAC arts venue in Belfast.
He said: "I welcome that my department, through its Skills Solutions Service and funding from the Customised Training Programme, has been able to support this local business to develop the skills of its staff. The Skills Solutions Service provides advice and assistance to small and medium sized companies to help them identify and find the training they need, and then support them through its delivery by working with local colleges, in this case with SERC.
“This award for excellence in retail is a collaborative example of organisations working together to deliver results which will benefit both Lunn’s as a business and the individuals within it as they improve their skills.”
