James Timpson's Re-Post

[james timpson]

Hi, I've reposted my recent email to Lee for you all to view.

 

When I have time I like to look at the site, to see what’s being said, ideas people are working on, and new products being tested. It’s a great insight into our trade and the passion and wit of most contributors makes it time well spent. However I thought it would be useful to update the forum on some of the things we are up to as there are sometimes Timpson related topics that are misrepresented, unfair or in some cases just wrong!

 

Ex-Offenders

We are proud to employ ex-offenders, to the extent that 10% of the Company joined us straight from prison. In fact we have 6 shops today being run by people who go back to prison at night as they have yet to finish their sentence.

 

Let me give you a few facts.

 

- 26% of men, over the age of 18, have a criminal conviction more than a driving offence in the UK.

- 70% of men and 80% of women in prison have 2 or more mental health problems.

- There are less than 100 people in prison who will never be released.

 

Every company employing more than 50 people is likely to employ ex-offenders, mostly unknowingly. You serve them in your shops most days, sit next to them on the bus, and may be even work with them, often not knowing about their past. As a large employer we used to fire anyone with a criminal conviction, some of our best people had to leave the business.

 

Over the last 10 years we have been learning how best to get the right people from prison. We never take on sex offenders, those with health problems whose care plan isn’t compatible with working, and those who are just mad and bad. So in reality we are recruiting from 1/3rd of the prison population.

 

It’s not just Timpson that do this – Greggs, Marks & Spencer, Pret a Manger, Iceland, Cisco and the Co-op have followed our lead. They see both the commercial reason and the wider issues of supporting those in need.

 

I would much prefer our colleagues to be honest with us than live a lie. We recruit on personality, and we find great personalities in a variety of places, one of which is prisons. Here we know the full facts on peoples past, as from experience CV’s are often pure fantasy.

 

Timpson also has training academies in prisons, filled with both men and women learning the skills they need to work in our shops on release. I am very happy if anyone would like to visit the academies for you to see for yourself what the “Foundation” colleagues are like. You will see people trying to learn new skills and take this one opportunity to change their life for the better.

 

I know that recruiting ex-offenders isn’t for everyone. I feel that if you are happy to serve them as a customer, and take their money, you should be open minded enough to offer the right ex-offender a job.

 

Timpson Expansion

We plan to open over 100 shops in the next 12 months. It’s a tall order to get the right shop, in the right location along with the right colleagues. In fact this is the fastest we have ever grown the business and the toughest challenge we have right now.

 

There have been comments in the trade that our colleagues don’t have the skills necessary to give amazing service. This is something I vigorously disagree with! I admit that we don’t always get it right, we are good at over promoting some people and of putting them in customer facing roles when they aren’t quite ready.

 

When you are growing so fast you have a big recruitment and training need. We measure over 2000 customer visits per week so we get a good feel as to what is going on across our 1100 shops. We also compare our service to that of our competitors. I am very confident that we offer customers what they want. The results show we rate excellent in over 96% of cases, far above the trade average. (We also have won the Rendenbach quality competitions for the majority of the time the competition has been running).

 

Our expansion out of town is good for our business, our customers and most importantly our colleagues. They get more opportunities for promotion and to earn more money to make their business even stronger for the long term.

 

Prices

The last point I would like to raise is that of prices. In simple terms we have to pay VAT on all our sales at a rate of 20%. Many independent traders are operating below the threshold and are therefore VAT exempt. It’s an unfair playing field in many ways but I’m not complaining. We charge a fair price for a good job, and although in some cases it’s higher than others, our level of customer satisfaction shows we get it about right. As long as the VAT free threshold exists Timpson will have higher prices to that of many of the trade.

 

Regards, James

[grahamparker]

How many ex-offenders have been sacked by the company for theft or wrongdoing.

 

I can understand a reluctance to answer this question honestly but to me it is a VERY important question.

[Gray]

There have been comments in the trade that our colleagues don’t have the skills necessary to give amazing service. This is something I vigorously disagree with! I admit that we don’t always get it right, we are good at over promoting some people and of putting them in customer facing roles when they aren’t quite ready.

 

 

You can say that again......... viewtopic.php?f=30&t=8564&hilit=bad+repairs

[Lee]

The statement has been made, I would advise all members not to respond to this topic therefore it has been locked.