NAJ Retailer gets visit from Business Secretary with StoreSafe credentials proudly on show
16 Jun 2020
Image: Adam Jacobs of Reading Jeweller, Jacobs the Jeweller welcomes The Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP to talk about how the business is preparing to open using the StoreSafe scheme.
Reading jewellery retailer Jacobs the Jewellers was last week visited by the Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to understand what steps have been take to reopen safely.
Ahead of reopening for the people of Reading, Berkshire and surrounding areas later this month, owner Adam Jacobs and his team at Jacobs the Jewellers were visited by the member of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet to learn more about the how the jeweller has prepared to reopen safely.
Adam, a member of the NAJ National Committee commented,
“It was good to be able to share the actions we, and likely many other NAJ members have taken through the StoreSafe scheme amongst our own preparations. We’ve taken a number of steps from the four step guidance issued by NAJ including the StoreSafe training course, visors, branded sanitiser points around the store, all identified in our risk assessment and Covid-19 policy. It was invaluable to take NAJ guidance and then adapt it to our specific needs. Having the team independently certified by a practical and simple NAJ Covid aware course also gives me a clear message to communicate to our customers: Confident, consistent and trained staff. “
“In addition, it’s been extremely useful to be a member of the Association’s JET Business Network at this time. The weekly zoom chats to really check in with other independent business owners in very similar situations to you has been much more than a sanity check. From how to communicate to customers to HR duties, the JBN has been fantastic and will be a key reference point for me over the coming months, especially with regards to benchmarking sales reports.”
View NAJ's JET Business Network
Serving the Reading West constituency since 2010, Alok Sharma moved into the BEIS hotseat in February after serving as Secretary of State for International Development and the visit was arranged by the BEIS external affairs team.
The visit came at the same time as NAJ issued its 1000th StoreSafe or SiteSafe COVID-19 Training certificate, a critical part of the NAJ StoreSafe pledge.
Ben Massey, NAJ Marketing Director said,
“The StoreSafe and SiteSafe schemes are all about putting people first. The schemes are for businesses to ensure they are protected, for employees to feel comfortable and confident in their return to work, and for customers to feel assured the jeweller has taken all the necessary steps (and more) to help them feel comfortable in store.
“We’re inviting NAJ members to sign the StoreSafe pledge, to show to their customers that they are doing everything in their power for the people in and around the business. Of course, jewellers can signal their involvement with StoreSafe in their communications as they welcome visitors across traditional and digital channels.”
The StoreSafe scheme first appeared in the NAJ Coronavirus Retailer guidance, and was developed into SiteSafe for Jewellery Manufacturers, Suppliers and Wholesales, many of whom have continued to operate through the lockdown, albeit with reduced staff numbers.
The StoreSafe training course is available to NAJ members to put as many staff through the scheme as possible, for free, where as there is a charge for non-members. However, the poster for retailers to display their involvement with the StoreSafe scheme is limited to just NAJ members, as the NAJ member logo appears on the poster.
Sign the StoreSafe pledge
Source: The NAJ