Somerfield awards

Fresh produce:

Somerfield beat off strong opposition at the SuperMeat Awards 2008 to win Best Pork or Bacon Product and Best Lamb Product for its exceptional best ever Maple cure smoked back bacon and best ever Rack of lamb. The local grocer was recognised by the judges for its support for local farming and its commitment and focus on developing quality products for its successful best ever meat range.

Somerfield clocked up an amazing fourteen awards, including two gold and seven silver medals, at the 2008 Nantwich International Cheese Show. Somerfield cheeses were the stars of the show collecting prestigious gold medals for Somerset Brie and Best Ever Champagne Rhubarb Yogurt.

The annual award ceremony is the premiere event in the cheese show calendar with 25 countries around the world competing and more than 2000 competitive entries. The 154 Classes include everything from the Traditional Farmhouse Cheese, to Stilton, to Continental, to Retailer and to Snacking Classes - something for everyone.

In 2005 Somerfield won Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year at both the re:fresh Awards and the Retail Industry Awards. This was great recognition for the work done to ensure that all customers get their 5-a-day. Frequent promotional activity also supports Somerfield’s drive on fresh foods - giving even better value on a healthy lifestyle and diet.

Retail Industry Awards 2005 also awarded Somerfield Convenience Retailer of the Year for the Essentials store format.

Medal success for Somerfield wines:

Somerfield collected more than 40 medals at this year’s International Wine Challenge (IWC). The wins include two Silver medals, fifteen Bronze and more than 20 Commendations.

The IWC is one of the most influential blind tastings and most respected wine competitions in the world. More than 400 judges spent two weeks assessing wines from more than 40 countries.

Somerfield wines also won twenty-five accolades, including two prestigious Gold medals, at the Decanter magazine awards - doubling last year’s medal count.

Formats:

2008: In February Somerfield won Convenience Forecourt Retailer of the Year at the Checkout Convenience Awards.

In November 2008 Somerfield won a second award for its forecourts - Multiple Forecourt Retailer of the Year at the Retail Industry Awards.

Charity and community:

Just 20 months ago Somerfield chose Macmillan Cancer Support as its Charity Partner. In that short time, with the help of store colleagues and customers, Somerfield have raised just over £2 million for people affected by cancer.

More than two million people are living with cancer in the UK and Macmillan provides vital support to those affected but it is currently only able to reach half the people who need its help.

This is why Somerfield has announced that it will continue to support Macmillan throughout 2009 to help the charity in its ambition to reach everyone affected by cancer by 2010. Watch this space for further news on how the new partnership will take shape over the course of the next year with our new 'Better Together' campaign.

The Somerfield Staff Lottery raises over £60,000 each year for good causes nominated by Somerfield colleagues with a clear link to stores and the communities in which Somerfield operate. To date Somerfield have raised over £2.5million for a variety of good causes.

The Staff Lottery Committee owns a hot air balloon which is used as a unique fundraising mechanic to increase money raised for local causes.

The Somerfield staff charity owns a hot-air balloon which is operated by staff and are entirely dedicated to fundraising for charity. Balloon rides are offered to charities for use as a fund-raising mechanism.

The first Somerfield balloon was launched in May 2000 and was replaced in 2003 by the latest balloon which has flown at countless events around the country and even in the States, Germany and Italy . To date the balloon has helped to raise an impressive total of £5 million pounds for charity through raffles for balloon flights.

Somerfield has received Big Tick awards in two separate categories of Business in the Community West of England Awards 2007. The Big Tick is given to companies that can demonstrate the positive impact of their responsible business behaviour on society as well as on the company itself. The decision to award the Big Tick is made by a panel of independent, experienced practitioners, and as such is both hard won, and highly prestigious.

Somerfield were awarded a Big Tick in the Merrill Lynch Raising Achievement in Young People Award category for a Staff Lottery Fund scheme in Scotland supporting school bursary visits to Glasgow Science Centre.

Somerfield received a Big Tick in 2006 in the BT Cause Related Business Award for the Somerfield Butterfly Campaign - the Charity of the Year partnership with the Association of Children’s Hospices. At the time of entry store fundraising and customer donations had raised £955,000. When Business in the Community learnt that the campaign went on to raise £2.8 million plus raising awareness of ACH and helping to secure a government pledge for £27 million extra statutory funding they re-accredited the Big Tick for 2007.

More than £2.8 million raised for The Association of Children's Hospices - Somerfield charity partner to December 2006.

In July 2005 Somerfield adopted the Bristol-based charity The Association of Children's Hospices as its Charity of the Year for 2005/2006.

Working with the ACH, the Somerfield Butterfly campaign was launched to to improve people's understanding of what a children's hospice is, and the important role it can play for life-limited children and their families. The Association of Children's Hospices uses the butterfly as its logo to symbolise the beauty of life no matter how short that might be.

For 2003/4 Somerfield supported the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign (MDC) as its chosen charity.

Throughout the year store, field and support centre staff helped raise £1.5 million for the charity. One of the main highlights was a large DNA sculpture made from Somerfield and Kwik Save shopping trolleys to raise awareness of MDC.

Somerfield raised funds for The Meningitis Trust as the chosen charity for 2002 and raised an amazing £1.4 million through activities including dragon boat racing, participation in the London Marathon and a grand celebratory ball.

Somerfield is committed to providing the very best facilities and services for every customer, whatever their ability.

To make shopping easier for customers, Somerfield have been improving access to stores, altering car parks, adjusting checkouts and store fixtures, installing hearing loops for the hard of hearing, changing signage and re-training staff.

Somerfield is also working with community transport groups to enable shoppers to reach stores more easily and listening to the opinions of action groups about further enhancements to facilities and services.