Craig - Pharmacy Manager, Largs
What attracted you to Superdrug?
I applied to Superdrug for my pre-reg placement because I had worked for the company for five years before I actually went to uni and I enjoyed my time with them. The other advantage was that I knew some people in the company and I thought it would be nice to work with people that I was comfortable with and had a familiarity with.
Describe your career path at Superdrug.
Once I qualified as a Pharmacist I became a Relief Manager for three or four months so I worked around the whole of Scotland. I got to meet a lot of different teams and see a lot of different ways of doing things. The customers are different all over so I got a lot of experience from that. Then the Pharmacy Manager position came up at Largs, I was asked if I'd be interested and I jumped at the chance. I've been back with the company now for just over two years.
How has your experience of Superdrug been?
My experience certainly has been very positive and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far with Superdrug. I've certainly learned a lot and I feel like I've been challenged in my role as a Pharmacist. I like the fact that Superdrug - although it has a big company backing and 1000 retail stores - has only 213 Pharmacies, so it's quite a small, intimate team. You tend to know who you are talking to and who you are dealing with and you get very quick responses. I also like the fact that Superdrug tends to allow you to try out your own ideas. They'll give you an initiative to try but they'll allow you a lot of flexibility in how you approach that. You bring your own approach to building the business and I like the fact that there's a bit of personality about it.
Ross - Pharmacy Support Manager, South
What attracted you to Superdrug for your pre-reg training?
I worked for a competitor while at university and wanted to go somewhere completely different. I lived in Scotland at the time and Superdrug were developing their pharmacies there, I looked into the company and thought it would be a good place to join. We were a very small pre-reg team, so we really got to know each other and share our experiences. A lot of us are still in touch. In fact, I look after some of the pharmacists in my role now as they're still at Superdrug too!
Describe your career path through Superdrug.
After I qualified I went to work for a store in central London for just over a year. I got really good experience of over the counter sales as a lot of the customers didn't have time to go to their doctor and came to the pharmacy instead.
I then worked in a community based store in the heart of Islington for four and a half years. I built up the prescriptions there and I worked with local PCTs to deliver services, such as a stop smoking scheme, methadone supervision and the minor ailment scheme which was all about taking people out of GPs and into pharmacies. We also did a scheme offering the morning after pill to under 20s.
I then became a Sponsor Pharmacist, which involved training and inductions for new Pharmacists. My next step was to become the Pharmacy Support Manager for the south of the UK.
What do you enjoy most about working at Superdrug?
For me it's the fact we're still quite small, so everybody knows each other and we all get on really well. The company is also really willing to give new things a go, its not scared to try new things. For example, as well as the Pharmacy Managers, I look after the Nurses in Central London on services such as the mole clinic and we're also launching a travel clinic. At Superdrug we are often the first to market with innovative services.
Rob - Head of Pharmacy
What attracted you to Superdrug?
At the point that i joined Superdrug, the business was going through significant change - we had left Kingfisher and were being bought by Kruidvaat a Dutch Health & Beauty business, so the ability to come into a business and feel that there was a real possibility to make a difference and help shape the future of the business was exciting.
Describe your career path through Superdrug.
I joined Superdrug in 2002 as an Area Manager working in and around the East Midlands. I spent 4 years working in this role before, in the autumn of 2006, being given the opportunity to run the south west region on a temporary basis. The operations team was restructured in 2007 as Superdrug & Savers were for a short period of time run as one business. This created an opportuntity for me to apply and gain a permanent role as a Regional General Manager looking after over 150 stores across the Midlands.
How has your experience of Superdrug been?
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Superdrug so far. Superdrug has many wonderful people working with passion and energy to deliver the best outcomes possible. Working for Superdrug, unlike many other businesses, I have felt able to make a real difference to the direction and output of the company.
Describe Superdrug in three words.
Motivating, rewarding, teamwork