J Sainsbury PLC :: Business and Management Studies

J Sainsbury PLCINTRODUCTIONJ Sainsbury PLC is one of the leading food retailers in the UK and in addition has interests in financial services. It comprises of SainsburysSupermarkets, Bells Stores, Jacksons Stores and Sainsburys Bank.There be currently 583 Sainsburys supermarkets throughout the UKemploying over 145,000 people, offering over 34,000 products andserving over 11 million customers a week. It is for these reasonsthat cargonful management of effects within each of the stores isvital to ensure that all processes are kept running smoothly so thatcustomers can be served and products can be replenished.PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVESCustomers want a quality service when they shop. A quality service isdefined as a service that systematically meets or exceeds a customersexpectations. The supermarket needs to look at the current value of acustomer how can they make this person spend as ofttimes money aspossible in the store. They also need to look at the future value ofthe customer how can they make sure that this person will return,when they will spend more. The objectives of the supermarket need tobe looked at and worked towards very carefully.The diagram below shows the main performance objectives that areworked towards in the supermarket.Things operations should doObjectiveProvide error free goods and servicesQualityMinimise lead timeSpeedKeep delivery promisesDependabilityAdapt to revision in circumstancesFlexibilityMinimise costCostDr Andi Smart, University of ExeterFor the customer to have a hassle free shopping experience then most,if not all, of these objectives need to be met.The first, and arguably the most important, objective in the store isquality. It is important because it is the most visible part of whatoperations do and therefore customers are easily able to makejudgements on quality. In real terms inside the supermarket this meansensuring that products are in good condition, that the store is clean,that the interior decorations are appropri ate and of a good standardand ensuring that staff are polite and friendly. Quality is managedvery carefully within the store. The floor manager is responsible foroverseeing the operation as a whole and controls the managers fromeach section of the store. These managers in-turn oversee staff intheir own section and control stock rotation, cleanliness of the islesand goods and ensure that all fixtures are maintained. This top-downapproach to the operation ensures that quality is maintainedsuccessfully within the store.The next objective is speed ensuring a short transaction time at thecheckout and making products readily available is the only way thatspeed can be managed within the supermarket. A checkout managercontrols the checkouts, increasing and reduction the number of staff on