Co-op News - February 2020

MEET...
Meet … Chris Matthews
Store manager and director,
East of England Co-operative
Chris Matthews was one of East of England’s youngest store managers when
he was first appointed. He was elected to the board in 2016 and is also on
the Co-op Group National Member’s Council, representing East of England
on one of the Independent Society Member seats.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN EAST
OF ENGLAND?
I started with a paper round for my local Co-op
Group shop when I was 13. When we moved to
East Anglia, I got a job as a customer service
assistant at an East of England store, and moved
up to supervisor, then store manager when I was
18. I was elected to the board in May 2016, when
I was 26, after seeing the position advertised in
a local store. The society was doing a push on
director positions – I decided to find out a bit more
about it, applied and people voted for me. I think
people appreciate the fact that as a colleague, you
understand the shop floor aspects of the role. You
talk to a lot of people – to customers, members,
people outside shop – and you understand
their worries and concerns. You’re in a position
where you’re better enabled to understand the
challenges and wishes of members and customers.
Ultimately in co-operative retail
– whether you’re doing a paper
round, are in customer service,
managing a store or being a
director – your aim is making
sure customers have an
enjoyable experience
The East of England board currently has 16
directors, of whom up to two can be colleagues
(there’s no minimum).
HOW HAVE YOU BEEN SUPPORTED IN
BOTH ROLES?
Since being elected director, I have received a lot
of professional development through attending
courses, workshops, and events where specialists
come in and teach around specific subjects, such
as finance, digital or property. Conferences like
Congress and Co-operatives UK’s Co-op Retail
Conference helped too, as have other directors,
who provided an outline of the role and took me
under their wing. East of England is also supporting
me through an executive MBA programme – I’m
currently in the second year of a three-year course.
In terms of the store manager position, the retail
side of the business has been very understanding
of the time I need to do the director part of the
position. It’s a fine balance – I have many hats.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
The balancing act between keeping the
fundamental confidentiality of the boardroom
and the practical activity of the store manager day
job. You can have an advanced understanding of
both roles, but the challenge is where you apply
the knowledge; I very much have to have a board
hat and a store manager hat, and I think the
ability to interchange them is really important.
The role of a board is to be strategic – and if you
don’t have different hats you could very easily slip
into operational decision-making mode when you
should be strategic, and vice versa. You need to
have respect for the relevant authority chains.
Having said that, I have found adapting to
the two roles easier than I thought I would,
22 | FEBRUARY 2020