Sainsbury’s puts the convenience into training

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to observe that UK supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has opened a college to train management teams for its fast-expanding network of local convenience stores. Design/methodology/approach – This study describes the reasons for the college and what it will seek to achieve. Findings – This paper explains that the company has more than 3,000 team-leader and management positions to fill over the next four years to power the growth of convenience stores in Greater London. The new convenience training college will train team leaders and store managers in technical and behavioral skills. Practical implications – It reveals that the college has six training rooms and will be run by “convenience capability trainers” to ensure that everyone has the right skills for the job. It complements Sainsbury’s existing training facilities – six food colleges and one bakery college. Social implications – The paper highlights the growing importance of convenience stores on the UK retail scene. Originality/value – It claims that the new training college will not only benefit Sainsbury’s convenience-store growth but will also give managers the expertise and theoretical knowledge about what it means to be a leader in retail.