Our strategy

We’re the UK’s leading retailer of home products. Our customers' homes are at the heart of their lives, so there’s a close connection between our business and the issues that concern us all.

We’re working to help shape the future of shopping by providing customers with convenient ways to find and buy the products they need. We’re offering customers products and services that help to reduce their energy consumption and providing convenient ways to recycle unwanted products.

We want to play a part in influencing the way people think and act in relation to shopping – the way they chose products, get them to their homes and what they do with products when they have finished with them.

Delivering consistent great service to our customers is essential to our success. Attracting and retaining colleagues who are engaged with the business and proud to serve our customers is the key ingredient of this success.

Although our customers’ priorities may shift during a recession, they still want positive change. They expect us to continue to help them to achieve their aspirations despite the current economic limitations that we all face.

We want to play an even greater part in changing our society for the better. This year, we launched our new colleague volunteering policy, and are working on two exciting education business partnerships to achieve positive change in line with this.

In the face of increasing cost pressure, it’s vital that we operate as efficiently as possible to eliminate unnecessary costs and minimise our negative environmental impact.

Basis of good business strategy

Our corporate responsibility strategy is: ‘to be responsible in all areas and to excel in our chosen few.’

For more information go to Future outlook.

Our basis of good business programme gives us a solid foundation. We can build on this to seize the opportunities and manage the risks associated with developments in the economy and society:

• Customers expect businesses to do more to address social and environmental issues
• Customers want practical help from us to save energy and money and reduce the problem of waste in their homes
• The UK Government wants businesses to work in partnership with government agencies, charities,organisations, and individuals to change our society for the better
• We’re required to comply with an increasing amount of environmental legislation, incurring resource costs and direct ‘tax’ costs
• The cost of energy, fuel, timber based products and other resources will continue to rise, driving up both product and operating costs
• Climate change remains a major issue with related weather impacts a risk in the UK and for our suppliers in China and South East Asia
• Our competitors are constantly raising the bar in terms of their own corporate responsibility commitments and communications

For more information on how our CR stakeholder panel helped us
   identify these trends go to Stakeholder engagement. 

Good business principles

We use five good business principles to communicate our strategic objectives and performance.

See our Good business principles.

Communication

We share information about the basis of good business programme with colleagues through our established channels as an integral part of our everyday communications. Find out more about Stakeholder engagement.