Page 6 An engaging Partnership

An engaging Partnership

We believe that being a responsible retailer means respecting the interests of all our stakeholders. This involves listening to them and actively responding to their concerns, as well as being honest in our expectations and fair in the reporting of our performance. Here, we outline some of the ways we actively involve our key external stakeholders in shaping our CSR vision and programmes.


Customers
We encourage opinions, both positive and negative, from customers by providing clear contact information and gathering views directly through focus groups, opinion surveys, online feedback forms and a customer forum on our relaunched waitrose.com website. We also provide them with information through our monthly customer publication, Waitrose Food Illustrated.

In late 2007, we commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct opinion research about CSR issues and consumer behaviour, to better understand Partner and customer views on CSR and the level of importance they give them. This involved 13 focus groups comprised of customers and non-customers, Partners, managers and Partnership Councillors. The survey revealed that for both Partners and customers, the three most important issues were:

> packaging, waste and recycling

> improving the nutritional value of our food

> responsible sourcing, both in terms of labour standards in the supply chain and the sustainability of products.

"Waitrose seems to be making an effort to reduce packaging in the last few months."
Customer 35–55, central London

"The member of staff said, 'At this time of the year, we can't stock this particular type of fish'. It was very impressive!"
Customer 55+, Southampton

(Picture of customers in a store)
(Photos of a choclatier, sheep farmer and grower)


Suppliers

As well as day-to-day communications with our suppliers, we:

>engage with them through conferences, forums, partnered projects, workshops, open days, and our 'Meet the Buyer' and 'Meet the Farmer' events (which introduce customers to local producers)

> showcase local and small producers at our three-day Waitrose Spring Food Festival at Leckford Estate

> hold supplier forums to share best practice on issues such as energy efficiency and carbon reduction.

Our weekly Partnership-wide magazine the Gazette also features articles on suppliers, which allow us to showcase their CSR credentials and how we work closely with them through long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.

"We believe in trading fairly, not just with growers but the whole supply chain."
Simon Pattinson Montezuma's Chocolate, Chichester (pictured, top left)

"Farming hasn't been easy in recent years, but we hope that relationships such as the one we have with Waitrose will help us to continue to farm here for many years to come. At the end of the day, we're producing high-quality British food to be sold by a British retailer and eaten by British people."
Martin Jones sheep farmer, Launceston, Cornwall (pictured, top middle)

"Waitrose has really gone that extra step to help us to put our ideas into action. One of these was our traceability website, where customers can enter a serial number from the packet to find out which farm it came from, when it was harvested, and even who picked it."
Tom Amery Technical Director, The Watercress Company (pictured, top right)

(Picture of a tractor and trailer)