Interview With Kate Sweeney

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Interview With Kate Sweeney
Brand, Buying and Marketing Graduate Programme
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What Kate said about the Boots application
process
I studied Chemistry at the University of
Sheffield. I found the Boots Brand, Buying and
Marketing graduate scheme online and applied as I
love the brand and already shop at Boots. I am
also interested in working in retail as I think
it is a fast-paced, interesting and varied
environment.
I found the online application process was simple
and easy to follow. Following this, I had a
telephone interview before being invited to an
assessment centre, where I took part in several
exercises, both in a team and independently,
written and presented.
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Induction week
After joining the company, I attended an
induction week along with the other 7 graduates
on the Brand, Buying and Marketing scheme. During
this time, we worked as a team to complete a
real-life business task.
My task was to recommend how make better use of
space in stores for fragrance sets at Christmas.
I spent 3 days with my team, researching and
meeting with people from various areas of the
business to put together recommendations on how
to improve the system. These were then presented
to senior business leaders at the end of the
week.
It was crucial to speak to with other people
across the business to help gain insight and
ideas, as I came into the business not knowing
how much was possible.
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Time in store
Following our induction, I spent five months in
store in the flagship in Leicester, getting to
know all the different departments.
After a while, I was made a team leader of the
Christmas section of the store, where I was
responsible for allocating workload to my team,
ensuring that the team delivered excellent
customer care and ensuring that the Christmas
section was fully stocked and presentable at all
times.
I learnt a lot during this time, and really
enjoyed the Christmas period as it is the busiest
and most exciting time
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Kates first placement
It was a huge learning curve, but looking back,
I achieved a lot in a year.
In the January after joining Boots, I returned to
the office to begin my first placement in the
Accessories Trading Team. Here, I was an
Assistant Buying Manager for hosiery.
I was required to work with both Boots-own brand
and external suppliers to develop the best
product range for customers, ensuring that the
pricing, promotion and distribution strategy was
optimised.
I had control of a category budget, which meant
that I made decisions which had a real and
immediate impact on the area. In this role it was
crucial that I was reactive to changes in the
market, keeping an eye on latest trends and
competitor activity to ensure that Boots
continued to respond to the needs of customers.
Pricing
Promotion
Distribution
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Kates second placement
My second placement in the Brands department
allowed me to further build on my experience. I
became an Assistant Brand Manager for Boots
Pharmaceuticals.
This role had a core focus on developing the
Boots Pharmaceuticals brand, by clearly
identifying the role the brand plays within each
category and maximising the areas where Boots
Pharmaceuticals takes the lead role, through
product innovation and marketing support.
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Kates position as Assistant Brand Manager for
Boots Pharmaceuticals
This role required me to have a deep
understanding of the consumer and the market, so
that I could identify unmet consumer needs and
respond to these through product development,
packaging/claim updates or development of the
communications plan.
In this role, I had to work closely with a number
of different functions such as Supply,
Regulatory, Trading and Marketing in order to
deliver against these actions.
I felt this was a really interesting role as
Boots Pharmaceuticals has only recently been
established and it was great to be part of the
team driving awareness for the brand.
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How Kate felt about relocating
I moved from Oxfordshire to join Boots, and now
live in the centre of Nottingham.
I visited Nottingham shortly before moving there
to look at the area and the property available
for rent. I found that several other graduates
moved to the area and they all shared useful
hints and tips. I find the city great to live in,
with lots to do.
Boots provided me with information about the
different areas available and where things are.
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What Kate receives beyond her day-to-day role
During the programme, I have taken part in core
training. We received some technical training on
how to use the various systems and commercial
training on budgeting and negotiation.
We also received learning courses in the Peak
District to develop leadership and team working
skills. These courses were fantastic and provided
an extra element of support. They comprised of
exercises in problem solving, and role play,
followed by group analysis to identify personal
areas for development.
I have also taken part in some projects working
with the other graduates from other departments
on the Brand, Buying and Marketing scheme,
additional to the scope of my job. This has
allowed me to get involved in organising the
annual conference for Boots suppliers and an
event run in aid of the Boots charity The
Benevolent Fund.
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Kates overall experience
Overall, I have really enjoyed the graduate
scheme as it has been based around real
on-the-job experience, which I feel is the best
way to learn. The work has been fast-paced and
exciting and I love to see the results of my work
land in stores and delight customers. I also feel
that as Boots is such a large company, there is a
huge range of job opportunities for graduates
coming into the business.
I recommend that new graduates at Boots be open
to different opportunities and up for a
challenge.
Although the program was full on and there is
lots expected of you, the rewards are worth it.
It felt great to see my work come to fruition. I
recommend building a big network of contacts, as
this allows you to get work done much faster in
an organisation as big as Boots!
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