We speak to Rhosfawr store manager, John, to find out more about his role and shares his advice to farmers.
Tell us about yourself
My name is John, I'm 44 yrs old and I've been the store manager here at Rhosfawr for the last 2 years. My first experience of Wynnstay was when I did my work experience within the store at the age of 16. After my work experience, I started a 2-year training scheme at Eifionydd Farmers, based in Pwllheli.
In 1997 I was offered a full-time role at Wynnstay Rhosfawr which I gladly accepted. Since joining the team I have worked in a number of roles such as yard work, warehouse operations, lorry driving and in-store services. In total, I have worked at Wynnstay for 25 years.
Tell us about your role
As store manager, a typical day is spent ensuring that we are meeting our set targets, promoting new product ranges through staff training, building good relationships with our customers and offering the best advice and services available to them.
In 2021 I completed an online DPJ Mental Health Awareness course to better my understanding of a big problem facing the agricultural community. I want to offer our customers a place where they can come and share their worries and concerns in a safe and trusting environment.
For more information on available courses, visit https://www.thedpjfoundation.co.uk/training/.
What aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?
Tough question, there is a lot about my role that I enjoy. I think that the most enjoyable part for me would be building a good relationship with customers. Having been here for over 25 years, I am confident that we as a team offer a great service to our customers, both new and old.
The most important aspect would be my work colleagues, every one of them is excellent at what they do. For the smooth running of the store product and guidance information, for this, I am very lucky.
Are there any difficulties which you face?
In the last few months, there has been a massive price increase on many products. Trying to explain this to a customer can be difficult as sometimes products can double in price, fertiliser is a good example of an increase. As this is a worldwide problem on many products the majority of the customers understand as this is also very frustrating for us in store.
Do you have any key advice for farmers?
My key advice to farmers that come to the store would be to ask for help on any product that they are unsure of, whether that's product information or usage. We maintain an open-door approach at Wynnstay Rhosfawr, we are here to help with any query or problem you may have.
Looking to join our team?
Discover the roles currently available within the Wynnstay team.
