THE COMPANY

The company was founded as an independent bookstore, based in London, but was later subject to a buy-out by Borders, the second largest bookseller in the world, after Barnes & Noble. It now forms part of Borders (UK) Ltd.

At the time of my joining, BOOKS Etc. was one of the most successful bookselling companies in the country. I was hired to work mainly in the newest and smallest branch at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 4. Despite its small size, the branch was proving to be one of the most successful in the chain. I was originally hired part time to serve on the evening shift, under a single supervisor. It soon became clear to me that this was a high pressure position, as it was one of the busiest periods of the day, and with only two members of staff, we were on the go almost continuously for the entire shift.

THE BRANCH

The success of the Terminal 4 branch was due largely to its location. Terminal 4 is the home base of British Airways, and serves the majority of the airline's long-haul (intercontinental) flights. Furthermore, the shop itself is located directly between the check-in point and the First Class, Executive and Concorde Lounges. As such all of the First Class and Business travellers were obliged to pass in front of the shop. Combined with an attractive shop-front and window display, an excellent (though small) range of popular books (including Travel Guides and Business books, which catered directly for our customer base), and an excellent, friendly and helpful staff, the shop produced sales figures favourably comparable to those of our biggest and best mid-town branches.

Within a few months a new branch was opened at another of Heathrow's Terminals (largely as a result of the success of our branch) and our staff was divided up to work the two branches under one manager, with new staff being hired for both shops. In the meantime I had been trained as a supervisor, and I was given the opportunity to take on a supervisory role, working between the two branches (and occasionally at the Stansted Airport branch) on various shifts. This was an important move, as I took on a number of roles, including: -

• Supervising either store, including responsibilty for staffing and management of staff, and for cash handling.
• Training new and newly promoted staff in customer service and use of a specialised computer system.
• Operation of the special order (customer requests) system, including liaising with customers and suppliers.
• Inventory maintenance, goods in (receiving), stock transfers, et cetera.
• Purchasing, and general maintenance for various sections, such as Travel Guides, Business and Sports.
• In-store marketing, window displays, special offers, et cetera

When I left the company to return to Trinidad, daily sales were in the region of £6000 to £7000 on average. On the whole I would say that having worked at BOOKS Etc. I have a very good understanding of a number of general priciples of business, and in particular of the bookselling industry, including a general knowledge of the publishing and book marketing fields. I have full confidence in my ability to successfully apply that knowledge to other opportunities and businesses. I have experience of successfully managing the day to day operation of a successful business, and of supervising junior staff, liaising with senior staff and business contacts, and of training staff of all levels of seniority.