Speaker Q&A: Hannah Squirrell, Greggs
Hannah Squirrell is customer director at Greggs. With 2,000 shops around the UK, and many more in the pipeline, Greggs is a major (and much admired) player in the food-to-go market – winning plaudits for its food quality, convenient locations, customer engagement, and value for money. In her exclusive lunch! Keynote, Hannah will be discussing the ‘recent brand journey’, and how the bakery giant has stayed true to itself while broadening its appeal to attract new customers (10.45am, Friday 20 September).
Which food-to-go operators do you particularly admire and why?
I admire the cafe propositions you often find in independent cinemas. They have to be laser focused on customer needs as it’s vital they attract people throughout the day, and not just when the films are on. Their mix of great value, enticing range, and an environment where everyone is welcome is both true of their model and our own at Greggs.
What do you think is the key for operators to successfully compete against their competitors?
We work hard to evolve our offer and keep pace with changing customer demands and behaviour, using insight from our award-winning loyalty app, Greggs Rewards, and our dedicated customer insight team.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Making our customer’s day that little bit better, and hearing about all the fantastic experiences our customers have in our shops every day.
And the most challenging?
Staying relevant and engaging. Greggs is evolving enormously as a brand and our appeal has widened greatly. It’s vital that we continue to achieve this whilst not alienating customers who have shopped with us for many years.
What does the next 12 months have in store for your business?
We will increase investment in strategic initiatives to help to deliver an even stronger customer proposition and further growth in the years ahead. These investments include further improvements to service levels in our shops and digital platforms, better availability of hot food options and further enhancements to our already-strong reputation as a responsible business.
Can you give us an example of what your business is doing to be even more sustainable?
The ‘Blue Planet effect’ has driven customer awareness of the environmental impact of their consumption choices to a whole new level. We are proud to support national environmental initiatives, including Surfers Against Sewage Beach and River Clean Series, and are committed to doing our bit to protect the health of the planet. Plastic has become a key focus and we have responded by testing replacements for single use plastics in our shops. Following successful trials, these are currently being rolled out across our entire estate. Once complete, this will remove over 300 tonnes of plastic from our supply chain each year.
What do you see as the key food-to-go trends to watch?
Healthier choices and being able to balance the Government/PHE targets without compromising on great taste, quality and value. Changing dietary needs is also key and the growing trends around vegan/flexitarian/food intolerance etc. Strong offerings will evolve their digital proposition and launch new ways for customers to engage with them.
What’s your current bestselling product?
Our iconic sausage roll will never be beaten!
Why is innovation so vital to the food-to-go sector?
Innovation is key to increasing customer engagement and developing loyalty. We generate real excitement when new products are introduced, with the Vegan Sausage Roll being a clear example. It’s critical to be “on-trend” with offerings that reflect broader grocery food trends – eg plant-based/meat-free and dairy-free/gluten-free alternatives.
Can you tell us a bit about your much-anticipated session at lunch! 2019?
It will be great to share our recent brand journey with the audience and continue to challenge the perceptions of Greggs.
Who or what inspires you to be even better?
I probably sound like teacher’s pet saying this, but our CEO Roger Whiteside is absolutely world class. He asks questions of us all that we haven’t even considered, and truly takes a customer first approach to everything we do.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t change who you are for a job/opportunity.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?
Dare to ask the questions that others may not. They are probably thinking them after all. If we don’t challenge the ways in which something has always been done, it gets very difficult to be innovative and on-trend to meet ever changing customer needs.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know:
I am a qualified Master Hypnotist.
See Hannah at lunch! 2019
Keeping It Real – Encouraging the Nation to Re-Appraise the Greggs Brand: 10.45am on Friday 20 September in Keynote Theatre 3
