Sylvia raises a glass to celebrate 40 years at Marks and Spencer
A local Marks and Spencer employee has celebrated 40 years in her job with an exclusive Champagne reception in London, as a thank you from the retailer for four decades of dedicated and enthusiastic customer service.
Sylvia Medway (58) started work at the M&S store in Exeter in 1973 when the clothes rails were filled with flares, platform boots and hippy chic and has seen many changes at her M&S store over the years – including the fashions!
Along with 118 other long-serving colleagues from across the UK who, between them, share 3,160 years of experience with the company, Sylvia was invited by Marks & Spencer Chief Executive Marc Bolland to attend a Champagne and canapés reception at the high street retailer’s London headquarters. Sylvia was able to experience the event with her proud husband, Michael before taking in a West End Show.
Sylvia explained that her great colleagues are the reason she’s stayed at M&S so long, as well as how M&S have recognised her commitment to the company.
Sylvia was one of just 14 employees celebrating 40 years’ service, but there were also 104 staff who attended the event to celebrate a quarter century with Marks & Spencer. With the help of an exhibition set up by the company archive in Leeds, all of them were able to reminisce about their early days with M&S – from their trusty pencils, paper and mental arithmetic, in the absence of today’s technology, to the very first sales of wine in M&S stores in 1973.
Sacha Berendji, M&S Director of Retail, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our loyal workforce and we always enjoy recognising and celebrating important milestones, like today when our colleagues achieve 25 and 40 years’ service with M&S.
“To be raising a glass with well over a hundred staff this year is a real testament to the quality and dedication of our employees. Our stores have evolved significantly over the years, but good customer service is, and has always been, central to everything we do at M&S.”
The origins of the M&S Long Service Celebration date back to 1918, when an employee was awarded a gold watch for 25 years loyal service to the company. Since then the awards have become an established Marks & Spencer tradition. Over the years, almost 19,000 employees have celebrated 25 years of service, and over 1,000 employees have worked at the retailer for 40 years. Last year, for the first time, two employees reached 50 years with the company.
