ASDA FAMILY

AN ASDA in Southport has 23 employees who have worked there since its doors first opened 20 years ago.

Located at the Range shopping centre, it opened on March 18, 2002. In the last 20 years the supermarket has seen many employees come and go but 23 loyal staff have remained.

One person who has worked there since the first customers came through the door is Lorraine Owen who originally worked on the night shift.

She said: “From personal experience I think we get treated more like a family and they are very good if we need anything. It helps that I enjoy the job, I guess I wouldn’t be here after 20 years if I didn’t.”

Lorraine’s daughter, Nicola, has also worked at the same Asda for the past six years. Lorraine said: “She had to apply like everybody else but it’s nice to have family working here with me.”

One colleague Di Williams, who has worked in retail since she was 16, left a job at Tesco to start working at the store 20 years ago.

She said: “My daughter was nine when I first started working here, she’s 29 now and a checkout manager here.

“When you have been here this long you pretty much left alone to get on with it.

“If you don’t know what you are doing after 20 years you’re pretty much done for.”

Times have changed since the store first opened in 2002 – there were no self checkouts or contactless payments and Tony Blair was still in office.

Sharon GregoryWareing, Asda’s community champion, credits the store’s uncanny ability to retain staff to the employee’s camaraderie.

She said: “It’s just so friendly here, when you walk through the door everybody says hello to you.

“Even after 20 years we all still get on.”