Sandbach Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, business, charities, clubs and sports groups. We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations regularly in a feature called 'Up Close in Sandbach'

Today, we're talking to Nick James, store manager of Sandbach's Lawton Way Co-op.

Nick James has worked for the Co-op for 29 years. He has worked in large Co-op stores such as Alsager and Talke and has also been a Co-op area manager - but his first love is managing stores.

He says he loves working with the team and developing staff's potential, pushing them to reach their full capacity giving them the confidence to "grow" at work, ensuring that his store runs like clockwork, delivering the highest quality service to his valued customers.

Nick, 54, has seen many changes to the retail world during his long and varied Co-op career, but none so fast and prominent as those which happened during the pandemic or just before.

"Covid seems to have fast forwarded everything," says Nick who is delighted with new initiatives at his store which is popular with residents living on and or near the local housing estate.

He says the advent of headsets is brilliant and really helps with communication within the store and getting stock out to the right place at the right time. "They help with teamwork as well," says Nick, ensuring his team are fully connected at all times.

"For example, if stock is needed quickly and someone is in the warehouse it is so quick and easy to contact them. Everyone is connected which is great."

Another good move, says Nick, is the introduction of self-scan checkouts in the Lawton Way store allowing customers to quickly pay for items by card and means members can also swipe their membership card for rewards.

Nick is a big community man - not only at work but also at home where he and his wife once fostered children and have now downsized to a smaller house after their own children left home.

And it was this move which prompted him to set up his latest initiative in his own store. Nick and his wife, both avid readers, had amassed bookcases full of books which wouldn't fit in their new home.

So Nick came up with the idea of a community library, setting up a display of books and CDs for people to buy or bring in their own. The idea has been a big hit at the Lawton Way store, already raising between £700 and £800 since it was launched in April.

Now customers can pick up some of Nick's old collection and help this community library project at the same time. Nick has kept a few books from his collection so he and his wife have something to read when they head off on mini breaks in their motorhome.

Nick also did the Potter's Half Marathon for the Co-op's national charity partners, mental health charity Mind, raising around £1,500 and worked with the Alsager Carnival lights-switch on when he managed the Alsager store.

Nick's Sandbach store is right next to Elworth Hall School, where he has done a reindeer run and the store has also worked with Elworth Church of England School on another project.

He said: "Community work is a big part of being a Co-op store manager." Apart from supporting Mind, his store is also raising money for Local Community Fund causes, Sandbach's St John's Church of England School to develop an outdoor area, creating a cinema experience for disabled residents at Hill House in Sandbach and helping the electric car team at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College.

But it's not just community work which Nick and his colleagues are helping with – they are also playing their part in making the store "greener" and being as environmentally friendly as possible.

The store is waiting to get its soft plastic recycling unit which customers can use but all cardboard, plastic and other waste are carefully recycled by store staff and many walk to work to reduce the number of cars on local roads.

And whatever is happening, customers can be certain of a friendly smile and plenty of help if they need it when they visit the store.

"We know some of their customers by first name and we pride ourselves on delivering excellent customer service," says Nick.

Co-op membership helps support your local community, with great rewards for you too. When you buy selected Co-op branded products and services, 2p for every pound spent goes to you and we'll give the same to local communities. Join us today online, or join in-store.