Outdoor and Cycle Concepts Ltd

It's Love Parks Week, a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with nature and appreciate the beauty of our green spaces. Parks are the heart of our communities, offering a sanctuary for relaxation, adventure, and fun. We're passionate about the great outdoors and committed to protecting and enjoying our natural environment. Whether you're planning a serene picnic, a vigorous hike or a family day out, our parks provide the perfect backdrop for making memories. Here's how you can celebrate:  🌿 Visit your local park and explore its hidden gems  🥾 Take a hike and discover new trails  🌷 Participate in park clean-up events to help preserve their beauty. 

A group of 35 colleagues joined the Montane Ltd sell through team in the Yorkshire Dales recently for a two-day workshop, hike and knowledge exchange in preparation for the Autumn/Winter ‘24 season.  The team were shown new products and technology and received training on how to prepare for a Mountain Leader Assessment, which included a team hike and watching Jenny Tough’s film ‘Solo’. It was a great opportunity to try out the new season gear and get to know the new technology first-hand so that it can be passed on to customers in our stores.

🌿 Happy self-care day🌿 At O&CC our ethos is simple: Everyone is happier outside. We believe one of the best ways to practice self-care is to embrace the great outdoors and we encourage our colleagues to do this all year long. We also have a number of provisions available to ensure our team can prioritise their mental and physical wellbeing. From dedicated Mental Health First Aiders and our Employee Assistance Programme to the wealth of wellbeing materials available via Perkbox, we recognise the importance of putting yourself first.

Ensuring colleagues are kept informed and up to date with our business performance and activities taking place is a key activity for us. To help foster this collaborative spirit, we host bi-weekly Newsday sessions, streamed live via Teams, ensuring everyone can remain aligned and motivated, regardless of their location. Today's meeting came live from our newest store in Beverley and we received fantastic comments from people across the business. The meeting recordings are shared via internal channels for anyone in the business to rewatch or catch up on at their convenience.

We know our colleagues value the chance to network and collaborate with others across the business.    Last week, we held a wet weather-friendly summer fete social - inviting those working in the office to come and join for cream tea, garden games and tennis.   The feedback shared was great and it's clear how important people felt it was. This is an initiative which runs throughout the business with colleagues who work in stores also being encouraged to take part in their own way. 

Last week, all stores across our estate (Cotswold Outdoor, Runners Need and Snow + Rock) received the new digital Visual Merchandising guidelines for AW24. These outline how stores should be laid out and are split into three categories: planning and execution, clothing and activities. They also include interactive elements allowing colleagues to navigate the guidelines easily on in-store iPads and interact with how-to videos making them both practical and sustainable for all to use.  

Last weekend, Brighton Senior Customer Advisor, Phil Williams completed the Race to the Stones 100k along the Ridgeway, Britain's oldest footpath, in just 15 hours.   Phil said: "I think it is heathy to do hard things.    "Whether it is your first 5k or a race like the one that I have just completed. You find out a lot about yourself and how resilient your body can be."

Last Friday we opened our brand-new store in Beverley, next door to the famous centuries-old market. Customers will find an extensive range of outdoor clothing and equipment in store from leading brands, including Rab, Mountain Equipment, Fjällräven, and The North Face. Our free in-store services include boot and rucksack fittings, footwear protection services and adventure and camping kit list advice. The store was officially opened by loyal customer Kirsty, who cut the rope on her birthday.  

We’re committed to ensuring all colleagues from across the business are informed and able to give feedback in a constructive way. This is why we offer a monthly forum for colleagues called Colleague Voice. It is a channel for colleagues to gain knowledge and understanding in other areas of the business, provide feedback and ask questions.  Representatives join the meeting on the first Wednesday of each month having prepared and sourced questions on behalf of their team with the purpose of funneling information to their colleagues thereafter. These sessions allow colleagues to question members of the leadership team on their strategies and goals as well as suggest improvements to ensure new systems land effectively.  

On June 22, South Cerney Store Manager, Emily Gray and Marketing Executive, Amy Fry joined one of Every Body Outdoors' regional walks to further understand the challenges plus-sized people face in the outdoors.   The group enjoyed a walk up Cleeve Hill, near Cheltenham, where the views stretch for miles.   Prior to the walk, Every Body Outdoors held a 'kit pool' event, where plus-sized members could try on a range of kit and provide feedback on the fit and feel of items.