Convenience Leadership Programme

• A solid strategic and practical knowledge of convenience retailing, knowledge of the portfolio and activities from the ACS
• A network of like-minded people within the sector
• Having successfully completed the programme you will receive a graduation certificate attesting you a “Convenience Leadership Programme graduate” from the University of Surrey.

Session 1: Analysing the factors affecting the convenience sector

• How is the convenience sector impacted by demographics changes, technology development, the political landscape, economics and societal changes?

Session 2: Personal and professional development

• How can we identify how we are perceived or positioned in the workplace through the eyes of your employer - and which experience/skills are prized most?
• How can we improve the effectiveness of our collaboration within teams - as leaders and as colleagues?
• How can best communicate with others? How to best have a difficult conversation?

Session 3: Making attractive value propositions

• What are the key market trends, and how are the needs of the convenience consumer changing?
• How can we decide on the right offer for a convenience store, and how do we evolve it in line with our customers?
• What is great service and how do we deliver customer satisfaction?

Session 4 and 5: ACS Summit & reflection

• Participation in ACS summit
• Reflection on takeaways from the summit. What does the information mean to my business?

Session 6: ACS Technology showcase & reflection

• Participation in the virtual ACS Technology showcase
• Reflection on takeaways from the summit. What does the information mean to my business?

Session 7: Data and decision making in the convenience sector

• What data sources are available to support decision-making in convenience retailing?
• How can this data be integrated into the decision-making process?

Session 8a: Innovation thinking

• How do different kinds of companies innovate?
• How can innovations be managed how can organisations be more agile?
• How can large organisations think and act like start-ups?

Session 8b: Supply chain management

• What are the new trends in supply chain management and procurement?
• How to manage supply of products and services into stores?
• How to manage our relationship with suppliers?
• How to cope with recent uncertainties and complexities in supply chains?

Session 9: Store and customer management

•    How can stores improve on-shelf availability?
•    How can stores grow sales and profits by reducing retail loss? (shrinkage, food waste, markdowns, damages, fraud, etc)

Session 10: Presentation of final projects & graduation

Session 11: ACS Study Tour

This is an applied, evidenced-based course that aims to be directly relevant to business decisions in convenience retailing, but also has a sound basis in academic or practical evidence. The course has both a theory and a practical component. The course structure is aligned with various ACS activities and embeds them into the curriculum.

The assessment has two components:

• Attendance and active participation in modules
• Conducting a consultancy or research project and compose a final presentation.

At the end of the course, you will receive a graduation certificate (dependent on if you have passed your assessments).

Research project

The research project and presentation summarising the results of the project shall cover one particular topic in convenience retailing in-depth. It can be proposed by your employer funding the course or yourself. The report will enhance your convenience retailing-related knowledge and deliver insights to your employer and the sector.

All the projects are presented at the end of the module, which will also enable the participants to practice their presentation skills and enhance the knowledge of the entire group through the insights generated in the final projects. The final reports will have to be finalised in the phase from April to June and will be supervised by staff from Surrey Business School.