Somerfield is a high street supermarket with stores in prominent locations throughout the UK offering high quality food with a particular emphasis on fresh foods and convenient shopping.

The challenge

Business Drivers:

• VC-backed, highly ambitious, fast paced & dynamic culture
• Aggressive expansion & transformation plan
• Management driving a step-change in business performance

Drivers for RPO:

• Improved levels of attraction, time-to-hire, conversion rates
• Streamlined processes
• Access to specialist resourcing advice
• Flexible & scalable model

Scope

UK-wide, 1000+ hires per year - volume (retail management) and specialist (HQ Support Centre)
Workforce planning, attraction, selection, offer management, on-boarding & retention initiatives

The Ochre House Solution

• Centralised on-site team of 19 staff
• Two-pronged delivery model
• ‘Best-fit’ processes for each workforce segment
• Toolkit:  including ‘Scenario’ planning, narrow casting attraction model, and performance based assessment toolkit
• Implemented new ATS (i-GRasp)
• MI reporting suite
• Designed and implemented new Graduate Programme
• Introduced ‘Keep in Touch’ programme - retention initiative
• Service Excellence Programme

Results

• Improved Average Time-to-Hire to 20 days
• Over 90% Direct Hires
• Improved conversion rate at selection events from 60% to 80%
• 98% of candidates offered started
• Compliance has risen to 90%
• Graduate offers completed 100% ahead of target
• Ochre House assumes responsibility for retail supervisor roles
   

For more detailed results click here.

What the client said:

“In selecting a provider, we were looking for a like-minded organisation that could match our pace, our responsiveness to change, our desire for 'right first time' delivery and a focus on continuous improvements. We selected Ochre House because they convinced us they could deliver all our identified outsourcing priorities. The tender team was very consistent in articulating the Ochre House 'offer' every time we met with them, whilst also demonstrating a high degree of flexibility and adaptability of their model to our needs. They presented a more agile and flexible model to us than their competitors. We were equally impressed with the manner in which each of their team members consistently represented their company, suggesting that a positive and solutions-oriented approach is a core value that is 'lived' throughout their organisation.

It was also important to us that the individuals who presented to us during the tender process were the same people who would be directing our account. We wanted to know who we would be working with on a daily basis rather than just buying into a sales pitch. Ochre House were happy to be based at our support centre in Bristol and to transfer our existing in-house recruitment team across to them, both of which were important to us. Being based in Bristol with our central HR team has really helped us to achieve effective integration.

Ochre House’s secret ingredient is their people, with everyone from the Board to the admin team reflecting their 'can do' culture”.
Jane Cassidy, Head of HR Services