This is certainly our favourite time of the year and we reckon this is our best prize of the year. Not many prizes have a retail at £90 and give so much joy for 24 days up until Christmas!
It’s become tradition for our friends at Laithwaites to donate this wonderful prize for the competition so a huge thank you to them.
Go to the Prize Draw section to see how you can win this fantastic prize!
On Saturday 21st some of the team from Three Mile Cross joined the charity walk for Sue Ryder at Pangbourne College in Berkshire. Whilst a little muddy, it was a great, enjoyable event, all in aid of this important charity. Thank you to all that took part!
Congratulations to all our Facebook winners last month. One from each store. As we move into the Christmas period they’ll be more to win on Facebook so keep your eyes peeled!
The building is down, and it amazing to see how much space there is, so stage 1 nearly complete! All going to plan so far. once this is done the ground works will start and then everything will start to take shape. We just can’t wait for the next stage to be complete and we’ll keep you up to date step by step!
As always the staff at Fraser’s Budgens made the most of Halloween with some fangtastic dressing up, some really going to town in Spooktacular fashion!
After the success of Marlborough Subway's refit at the beginning of last month was the turn of Yarnton to get its update. Like Marlborough this meant a host of new and updated equipment, digital menus screens and a fresh new look. This is Yarntons first refit in over 10 years so it definitely needed a good upgrade. Enjoy the fresh look Yarnton!
In the final week of October we were very pleased to help out with the Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross Halloween trial, being one of the outlets to pick up the trail map. Furthermore giving a prize as part of the trial. We love being a part of this community event and look forward to many more in the future. Thanks to everyone who took part!
As you may be aware, we sponsor Filchampstead U13, near Three Mile Cross. We were very, very proud that the team were chosen as the ‘on pitch welcoming party’ for Reading FC vs Portsmouth on Saturday 28th. Although Reading lost 3-2 a great time was had by both kids and parents
Well done to Amy Long, who was the lucky winner of our Halloween goodies. She correctly told us that the fear of Halloween is in fact Samhainophobia. Congrats, and enjoy! No fearing Halloween at Fraser’s Budgens!
This month was a pretty easy Employee of the Month for the team to decide. As you will be aware an increase in crime against retail shops has been highlighted in the media of late and Frasers Budgens are no exception. As commented on last month Sophie (Yarnton Manager) raised this with the Oxford Mail which in turn gained an audience with the Thames Valley Crime Commissioner. She was then invited to talk at the Thames Valley Crime conference in front of 200+ police officers, and did it with authority and conviction! Well done Soph, you went above and beyond here and did us, and the retail community proud
It’s that time of the year, the start of the silly season, the Christmas countdown! Though there’s Halloween to get through before any real talk of Christmas is allowed. We just love October and the fun that Halloween brings at the end of the month.
With that in mind we have a ghoulish selection of Halloween goodies to give away in this months prize draw.
We are very pleased to be the player of the match sponsor at Witney Rugby Club for the season. This is a new partnership for us and it is very exciting to be associated with this great club, who are literally a two minute drive from Cannon Pool!
After months of back and forth with planning we have finally made a start at Brize! As you may already know the works initially are demolishing Dowleys (Car show room) next to the site but we'll be building a 6 bay Jet Wash Centre, double car wash, oodles of parking, as well as moving the Subway and creating more space in the store! We can’t wait to get this all done and up and running as it’ll be a huge improvement to the store and facilities. Big changes ahoy!
On October 3rd Marlborough Subway refresh began, which will give the store a new lease of life. This update will certainly freshen things up and bring the store right up to date. Thank you for your patience while this is going on – it’ll definitely be worth it! Towards the end of the month it'll be Yarntons turn to freshen up. We'll keep you updated with these developments!
As you may have heard on the news shoplifting and crime in retail is very high at the moment. This has been brought to focus at our Yarnton store by Sophie, the store manager, having a meeting with the Thames Valley Police Crime Commissioner. It was an interesting meeting, where concerns were voiced regarding the lack of response by the police. This was written up in an Oxford article which you can view below. Well done and thank you Soph, you followed through and highlighted a very important issue!
As you may know Three Mile Cross's principle charity is Sure Ryder. This year the store are putting a team together to take place in the Starlight walk on 21st October. This is a 5km walk around the grounds of Pangbourne college at night, raising much needed funds for this important charity. The store are raising money at the tills over the next few weeks so pop in and donate what you can. Thanks in advance!
Jack has been an absolute rock this month, stepping up by covering shifts, coming back in when it's busy and even working double shifts on the occasions they may be needed. He has also recently been promoted to weekend Team leader which it's fair to say he is nailing! Well done Jack, a very well deserved employee of the month!
Well done to Jamie Kennedy who was the lucky winner of the selection of Madri, just in time for the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup. He, as well as many others, correctly told us that Madri is assocated with the Spanish city of… you guessed it… Madrid! Well done Jamie. Enjoy, and cheers!
Well, it comes down to this. The top Rugby nations of the world compete for the Webb Ellis Cup. Get ready for some sublime skill, some brutal hits and entertainment of the highest order in this years Rugby World Cup!
With the Sun out and Rugby on the calendar you probably couldn’t think of a better combination than Madri – which surely encapsulates the Sun and Sport perfectly! We have a hamper of Madri to give away to one lucky winner.
We are very excited to be able to offer delivery through Deliveroo at our Yarnton Subway. With Brize already having Just Eat and Deliveroo now expanding into the area it made total sense to use this ultra convenient service! I mean what is better than getting your favourite Sub delivered straight to your door? Go on the Deliveroo app and search for ‘Yarnton Subway’
Around the middle of the month we'll be making a start on the Brize Norton changes. Whilst it has taken a while to get to this stage it was important that whatever we did was to improve the site, which we know it will. The plan will be to create a valeting centre at the store with a top notch Jet Washing centre as well as an additional car wash. This will also mean that eventually the store will be extended and there will be a lot of additional parking, as well as the provision for EV charging. We will start with the demolition of the car showroom opposite the site around the middle of the month. We'll keep you updated on any other developments as we progress.
Congratulations to all our FaceBook competition winners for the Back to School competition. These competitions are always so popular and thank you for everyone who took part. Well done to Mandy, Katie, Courtney, David and Dan!
Come and join the team! We have a variety of vacancies through the sites so go to the careers page to find out if any suit you. As well as great rates of pay, we offer industry leading discounts for employees, including up to 50% off products in store and 5% off a litre of fuel. Vibrant and fun, our award winning stores are looking for the right staff to join the teams.
Fraser's Budgens are now the proud sponsors of Carterton Town FC! It made sense that after over 30 years of servicing the people of Carterton we show our support of the local football team as well. We look forward to the new season. Go Carterton!
Congratulations to Chris Barkus, the lucky winner of his shop! He correctly told us that the average basket spend at his store (Three Mile Cross) is between £8 and £10. Chris has informed us that he didn’t just buy a load of crisps and booze like he might have done in his younger days but a solid selection from the store! Thanks for entering Chris and enjoy!
It's not often that we have two employee's of the Month but this time around it was impossible to separate these two, having both done an equally sterling job in the last month!
Zoe joined the team in 2018 in the bakery, moving into the shop and the Subway in 2022, bringing her hard working ethic to every role she has been in. Katie started with us in 2021 and works in both the shop and Subway, recently as a relief supervisor to help any cover.
Both have gone out of their way this month to help cover a lot of shifts due to sickness, both stepping up to the role of supervisor and both juggling the shifts between them so they could spend time with their families. Well done both, and thank you!
The holidays continue, and whilst wet and mild seems to be the theme we are ever hopeful that the sun will put it’s hat on sometime this month! Whatever happens though holiday time is about having some time out, keeping the kids entertained and trying to make the most of the weather – whatever it may be!
With all this extra-curricular activity you can sometimes feel like your wallet is taking a bit of a battering. That’s why we wanted to help out this month by letting you win your basket of shopping. Just go to the prize draw section to find out how to enter.
After over 10 years of doing us proud it is time to upgrade the website! Whilst the picture above is just an example of what it may look like you can get a feel for what we are trying to achieve with a more modern and sharper look. This is very much in the developmental stage but we are pleased with what we've seen so far and we'll let you know at each stage of the update. Exciting times!
Nick and Jonathan Fraser were lucky enough to be invited to a Sue Ryder lunch this month, where information was shared and supporters of the charity came together to show their support. Sue Ryder is the chosen charity at our Reading store and whilst the store do some excellent fundraising for this important charity, the lunch highlighted the importance of external funding resources so the hospice so we’ll look to increase our commitment to them and will do more fundraising over the year. You can donate to this amazing and important charity below
Robert Fraser is one of the owners of Fraser’s Retail and splits his time between South Africa and the UK, when he’s back on these shores you’ll see him around the sites from time to time, giving his expert opinion on the stores and engaging with the staff and customers alike. One thing people may not know about Robert is the amount of time he dedicates to charity work when is not in the business. He works with 4 different charities in South Africa, as well as being a member of Rotary for the last 35 years and we felt it was time enough to highlight his amazing work. Thank you Robert, your work is simply inspiring!
It’s not often that a post box creates a stir but the one outside the front of Yarnton certainly has. Earlier this year the Yarnton WI created a fantastic coronation themed topper which got a lot of attention so decided to do a Summer themed one. We’re hoping this slice of summer helps to bring out the sun this August. Thank you WI – what great idea!
As always the Yarnton store pleased to help out at the William Fletcher School fete in Yarnton at the end of last month. The PTA got in touch and asked the store for some donations to help them raise funds for the outside playground equipment. We were more than happy to help out and are pleased to announce that the day raised a fantastic £3,131.38.
Last month we gave away not one, but five prizes, one for each store! And what a great prize it was, each winner was lucky enough to get a Renegade brewery gift pack. Renegade Brewery is one of our local suppliers and they make the most excellent craft beers. Well done to Bob, Dean, Claudia, Diana and Andrew who each correctly told us that Renegade brewery is in Yattendon. If you haven’t been there, we’d recommend it, a great brewery and tap room await. In the meantime you can buy these fantastic beers at the stores!
Tracy has been with us for the last 18 months and has taken on more and more responsibility as time has progressed. In recent times she has taken on the role of running the bakery due to sickness cover, ensuring the standards have been kept up and covering shifts, really making sure it runs as smoothly as possible, all whilst learning new skills and showing others what to do. Much appreciated Tracy, well done!
Back once again for the Renegade Master! Well, not really but couldn’t resist, and brewers Renegade are true masters. Fraser’s Budgens are now proudly stocking the coolest of cool craft beers from local Brewery, Renegade. The brewery is pretty local to us and nestled just above the m4 near Reading which makes us even prouder to be stockists of this fantastic brand. To celebrate thsi partnership we have 5 gift boxes to give away in our prize draw this month!
We are very pleased to have crunched the numbers for the plastic bag tax in the last 6 months and can share with you we have taken a fantastic £1370.50 in the first 6 months of 2023! All this money goes to our chosen charities at the stores. Breakdown as follows….
If you’ve used the new Jet Wash at Three Mile Cross then you’ll know that it’s a top quality wash at a good price, if you haven’t then you’re missing out! What’s more is that if you download the app Ready to Wash (go to Read More below) you can not only use the app to top up tokens but in the week (Monday to Friday) you ‘ll get an extra 20% of time. Yep, FREE washing time. So download the app and make the most of this shiny, gleaming offer!
We are very, very pleased to offer delivery from our Brize Norton Subway through Just Eat. It’s proven very popular in the first few weeks of launch. I mean, what’s better than a Subway… yep, a Subway delivered direct to your door. Look us up on Just Eat to make the most of Just Eat delivery of your favourite Sub!
Last month we talked about the new car wash at Yarnton being installed and this month we are over the moon to share with you that not only was it a seem less install, but it’s proven an absolute hit! Whilst we knew that it was a top notch wash, customers just love it, regularly giving us great feedback so thank you for that! Don’t forget that Platinum members get a half-price platinum wash Monday-Wednesday so make the most of this with your Platinum card!
We have finally connected the Solar at Yarnton so all the stores are now creating a good amount of their own energy! Actually, we are finding that on a bright sunny day (and we've had a few of those of late!) we are generating as much as 40% through the solar panels. That really is quite a saving and helps us to do our bit for the environment!
Well done to Peter Chetwynd, our winner of the Summer selection in June’s prize draw. Okay, it was quite an easy one and we had a host of correct answers telling us that the summer solstice was on 21st June! There can only be one winner though so congrats to Peter; enjoy your selection of goodies!
Laura has been with the business for over 15 years so is vastly experienced member of the team. She has risen to the role of Subway Manager in her time, ensuring a smoothly run operation on that side of the business. In the past month her experience has shone through with the launch of the new menu, and of Just Eat, being the go to to make sure both of these have been successful. Thank you Laura. Much appreciated!
Finally, a bit of sun to get excited about! This year has been a pretty damp one so far but that all looks to be on the change as Summer finally envelops the countryside. Time to get outside and enjoy it, whether it be on the patio, on a picnic or in the pub garden.
We’ve got a Summer of Fun selection to give away in our prize draw this month.
In the middle of May we launched the new Jet Wash Centre at Three Mile Cross. It's fair to say that it is popular! Feedback has been really positive with word of mouth spreading the word of this top notch wash! Customers can use cash, contactless, or even the app. Fancy eh?!
You can now get delivery from our Brize Norton, Cannon Pool and Three Mile Cross stores via Just Eat! This is something we’ve wanted to be able to bring customers for ages and as Just Eat have expanded their delivery areas we were able to utilise this super convenient service. Just look us up on Just Eat and get ordering! Did somebody say….
After 13 years of some pretty heavy use the Yarnton Car Wash is finally being replaced. Whilst it has done us very well over the years, it has become a little unreliable in it's old age! The new wash will be installed in the first week of June, so there will be a little bit of disruption on site but we know it'll be worth it! The replacement will be all singing and dancing, ensuring a top quality wash for everyone’s cars!
Come and check out the newest menu at our Subway stores! After years of delighting customers by creating their perfect Sub, there is a change on the horizon with the all-new and fresh Subway Series Menu – featuring 15 of our most irresistible creations, each designed to create a new, improved and even more delicious Subway experience!
Chloe has been a member of the team since 2021, joining on part time shifts. She has become ever popular both with staff and customers with her easy going personality. Nothing seems too much for her and she'll often go above and beyond. Over the last couple of months Chloe has been a rock for the store, really helping out and covering many different shifts when needed. Thank you, Chloe, much appreciated!
Congratulations to Kathy Clarke, the winner of the Spring Hamper. WE just wanted to know what Spring mean to you and how you’d spend it. Kathy said it well… Spring - The start of the years ‘joie de vivre’ after the indoor hibernation of winter. Days longer, leaves unfurling flowers blooming, warmer weather, chatter in the streets. Happy brighter days! Exactly Kathy, couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Enjoy the Hamper, next stop, Summer!
We may not have quite got into the swing of Summer yet, but we are ever hopeful of some good weather. Though we want to make the most of whatever comes our way! We’ve managed to get our hands on a Spring hamper from our friends at Holleys – our fine foods specialists, and wanted to give one lucky person the chance of winning this lovely assortment of goodies for you to enjoy – picnic or no picnic! Just go to the prize draw section to find out how!
We are really excited by the progress being made on the new Jet Wash Centre at Three Mile Cross, which will be up and running over the next few weeks. After the success of Marlborough's centre we wanted to look at other locations with Three Mile being our next project. The wash itself is among the top of it’s type and we are certain it will be really popular as we move into the summer months. Happy washing!
As we continue to try and save energy through the business we are pleased to be installing the final solar panels through the business at Yarnton. With Brize and Cannon Pool having been done in April and Marlborough and Three Mile Cross in March and February we are now starting to see some of the figures come through. The weather hasn't been at its best so far but on those rare bright days we've seen up to 40% of our energy created by the sun which is a huge saving and helps us do our bit for the environment!
Jordan has been a member of the team since 2016 and during this time has taken on various roles in the Subway as well as the store. His experience and knowledge has been shining through more recently as he's taken on more and more, showing a more active role in getting the standards up at the store. In the past couple of months Jordan has really helped out by covering shifts, both in the Subway and the store. Thank you Jordan, much appreciated!
Congratulations for Laura Burgess, our very lucky winner of the case of Laithwaites! She, among many, correctly told us that Tony was in fact the founder of Laithwaites wines. Well done Laura, enjoy your case!
With Spring on its way we wanted to get one lucky winner in the mood with a Spring Case of wine from Laithwaites! If you didn’t already know, Laithwaites are one of the top independent Wine retailers in the country and are sold at all of Fraser’s Budgens, giving customers access to a wonderful selection of good quality and good value wine. Just go to the prize draw section to see how you can win this case.
We were extremely proud to hand over last years 'bag tax' money at Three Mile Cross to Sue Ryder, the store's chosen charity. The total for 2022 was an amazing £3206.10, which included a top up through Budgens. This actually takes the total since we've started to support Sue Ryder to £13,428.88! Thank you to everyone who has made this happen, it's hugely important and really does help.
This month will see three of the stores in a position to offer delivery! We have wanted to use a delivery service for a long time and finally Just Eat have expanded into the areas for Brize, Cannon Pool and Three Mile Cross. This should go live over the next few weeks and we'll keep you informed as it progresses. We’ll let you know when it’s available… all very exciting!
We are now the very proud owners of historic pub 'The Swan' in Three Mile Cross. The pub is opposite the store, so it was on our radar when it came up for sale! The plan is to renovate it and lease it out to ensure the locals have their pub back!
After fitting doors onto the other stores chillers last month, it was the turn of Yarnton to have it's upgrade! The chillers at the store have done us proud over the last 12 years but were being unreliable and inefficient so it was time to replace them. A huge thank you to team Fraser's who really did a great job in managing the store and putting the stock back to how it should be. The new chillers look great!
Huge congratulations to Brize and Marlborough Subways who did really well in their latest Rev assessment! Brize got a brilliant 94% whilst Marlborough smashed it with 95%. For those not aware the Rev is an external audit performed quarterly and goes into the detailed running of the site, looking at cleanliness and standards, being notoriously toughly marked. For both stores to achieve such a strong mark is testament to the hard work put in by the staff - well done all!
Tom has been with us for about a year, and in this time has shown himself to be a very dependable and conscientious member of the team, working in both the Subway and the store. He is very eager to learn as much about the store and business and nothing seems too much for him! Over the last month he has really helped out whilst other staff members have rushed to take the last of their holiday allowance. Thanks Tom, much appreciated!
Congratulations to Lyn Dobie who was the lucky winner of the Mini Egg selection! We are particularly jealous of the 1KG bag of eggs included with the prize, and Lyn says that she’ll be super popular with the Grandchildren this Easter! Have a great one Lyn and congratulations again!
Easter is on the horizon and Chocolate Eggs are starting to assert themselves through the stores! Easter is a pretty special time, with many making the most of the opportunity to enjoy some excess Chocolate!
Mini Eggs are a firm favourite when it comes to Easter and we have an 'eggcellent' mini eggs prize this month with a wicked selection of Mini Eggs, including a 1KG bags of eggs! Just go to the prize draw section to see how...
We are very proud to have our solar project underway, with Marlborough and Three Mile Cross having been completed and the others in the pipeline. With the current cost of energy it is exactly the right thing to do and will really help us a lot on our energy bills, that combined with the door on the chillers will make a big difference!
The last month saw all stores, bar Yarnton have had chiller doors installed. This project has been a long time coming and we are really pleased with the results. Not only do they help the stores to reduce their energy consumption but they have helped to keep the stores warmer for customers and our staff – which is needed at the moment with this surprising cold snap! Yarnton get there new chillers installed at the end of the month so apologies in advance for any disruption but it’ll be worth it!
The Marlborough Store and Subway had a visit from the Food Standards Agency checking on their food safety procedures in the month. We are pleased to say that the store received top marks so get 5 Stars scores on the doors. Well done Team Marlborough.
Our Three Mile Cross store were more than happy to host the Easthampstead Rotary Club for their Turkey and Syria Earthquake appeal. It’s difficult to comprehend the awful devastation this disaster has caused with many people perishing and more homeless. The collection at the store raised just under £2,000 which will go straight towards helping this crisis. Thank you to all who donated.
Huge congratulations to Rosemary Dare de Braceno of the Yarnton store who won this months lovely prize, a romantic bunch of flower from our local supplier, Roses Cotswold Flowers. We asked for entrants to finish off the poem ‘Roses are Red, Violets are Blue…’ and her simple but lovely words won it for us… Roses are red, Violets are blue, Pick me a flower, And I will love you! Hope you enjoyed the flowers Rosemary. Congratulations again!
Craig has been with the company for nearly two years, working as the 'forecourt man,' starting at Brize and taking on Cannon Pool as well. His attention to detail and willingness to go out of his way to help both customers and other staff has made him an ever popular member of the team. Well done Craig, and well deserved!
Romance is in the air, and blossoming in our prize Draw. Whilst it may not be for everyone, there is no doubt that this time of the year starts to see the best of the flowers hitting the stores, as well as lining the countryside, giving way to some spectacular arrangements!
We have teamed up with one of our local flower suppliers ‘Rose Cotswold Flowers’ who supply Yarnton, to give away a beautiful bouquet to one lucky winner.
We were very pleased to hand over £2443.35 to one of our chosen charities, Sobell House Hospice in Oxford. This is from the bag tax at Yarnton, Brize Norton and Cannon Pool and an additional £500 on top of it. Huge thank you to all customers who helped raise this amazing amount by purchasing a bag for your shopping. You will likely be aware but Sobell House is an Oxfordshire based charity that provides critical care to those at end of life, so touches the lives of many people in the county.
We are very, very happy to announce that Ben Wakefield of Three Mile Cross has been promoted to Assistant Manager! At Fraser’s Budgens we always like to promote within so were extremely pleased to make this appointment! Ben joined the team back when the store opened in 2016 and has steadily progressed in the store, running the chilled to a very high standard. His hard-working ethic and easy going attitude make him a perfect member of the management team alongside Sandi and Louise. Well done Ben! Well deserved!
At Three Mile Cross, Yarnton, Cannon Pool and Brize we are strengthening the canopies in order for them to all take Solar panels. Quite a lot of work is involved as you would have already seen at Yarnton, Three Mile Cross and Cannon Pool so apologies for any disruption caused. The work is done to put solar on and help power the sites with the price of energy now it is most definitely worth it! Solar will be starting this month as well so keep an eye out for that!
In a further effort to help save energy we have finally been able to get doors put on all the chillers through the business - this has been on the cards for a while so we are really pleased to have confirmation dates in February for this to happen at all the stores, whilst Yarnton will get new chillers in the next few months. Thanks for your patience while we make these important upgrades Not only will they help save energy but will naturally warm the stores up as currently a large % of the chilled air goes straight into the air!
Grace has worked in the bakery since 2019 and has become an ever dependable, hard working member of the team. Her good nature and enthusiasm make her a very popular member of staff. She is multi skilled and will help in the store when needed. Over the past month she has been a godsend and gone above and beyond, filling in shifts, even at short notice. Thank you Grace!
Congrats to Sarah Turner who was the winner of a year’s worth of Car Washes! She correctly told us that Rose Royce sang the original disco hit ‘Car Wash’ – it turns out that Sarah is a frequent user of the Car Wash anyway so it makes it all the sweeter! Well done Sarah – enjoy the clean car!
As we enter a new year, the great British weather is doing what it does best and is being a little unsettled! Though it’s pretty standard fare for the great British public so we’ll take it in our stride.
Unsettled weather brings with it dirty cars. As you’ll know we have state of the art Car Washes and Jet Washes through the stores to help keep you spick and span. This month, though we are giving someone a chance to win a years worth of car washes
As you’ll know each of the stores supports a chosen charity and donate the bag tax money to that particular charity at the end of the year. We’ve crunched the numbers for and are pleased to share with our fantastic customers that we raised over £3100 in 2022! Thank you to everyone who has helped contribute to this fantastic amount. That is on top of the additional amounts through the year. For the individual store amounts see below…
The annual Save the Children Christmas jumper day is always a highlight of Fraser’s festive season, which generally leads on to more extravagant seasonal wear through the month. We were very pleased to be raising for Save the Children and as a business we raised a very respectable £77. Thank you to the staff who took part during this fun, yet important annual event.
Well done to all the Facebook Christmas hamper winners through the stores. All we asked for was you to share your post. Thank you to all who took part – they’ll definitely be more as we go through the year so keep an eye out!
Just before Christmas Cannon Pool were very pleased to donate Mince Pies to Broadhill Pre-School, who are just across the road from the store. It’s good to show a bit of neighbourly spirit this time of the year, and we hope the Christmas event went well. A very Happy New Year to all at Broadhill Pre-School!
Huge congratulations to Michelle Burnell, our December prize Draw winner! Michelle’s reindeer name stood out and was definitely a worthy winner of the Christmas Hamper. Who wouldn’t love the reindeer called ‘fundeer’ already a legend to us! Thank you Michelle, we all need a fundeer in our lives!
Tim joined Fraser’s when he was 16 at the Brize Norton store. He worked there for a few years before relocating and returning to us at the Yarnton store earlier in 2022. His hard working ethic and excellent customer service has made him an important team member over the last year. More recently he has taken on more duties like stocktaking, ordering and putting on invoices which he’s taken to really well, he’s also been filling in whilst the manager was off over the last couple of weeks. Well done Tim!
The temperature has dropped, the lights are up and the music is blaring… it must mean that Christmas has finally arrived! Christmas presents as the ready, or nearly, and Santa’s sleigh making an appearance on Christmas eve, there is always a LOT going on in December!
This months prize is a Wonderfully Festive Christmas Hamper from our fine Food specialist Holleys. Perfect for Christmas Day, after a busy month getting ready!
At Frasers Budgens we want to try and serve you as long as we can, although as it’s Christmas some of our opening times will change (see below for more detail). We are very pleased to tell you that Brize Norton, Yarnton and Three Mile Cross will both be open for a few hours on Christmas day for those last minute batteries, extra prosecco or the forgotten Cranberry sauce….
Sometimes during the Christmas period you can get a little ‘turkey-sandwiched-out!’ Luckily Subway is open for you, so you can have that Spicy Italian, Meatball Mariana or a few chicken Nacho bites. Times below…
We are very proud to continue being the official shirt sponsor of Yarnton Football Club for the next couple of seasons. The store has been associated with the football club for many years now and has enjoyed seeing it go from strength to strength! We were very proud to make the team photo as well, with a certain little Fraser making an appearance too!
This month see's Christmas Jumper day on Thursday 8th December. Always a keenly supported Day in the Christmas build up and a great charity to get behind. Each member of the team will donate £2 and we’ll be taking donations in store, please donate to Save the Children where you can.
Every year the stores love to get behind children in need, not only to raise funds for this excellent charity but also to have a bit of fun dressing up. This included a dress down day, wearing pyjamas to work, duck racing, and cake sales! Well done all!
We are very pleased to be launching a new card company at Marlborough. Second Nature are renowned for quality and service, and we are very pleased to have them at the store with some fantastic designs and great value cards! They also do a very good range of personalised Dairy Milk's and Toblerones which we are quite excited about too!
Nikki joined the team over 15 years ago as a cashier, quickly being promoted to an evening supervisor, then to weekend supervisor. She is reliable, incredibly loyal and a calming presence at the store, able to deal with any situations, be it with customers or staff. Over the last few months Nikki has shown her true colours by ensuring the store has kept running with various absentees and sickness. Thank you Nikki. Well done!
Huge congratulations to our Laithwaites Advent Calendar winner, Stuart Carter! Stuart wisely sent in his wife to pick up this fantastic prize. This really is the best prize we do and it was great to see you looking so pleased with the prize! We’re not jealous at all ;-) Enjoy Carter family, and Merry Christmas!
The long build up to Christmas has begun, love it or hate it you just can’t ignore it! Yes, it may be a bit early for some but it’s hard not to get sucked into the festive fun.
An advent calendar is certainly a great way to count down to the big day, and whilst we’re not quite in that territory, people will be choosing theirs carefully now. Will it be traditional chocolate? Or will you go gin, beer or straight up treats? We have been given a wonderful wine advent calendar by Laithwaites (worth £80!) which one lucky person could get their hands on ready for December.
Each year Fraser’s Retail give Love2Shop vouchers to our hard working staff at Christmas. After a consultation we have decided to replace this with a staff loyalty bonus. We are very happy to introduce this new loyalty bonus scheme which is actually far more generous. It will to reward loyalty so, the longer employees work for us the higher the bonus (capped at 5 years). This is on top of the increased employee discount we introduced a few months ago. We understand how difficult things can be at the moment so we wanted to give back to those that make the business tick. Thank you to all our wonderful staff!
In October Three Mile Cross were the centre of the local Halloween Trail for the area. The store did this last year and so when the opportunity arose, were more than happy to be a part of it again. The trail is around Three Mile Cross and Spencers Wood and finishes at the store, where the participants win a prize. Always fun and always great to be a part of!
More Halloween fun had at the stores over the spooky season! We ran a FaceBook competition where customers could win a selection of Halloween goodies just for tagging a friend that they would like to share some Budgens Halloween treats with! Congratulations to the winner at each store!
The staff had a bit of fun this Halloween choosing the dress up for the occasion! Whilst not for everyone, it’s certainly been embraced by a spooky few, who looked great. Well done, you all looked ‘fangtastic!’
Congratulations to Nadine Bull who gave us her favourite treat and worst trick Favourite treat - chocolate orange (draw a face on to look like a Jack-o-lantern for Halloween) Worst trick - vegetables hidden in chocolates (like Brussels sprouts made to look like chocolates ????) Obviously for some this might be Heaven, but we agree… not one for us! Well done Nadine, who sent in her husband Carl for the picture!
Week in, week out Corrina shows her mettle as Ginette's (the manager) right hand woman, always going above and beyond and often going out of her way to help not only Ginette, but the other staff and customers alike. In the past month Corrina has massively risen to the challenge by not only keeping the ship afloat with the Ginette on holiday but working extra shifts and hours as various staff were off sick. Thank you Corrina. Well deserved!
The nights are drawing in, the air is cooler and the leaves are falling… this can mean only one thing… that Halloween is just around the corner! Halloween must be our favourite ‘mini-event’ and as the month draws on you’ll see the stores taking shape and getting suitably dressed up!
To celebrate this we are giving away a selection of Halloween treats in the shape of pumpkins, chocolates and a whole lot more to one lucky winner in our prize draw.
With the ever increasing prices of energy (though a welcome government 6 month intervention has certainly helped!) we continue to look at ways to reduce our energy bills. This can be done in two ways, one is simply to reduce our consumption (which each of the stores are doing more proactively), another is to produce our own. We are pleased to tell you that Marlborough will be the first store to have Solar installed, starting towards the end of the month, whilst the other stores have either been assessed or are in the pipeline - more to follow here!
We are now over three quarters of the way through the year (we know!!!) so we are able to crunch the numbers and see what plastic bag sales 'tax' we’ve raised for the stores individual chosen charities. So far this year we are very pleased to share that the first 9 months of the year made a fantastic £2393.95 for charity. The breakdown per store was...
Last month sadly saw the passing of our longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The funeral on 19th September was a bank holiday, with many stores choosing to either close entirely or partly. As you know, we were partly closed for the day at our stores, but outside of those hours we stayed open to ensure we were able to provide appropriate levels of service to motorists, including the emergency services, and it’s fair to say all the stores were extremely busy. Thank you to all our staff who worked so hard on that day!
Laura has been at Yarnton since 2011, starting as a weekend cashier before moving on to working in the office as the administrator for the site. It's fair to say that Laura has owned that role, and become an integral part of the store. Her good humour and easy going personality has made her an extremely popular member of staff, that combined with her strong work ethic and attention to detail make her the ideal employee and a great employee of the month. In the past few weeks Laura has gone above and beyond, taking on extra shifts in the shop, whilst not being afraid to muck in on those cleaning jobs not everyone likes! Well done Laura, well deserved!
Well, we are just a little bit jealous of last month’s prize winner Bill Currie, who won a brewery tour at Legendary West Berks Brewery. He correctly told us that West Berks flagship brew is in fact Good Old…. Boy! The brewery is the real deal and the facilities are second to none, plus they have a tap room and restaurant to really complete your day! Well done Bill. Enjoy!
If you haven’t heard of West Berks Brewery yet, then we feel you are missing out, they do a fantastic selection of ales, craft lagers and non alcoholic beers. They also happen to have a pretty impressive Brewery and tap Room, situated just North of the M4, west of Reading. Not only are they a brewery but a fully fledged tap room and restaurant. We think it’s really, rather special.
Our friends at WWB are giving one lucky Platinum member a chance to win a brewery tour for 4 people.
Come and join the team! We have a variety of vacancies through the sites so go to the careers page to find out if any suit you. As well as great rates of pay, we offer industry leading discounts for employees, including up to 50% off products in store and nearly 10p off a litre of fuel. Vibrant and fun, our award winning stores are looking for the right staff to join the teams.
We are proud to share the news that our Brize Norton store had a visit from the Food Standards Agency during August and both the store and Subway got a full 5 stars scores on the doors. Whilst we would always expect 5 stars in any of the stores, it’s always a daunting exercise for the staff. So well done all!
If you haven’t been into Marlborough of late you would have seen the changes made to the back of counter and our new dedicated vape area. Whilst the range is fantastic behind the counter we’ve also installed two lit cabinets near the counter so customers can browse the huge selection we have on offer. This includes Classic and Sub OHM varieties and many types of tanks and disposables so something for all your vaping needs.
As the cost of living crisis really starts to bite we wanted to do what we can to help customers save money where they can. We’ve looked at what ways we can help you save and over the next month you’ll see these come through in the stores and whilst they’ll be some deeper cut offers, we’re also focusing on Every Day Low Pricing so keep an eye out for these cheaper deals through the stores.
Carol has been with Fraser's Retail for over 31 years, so it's pretty safe to say she's 'one of the team!' Her diligence, work ethic and great sense of humour make her an indispensable member of staff. Nothing is too much for Carol, who has taken on more and more during her time. In the past month she has continued to go above and beyond, including helping to train up a new member of staff, thanks Carol and well deserved!
Congratulations to August’s Prize Draw winner Jenny Boddington who correctly told us that the previous highest temperature recorded (before this summer!) was 38.7 degrees C. We thought that was toasty! Well done Jenny, enjoy the Summer hamper!
What a scorcher we are having! With some quite incredible Summer days it’s definitely time to make the most of it and enjoy the sunshine whilst we can (we all know what the UK is like!). So grab those picnic rugs and head for the great outdoors! If you are planning on picnicking over the Holiday season, and beyond, then look no further than our prize this month, a picnic treats hamper from fine food specialist Holleys. To be in with a chance of winning this wonderful prize just go to the prize draw section
As the cost of living crisis hits home we are pleased to be rolling out the Fareshare program in all 5 stores. This essentially is a bin for people to donate ambient food products into for distribution to those in need. FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 18 independent organisations, serving over 57million meals a year. We are proud to be a collection point for them – please donate what you can. Products like Rice, Pasta, Tins, Tea, Coffee, Cooking sauces are key lines for the bin.
Doesn't time fly! It's already over half way through the year so we are able to collate the first 6 months of plastic bag sales 'tax' which goes to the stores individual chosen charities. So far this year we are very pleased to share that the first 6 months of the year made a fantastic £1554 for charity. The breakdown per store was...
This month saw the launch of Rollover into Three Mile Cross. These lovely Hot Dogs have been an absolute hit at Marlborough so we were keen to try it at another store. They come in three flavours, plain Brockwurst, Chilli and Cheese (a favourite!) or Breakfast. We are positive that it will prove very popular at the store and gives customers a further option for either breakfast, lunch, or even a midday snack!
If you’ve been into Marlborough recently you’d have noticed we’ve upgraded the back of counter area, incorporating an improved selection of vape! In the coming week we’ll be further improving the range here by bringing the vape section to life in some cabinets outside the till area. This will mean you can browse the extensive range of vape lines we have on offer. If you haven’t been in, come and have a look, we think it adds perfectly to the store and gives further choice when it comes to vaping.
Ellie has been with us for over 3 years and during this time has proven an extremely popular member of the team, both with staff and customers. Her personality and good humour is infectious and helps create a positive atmosphere at the store (as shown by her Jubilee costume!). In the past month Ellie's excellent work ethic has come to the fore, covering for various members of staff whilst ensuing her own shifts are worked as usual. Well done Ellie, we feel like this has been a long time coming - thank you!
Huge congratulations to our tank of fuel winner Charlotte Sawyer. She correctly told us that 10 years ago the average price of a litre of fuel was 136.40 for petrol and 142.48 for diesel. We can only hope that the prices come down to these kind of levels sometime soon! Well done Charlotte!
As we move into the Summer and start to think about getting away, be it in the UK or abroad the cost of living crisis is prevalent in most walks of life and throughout the world, no more so than when you’re filling up your car, something we are only too aware of!
We wanted to give one lucky member a helping hand to fill their car up by winning a tank of fuel (up to 50L).
As you may be aware the Yarnton store took part in a sponsored Bike ride in front of the store on the Jubilee weekend. Most team members doing their bit raising much needed money for the stores chosen charity, Sobell House Hospice. All in all the store raised a fantastic £730 over the day! Well done to all - it was a fun day and we were really proud to have raised such a good amount!
During the middle week of July we'll be doing some work to upgrade the counter at Marlborough. This work will include bringing in drawers for the Tobacco as well as the illuminated back panels for the alcohol - joining the other stores. On top of this we will be creating a shop within a shop for Vape with Vapourise. Always looking to improve where we can, these upgrades give customers a better choice and improves the look of the counter area of the store!
Huge, huge congratulations to Caitlin and her team at Marlborough Subway for getting the highest score in the region for their monthly Subway Audit. The Audit is called REV and is carried out by an external company who really go into detail when they visit! This result is testimony to the immense hard work put in by the team on reopening the store after its temporary closure. Well done team Marlborough!
As we all know, the price of fuel has been rising and rising which has certainly contributed to the cost of living crisis. This has brought forecourt operators into the limelight for potential 'profiteering' - luckily Fraser's Retail Ltd got an audience with the transport secretary, Grant Schapps to voice our opinions and concerns. Mark (Chief Operations Officer) has a vast knowledge of the industry and sits on the PRA (Petroleum Retailer Association) so was certainly the right man to put the government right about some of the recent headlines!
After the success of Rollover at Marlborough we are proud to be installing this much loved product at Three Mile Cross. This will go ahead in the next couple of weeks, as we look to further improve the offer at the store. If you don’t already know Rollover then you are in for a treat, they are top quality German Brockwurst sausages which taste just great, and come in three lovely flavours; Original, Cheese and Chill & Breakfast! Enjoy!
Congratulations to Terry Dyer who correctly told us the Vanilla is in fact the worlds most popular Ice Cream flavour. What a prize to win Terry! Delicious, and perfect for the warmer weather! Enjoy!
Rhiannon (Rhi) joined the team 2 years ago and during her time has worked tirelessly to make the Subway a success alongside Caitlin (manager). When the Subway temporarily closed in May her work ethic never dropped, continuing to put in her shifts (and more) on the shop side, covering at short notice if needed. As the Subway reopened she’s even been doing 6 days a week to cover staff and get the store back up to speed, this paid off with the recent high score on their monthly audit (REV) - more on that below. Well done Rhi - well deserved!
The Jubilee is here! Bunting at the ready, strawberries and cream out in force and umbrellas by your side (just in case!) what is not to love about the British Summer! BBQ or no BBQ, this has to be the best time of the year!
So, to celebrate our wonderful British Summer we have a 2 Litre Tub of Strawberry Ice Cream from Purbeck Ice Cream to give away to one lucky person. Purbeck simply make the most delicious award winning Ice Cream so we are very pleased to have this Brilliantly British Ice Cream as our prize for June!
For the Jubilee weekend Yarnton will be doing the virtual route to Buckingham palace on a stationary bike which just so happens to be 70 miles! This will be in aid of Sobell House and will have various team members taking part in this fantastic team effort on Friday 3rd June. On the day people can donate via card, cash or go on the just giving page. If you'd like to donate please go to our just giving page on the link below
As a company we are only too aware of the cost of living crisis and have sat down to look at how we can help for our staff. We are very pleased to announce that we have increased our staff discount to some market leading levels. This includes up to 50% off goods in the stores, as well as nearly 10p off a litre of fuel. This is on top of the usual free carwash and 50% off Subways. We hope that by doing our bit we can help, even just a little bit in these difficult times.
We are very sad to saying goodbye to Rose Jinks, the store manager at Marlborough, after nearly 20 years in the business. She joined us when we took on Pippin and went on to manage the Marlborough store. Her passion, enthusiasm and dedication over the years has been is clear to see, always going the extra mile and often receiving letters and emails saying how friendly and helpful her and her team are at Marlborough. She has decided to put all her experience into helping open up a new to industry store in Calne where she lives, leaving Marlborough in the more than capable hands of Caroline and Brad! She'll be hugely missed but we wanted to wish her all the best and say a huge thank you for everything she has done for us over the last 20 years!
As you’ll be aware we teamed up with other Budgens retailers to try and do our bit for Ukraine. Whilst we know that whatever we give will never be enough, we are very proud to tell you that through the 10 retailers, plus a few other sources, the retail value of the stock being sent to Poland, and then to Ukraine was an astonishing £97,315! Thank you to everyone who donated, and to our staff who helped to make this happen! We’ll update further once the stock goes in mid June.
We are very excited to announce our first partnership with Rollover at Marlborough! If you haven't heard of Rollover, they are a leader in Food To Go and their hot dogs are just delicious! Coming in three flavours initially (Plain, Chilli & Cheese and Breakfast) and we'll see where we go for there. They are a simple but hugely popular product which we're sure will be a hit!
The Yarnton store was very proud to hand over a donation of £2134 to it's chosen charity Sobell House. This amount came from the plastic bag 'tax' in 2021. Thank you to everyone who helped raise this much needed amount during the year. We will continue to support this important hospice throughout the year.
Julie joined the team about two years ago and quickly took on a supervisors position. She is very a hardworking and popular member of the team, who goes out of her way to help both customers and staff alike. Over the past few months she's really helped out by covering various shifts when in need, even last minute and coming in early to give a hand too. Thank you Julie. Well deserved!
Congratulations to Andrew Barnett, a Marlborough customer, who was the lucky winner of the case of wine. In our summer themed question we asked you for the first line famous Grease song Summer Nights. Andrew (and a few others!) told us that it was ‘Summer loving had me a blast’ Well done Andrew, and enjoy!
We just love May at Fraser’s Budgens. Spring is nearing an end and Summer is certainly sprouting. The sound of leather on willow and smell of freshly cut grass is a sure sign and with the sun continuing to shine there’s a sense of optimism in the air. To help get you in the Summer mood we have a case of summer wines from Laithwaites to giveaway to one lucky winner.
We are pleased to announce that the donations in store were £1559, and with us matching it takes it to an amazing £3118. As you may be aware this gets turned into stock at cost and sent directly to Ukraine so actually this amount is worth a lot! 30 other Budgen's have also taken part in this scheme and we’ll update you with a total in due course. Thank you to everyone who donated to this important initiative.
In what seems like no time between application and approval, the planning for the Brize development has flown through! So first hurdle over, next to actually build it! This will take time as it has to go out for quotes first before we can make a start. We reckon this should be around the end of the Summer!
Congratulations to Linda Bassett who correctly told us that Sharps Brewery was in Cornwall. Well done! Enjoy the beers and cook book!
Over the coming months you’ll see some changes with the Costa machines, starting with an improved look at Three Mile Cross and Brize. This is just phase one of the Costa rollout as they look to upgrade the look and feel of the Costa Brand – keep your eyes out!
Lynne joined us in November 2021 to take over from Jean who left us after 30 years with the business so was very hard act to follow.
She has been very quick to pick up the role, taking on more and more responsibility which she performs with enthusiasm. Lynne is always diligent and very conscientious, she's always happy to help others. It's fair to say that Lynne is a breath of fresh air as well as making a good cup of tea!
It’s the time of the year when pub gardens start to come alive and BBQ’s can be smelt through the countryside. What a fantastic time of the year this is, when beer and food come together in harmony!
If you think Beer and Food is a match made in heaven then you’ll just love our prize this month. A case of Sharps Doom Bar as well as a Doom Bar Cook Book!
Budgens is sending urgently required food to help Ukraine. It’s simple, purchase any blue and yellow symbolic cans with a price mark £1, £3 & £5 and we will match your donation. All donation money will be spent on essential food supplies and delivered straight to Ukraine, there are no deductions. Being at the heart of the community is what we are all about and our only interest is to help the children and families of Ukraine as much as we can. Thank you
After Three Mile Cross last month it was Brize's turn this month. This is only stage one of the upgrade at the store but it's made a massive difference, bringing the Food To Go into one area, plus increasing the Hot Food range as well as bringing in F'WIP as an option for Gelato on the go, plus Hershey's. If that wasn’t enough then we’ve also increase the chiller space and had a bit of a rejig at the store! All go at Brize!
Friday 18th was Comic Relief and Brize used this opportunity to raise money for this important charity by dressing in Ukrainian Colours. The store raised £62.50 which will go the Red Nose Day foundation which this year includes fund raising for Ukraine. Well done Brize and thank you!
We are very proud to have installed our first Hershey's frozen drink machines at Three Mile Cross and Brize Norton. Essentially these are slush style drinks with Hershey's Chocolate or Cookies and Cream which are sure to be a winner, and after a few taste tests we can confirm they are delicious! Perfect as the temperature starts to rise!
Keevagh joined the team in May 21, and whilst this isn't a long time for Fraser's Retail she really has made an impact over the past 11 months. No job is too much for Keevagh and she has continually gone out of her way to help the store. In the past month she has worked extra shifts, longer shifts and really helped out when needed. She is also training up to be a supervisor and will start this role next month. Well done Keevagh – very much deserved!
Congratulations to our 5 lucky winners from last month Easter Prize Draw. You all told us that Fry’s was the first maker of the Chocolate Easter egg in the UK! Thank you to everyone who took part and well done to the winners once eggain ;-)
Easter is fast approaching, and whilst this may just mean a great excuse to scoff a lot of chocolate, for others it means the end of lent. So if you gave up chocolate for lent we think you may quite like our prize draw this month!
You’d have noticed the increasing selection of Eggs and treats enveloping the stores as the month progresses and we want to give 5 lucky people the chance to get their hands on a selection. One person from each store!
Good question! There is undoubtedly a squeeze at the moment, and whilst the price of fuel has been high for a while, it is at record levels right now and as this uncertainty goes on we don’t really see it coming down in the near future. Essentially the price of a barrel of fuel has been on the increase and with the recent events in Ukraine it has caused a major spike in prices – sometimes as much as 5-10p per litre overnight! This is unprecedented and unfortunately, like any other fuel retailers we need to pass this on. Hopefully the conflict will end soon and we start to see some stability at the pumps.
In the middle of the month Three Mile Cross was the location for the filming of a new BP advertisement! This meant that a crew of 50+ people took over the store one evening to do their filming. It can only be described as organised chaos (well, we think it must have been organised!) as people were going left, right and centre with studio lights, camera's and sound equipment! They even brought their own food truck!!!! We'll keep you in the loop as to when it'll be on!
It’s sure been a busy month at Three Mile Cross! They've not only had the filming but also had a mini refit going on inside the store and new parking being created outside the store. Like we said - BUSY! We are pleased to say that the mini refit is done - Food To Go has moved to the back of the store whilst Cook has moved to the centre of the store, meaning the layout has changed somewhat. We are just waiting for the additional chillers to arrive to complete the refit! Thank you to all customers and staff for your patience in getting this over the line. It's been worth it!
Cannon Pool is testing some new merchandising equipment for the group and so far it looks to be working! Firstly the produce has had a makeover with new shelving really helping the products stand out on the fixture, both wooden crates and straight and curved shelving, it really does look fantastic. We've installed the pushers on impulse soft drinks which most of the stores have now, plus the wines have been given some straightening devices which assist with keeping the wines in line and pull them forward easily. We'll look to roll this equipment through the other stores as time goes on.
Congratulations to Caroline Gane who was the lucky winner of the bouquet of flowers from Cotswold Flower Barn. She correctly told us the Rose was the biggest selling flower in the UK. Well done Caroline, they look like a lovely bunch, we hope you like them!
If there is anyone who optimises going above and beyond in the past month it is Zack, the manager at Subway Yarnton. He has been with us for almost 3 years, and became the store manager 5 months ago. During this time Zack has shown huge commitment to the role and really started to stamp his personality on it. In the past month he has kept the store afloat under some difficult circumstances, coming in on this days off and even when on holiday, to ensure it kept running. Well done Zack. Well deserved!
Love is in the air! February brings with it Valentines slap bang in the middle of the month. Maybe not one for everyone, but still a good excuse to treat your nearest and dearest. We have managed to get a fabulous bouquet of flowers from our local flower supplier at Yarnton, who always ensure the best of quality, not just for Valentines, but all year round! Go to the Prize Draw Section to see how
Fraser’s Retail is recruiting! Do you want to come and work for a friendly, award winning family business? We have various vacancies through the stores and Subways, many part time and full time roles on many different shifts to suit your lifestyle. Each team member get’s discounts in store and on fuel as well as their usual pay. Go to the careers section to see what positions are available and join the team!
We are very pleased to announce that Brize is now in for planning, and as you'll see from the artists impression above, we are not holding back! The new plans have two units opposite the site (one for Subway!), a brand new 6 bay Jet Wash Centre, ample more parking and provision for EV! This will improve the site considerably when we make the changes later in the year, though before that we'll be making some changes to the Food to Go in the store. Watch this space....
Always looking to improve we’ve started the work on Three Mile Cross parking and internal changes. This will mean we get extra spaces for staff at the back of the site, freeing up more customer parking giving provisions for EV, though it won’t be installed straight away. You’ll have noticed changes internally as well, with the Food To Go being located towards the rear of the store and improvements to ranges throughout the store!
BPme rewards are giving new customers £5 on their card just for signing up! That really is a good deal. On top of that you’ll earn points as you fill up and buy products in the store, you can then exchange these points for prizes, or just money off your shopping in the stores. What’s not to love?! Pick up your BPme card in store today!
Patty has been with us since 2009, initially working nights and then on the Saturday delivery and Alcohol. Recently she took on the Vape and Electronic Goods department and the difference is amazing, to the point that if she's not in she'll call the order in from home. Now that is dedication! As well as her hard work in the last month she has covered for supervisors in their absence. Well done Patty, well deserved!
Congratulations to Wendy Plowman, the lucky winner of the Dry January Drinks. She correctly told us that a pint of beer has 239 calories in it according to the NHS. We are quite jealous Wendy, that selection of drinks looks absolutely delicious! Well done and thank you for entering. Enjoy!
January is a time to reset, whether that be with New Years resolutions, keeping fit, Veganuary or going dry January. For those who are doing Dry January we have a wonderful selection of non alcoholic drinks up for grabs in this months prize draw (don’t worry this is also open to those not doing Dry January)!
As you’ll know each of the stores supports a chosen charity and donate the bag tax money to that particular charity at the end of the year. We’ve crunched the numbers for and are pleased to share with our fantastic customers that we raised nearly £3600 in 2021! Thank you to everyone who has helped contribute to this fantastic amount. That is on top of the additional amounts through the year. For the individual store amounts see below…
Always looking to improve where we can we’ll be starting work on Three Mile Cross parking next week. This will mean we get extra spaces for staff at the back of the site, freeing up more customer parking. The changes will also give provisions for EV, though it won’t be installed straight away. There will be a small amount of disruption whilst we make these improvements so apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, but it’ll be worth it! This will then lead into some changes internally as well… all very exciting! Watch this space
On Friday 24th December we said we said farewell to Jean Richardson who retired after 32 years with Fraser's Retail. Throughout Jeans time at the business she has shown a fantastic eye for detail, an extremely strong work ethic as well as unwavering loyalty. Her quiet personality and good sense of humour, well complimented by her efficiency and accuracy in the accounts have made her a key member of our company. She shall be sorely missed but know she'll be popping her head in from time to time. Enjoy your retirement Jean; it's well deserved!
How do you make the winner of best Valeting 2021 at the Forecourt Trader awards even better? Well, how about installing a brand new, all singing, all dancing car rollover carwash! As we touched on last month we were looking to install it just before Christmas and are pleased to report that it all went in smoothly and is already super popular. So, Marlborough not only official has the best Valeting facilities in the UK, but it’s now even better. Come and try it for yourself and don’t forget, you still get a half price top wash Monday to Wednesday!
Fraser’s Retail are the proud sponsors of Finchampstead football club U11’s. In fact we sponsor both teams; the Vipers and the Cobras. A certain Stan Fraser plays for the Vipers. The sponsorship included new shirts, shorts, socks and training tops. Both teams play on a Saturday morning in the East Berks league. It’s great being a part of this club and wish them all the best for the rest of the season!
Always a favourite at Fraser's Retail... in fact everyday in December is Christmas Jumper Day for some! Though there is only one 'official' Christmas Jumper day; this year on December 10th, where everyone donated £2 to Save the Children for wearing their favourite festive knitwear. A lot of fun had by all, as well as funds raised for an important cause!
Callum has worked at Yarnton for 3 years and in this time has become a key member of the team, with his strong work ethic and great sense of fun. A true team player, never complaining about doing a particular job and going out of his way to help the store after his shift has finished. Over the Christmas period he worked Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day giving other team members the opportunity to have some time off, even opening and closing the store on more than one occasion. Well done Callum, well deserved!
Congratulations to Michael Hunter who correctly told us the 2010 was the last official white Christmas in the UK. 2021 failed us miserably on the snow front, though fingers crossed for a bit more seasonal weather coming our way soon! Either way, we hope you enjoyed your hamper and had a lovely Christmas Michael!
Finally, after what has been a very long and strange year we can start to enjoy the festivities. With the temperature dropping it’s definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Fingers crossed for white one on the 25th!
White Christmas or not, it is on the horizon and in true spirit we have a Luxury Christmas Hamper to give away to one lucky person this month…
At Frasers Budgens we want to try and serve you as long as we can, although as it’s Christmas some of our opening times will change (see below for more detail). We are very pleased to tell you that both Brize Norton, Yarnton and Three Mile Cross will both be open for a few hours on Christmas day for those last minute batteries, extra prosecco or the forgotten Cranberry sauce….
Always looking to improve our offer we are upgrading the automated Car Wash at Marlborough w/c 13th December. This is right on the back of the updated Jet Wash centre making Marlborough the place to come to get a perfectly cleaned car, van or motorbike! There will be some disruption during the week of installation so apologies in advance for this, but we know it’ll be worth it and it’ll be up and running again in time for that Christmas wash!
On Friday 10th December it is the official Christmas Jumper day! Now, we all know that most of the staff love to don their festive knitwear from early December but on the 10th we’re going for a full house in aid of Save the Children Christmas Jumper day. If you want to join in and donate as well just go to the Christmas Jumper Day Save the Children website.
We are super excited to be bringing Jacks – part of the Tesco Family into the stores. Whilst we have dipped our toes into the Jacks brand before we can finally announce that as we progress into the new year the Jacks brand will be replacing the likes of Happy Shopper, Discover the Taste and Farm Fresh. Bringing all these into the Jacks family means the stores will have a good quality, consistent own brand through the stores – all with the same quality as you would find in Tesco. Keep an eye out as more lines are launched through the next few months.
With Cop26 having taken place in the past month and the advent of Electric cars on the horizon we’ve been assessing our environmental impact and plans for a sustainable future. We can't really hide from the fact we supply fossil fuels, though as a business we do want to do our bit. You may not realise the small things we already do like recycle our plastic and cardboard, capture the vapours that come out of the tanks with the Stage 2 VR system, use Good to Go for our food waste, and continually update our equipment through the stores. In order to go further we having a carbon capture audit being carried out at the stores which will look at the feasibility of solar and give recommendations as to how we can reduce our carbon footprint. We'll keep you posted on how this progresses!
Huge congratulations to Sue Powell who was the lucky winner of the Laithwaites Wine Advent Calendar. She correctly told us the following lyrics in Whams Last Christmas were ‘but the very next day you gave it away’. Well done Sue! Enjoy, and Merry Christmas
Caitlin has worked for Marlborough for five years and more recently transitioned into the role of Subway Manager. It's fair to say that she has done an exceptional job in the face of adversity whilst continuing to improve the profitability of the store.
She has battled against a lack of staff, and people leaving, all the while making sure the store standards are improving and always works tirelessly without complaint. So much so the store was rewarded with a visit from the UK Country Director on Tuesday! Well done Caitlin!
Here we are, the long slide into Christmas. What a magical time of year, filled with festivities and fun with the shops bristling full of displays and decorations. Tradition fully makes it’s mark and you can’t really get away from the blaring Christmas tunes and novelties sprinkled throughout the stores.
At Fraser’s Budgens we just love these traditions and none more than the humble Advent Calendar, counting us down chocolate by chocolate, or even wine bottle by wine bottle, like the Laithwaites Wine Advent Calendar which we have managed to get our hands on for this months prize! Go to the prize draw section to find out how
On 17th October Jonathan (family member and Director) was very, very proud to take part in the Oxford Half Marathon in aid of Sobell House, one of our key charity partners. Last month we said we'd match any donations from members of Fraser's retail so we wanted to thank those of you who kindly donated to Sobell. It meant that we were able to increase donations by a massive £240 which is an amazing amount. This means that altogether Jonathan raised a fantastic £873! The total raised for the race was over £25k so far. Thank you to everyone involved and who played their part.
Halloween just seems to get bigger every year with the Halloween'ers out in force on October 31st. This meant Three Mile Cross was again part of the local Halloween trail and proud to be involved in this great community event. The store was essentially the hub of the trail and whilst families bought their maps at the store, they also picked up their prizes as well! This was all in aid of Lambs Lane Primary School, just up the road from Three Mile Cross. Thank you to all involved!
Roll up, roll up Hudsons is now available in all the stores! If you haven’t tried Hudsons you are in for a treat. There is a full range of fantastic Hot Dogs and the like – perfect warming foods going into the winter months. Not only is there the ‘Classic Hot Dog’ but also some twists like the ‘Ribuette’ and the ‘Burguette’ – they really are delicious so come and try one in store today!
We are very pleased to share with you all that planning permission has been granted at Three Mile Cross on the grass area behind the parking at the top of the site. This area will give us more staff parking as well as the potential for future EV charging as we look towards the future. This is the first of various plans we have in the pipeline for the sites over the next 6 months or so... more to follow!
Corrina has worked for the company for 20 years and in this time has become a key figure at the store. In her role as supervisor she goes above and beyond continually and has become an absolute rock for the store manager, Ginette. In the past month she has picked up various duties whilst deputising for Ginette, her excellent attitude and strong work ethic have helped bring the team together and delivered an excellent and consistent standard. Well done Corrina, and thank you!
Congratulations to Pam Sanders who was the nearest guess in our Costa Sales competition! We asked you what the average amount of cups sold in a week through all the stores. Her guess of 3750 cups wasn’t far off an average of 3770 per week! That’s a lot of coffee! Well done Pam, enjoy the Costa hamper!
As the evenings draw in and the mornings get darker Coffee becomes an integral part of many peoples mornings. Our coffee partner is Costa Express and it’s fair to say that the British publics appetite for a Costa is pretty strong!
This month see’s UK Coffee week between 18th and 24th October and to celebrate we’ve got a Costa Express hamper to give away.
We are so, so proud to announce that on 30th September our Marlborough site won Best Valeting at the prestigious Forecourt Trader Awards! Congratulations to everyone involved – well deserved. If you haven’t been to Marlborough yet, you’ll see why they are officially the top valeting as not only is there a fantastic automatic was but the site has recently invested in a state of the art Jet Wash Centre which is just superb – well done all!
Good question... and not one that just concerns fuel but the whole HGV industry. Obviously it has been highlighted through the panic buying of fuel and put a huge amount of pressure on the supply network. The fact is, there is not a shortage of fuel, but a shortage of HGV drivers, and a fuel delivery driver needs to have various qualifications to drop the fuel so it's more difficult to recruit. That combined with the panic buying has meant whilst we are getting deliveries, they aren't as quickly as we need. We'll keep ordering and try and keep on top of it, and whilst things have settled, the issue may well be around for a while yet.
On October 17th Jonathan (Director and Family Member!) will be running the Oxford Half in aid of Sobell House. As a really important charity and one we've supported as a business for many years, so it'd be great to try and raise as much as possible. If you would like to donate please go to click through this page. All donations will be hugely appreciated, and so important at a time when the hospice is really in need, due to the affect of the pandemic.
On the 21st September Three Mile Cross was lucky enough to be up for the Retail Industry Award for Best Forecourt. The Retail Industry Awards is essentially the Oscars of the Retail World, with all the big players involved. Unfortunately we didn't win but in all honesty to be shortlisted is a massive achievement in itself. Well done everyone!
Congratulations to Derek Pinchen who was the closest guess for the length of 100 Trebor strong mints. His guess of 64cm was pretty spot on. Well done Derek, don’t eat them all at once!
It's fair to say that in her 3 years Sharon has built up a reputation as a bit of a character! Her bubbly and fun personality shines through to both staff and customers alike, making her a hugely well liked member of the team! Her work ethic is second to none, whilst continuously entertaining and generally keeping staff morale high within the store. Over the past month Sharon has gone above and beyond helping out where she can and filling a fair few shifts through the week. Sharon always stands out and will be an extremely popular Employee of the Month. Well done, and thank you!
This month see’s the humble Trebor Extra Strong mint hit 100 years old. There is nothing quite like that sharp fresh minty taste to make your eyes water, but come back for more!
To celebrate this iconic sweets birthday we are giving away a tube of 100 mints to one lucky person.
We are very, very proud to announce that Marlborough has been nominated for not one but two awards at this years Forecourt trader Awards! The store is up for Best Valeting facilities in the UK and also for Best Site in it's region, which means if it's lucky enough to win this award they will be in the running for best UK site! Amazing news, and much deserved! September also see's Three Mile Cross at the Retail Industry awards.... fingers crossed for both!
As well as Marlborough being up for awards at the Forecourt Awards Three Mile Cross has been shortlisted for Best Forecourt at the Retail Industry Awards! This really is quite a nomination and everyone involved should be so, so proud of this huge achievement. Louise and her team work extremely hard to keep the standards of the store up and deserve all the plaudits - well done. We’ll find out on the 21st September, fingers crossed!
On October 17th Jonathan Fraser (Fraser’s Retail Director and Family member) shall be running the Oxford Half Marathon in aid of Sobell House. As you may be aware Fraser’s Retail is closely associated with the hospice with it being the main charity of Yarnton, Brize and Cannon Pool. Whilst Jonathan enjoys running, this Half Marathon will present a challenge to him and he’s hoping to raise as much as possible for this important cause. Just follow this link to donate
Another Facebook competition was run for the bank holiday weekend, and another 5 winners walked away with a selection of goodies from the stores. Congratulations to all the winners. Next stop…. Halloween!
From September 1st all forecourts replaced the current 'E5' petrol with 'E10' fuel, which contains more renewable ethanol. This change only applies to standard (95 octane) petrol, and doesn't affect diesels. The change comes as part of the government's plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2030, with E10 petrol predicted to reduce transport carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 750,000 tonnes a year; the equivalent of removing 350,000 cars from the roads. At our sites E10 has replaced standard petrol, though Ultimate will remain E5. It is important to note that if a car was made prior to 2011 it may not be compatible with E10, but customers can still fill up with Ultimate Fuel. Customers can check
Congratulations to Paul Eaglestone who was the winner of the couple of mini kegs of West Berks. He correctly told us that beer is usually made form Hops, Grain, Yeast and Water. We know that Paul is a beer lover so will definitely enjoy these two fantastic tasting beers! Enjoy Paul!
Caroline has worked for Fraser's Retail for 19 years, initially working at our Calne site and migrating over to the Marlborough site after it was sold to BP.
Her hard working attitude and bubbly personality has always made her a favourite with staff and customers alike. She always puts herself above and beyond her role, and in her time really has become an extension of the Fraser Family.
Summer is not over, a heatwave is on the way… we hope! August has been a funny one so far but with some potentially good weather on the way we’re optimistic about the back end of the summer.
What plans do you have left, are you going away still? Have a mini summer party planned? If you have that end of summer party planned then these mini kegs could be just what is needed! Go to the prize draw section for a chance to win...
Three Mile Cross have been shortlisted for Best Forecourt at the Retail Industry Awards - the Retail equivalent of the Oscars! This really is quite a nomination and everyone involved should be so, so proud of this huge achievement. Louise and her team work extremely hard to keep the standards of the store up and deserve all the plaudits - well done. The ceremony is in September so fingers crossed!
We are very saddened to hear of the passing of Sue Wiffen from Brize Norton. Sue joined the team in 2012 as a night shift cleaner and bakery employee. She turned a struggling department into a success, quickly gaining a loyal band of customers who came to Brize on their way to work knowing they were able to get a good breakfast served by Sue’s smile and quick wit.
She quickly picked up the role and took on more responsibility opening Subway in the mornings, really driving the food to go offer. Sue was always willing to lend a hand to ensure the customer wasn’t disappointed in their visit to Brize.
Her contribution to the site cannot be underestimated, she is going to be sorely missed and our condolences go to her friends and family.
The Yarnton store were very pleased to be a part of the Sobell House 'Not so Winter Walk' at Blenheim Palace in the 30 degree heat a few Sundays ago! We were able to help provide some of the goodies and as always are really proud to be associated with this important charity. Well done to everyone who took part!
You may have seen in the news that petrol will be changing throughout Great Britain. Throughout summer 2021, forecourts are going to be replacing the current 'E5' petrol with 'E10' fuel, which contains more renewable ethanol. This change only applies to standard (95 octane) petrol, and doesn't affect diesels. The change comes as part of the government's plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2030, with E10 petrol predicted to reduce transport carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 750,000 tonnes a year; the equivalent of removing 350,000 cars from the roads. At our sites E10 will replace standard petrol, though our Ultimate will remain E5. It is important to note that if your car was made prior to 2011 it will not be compatible with E10, but you can still fill up with Ultimate Fuel.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are very proud to announce we have a winner of the ‘Guess the Weight’ competition… step forward Barbara Burkett who was closest, and was only a whisker away with a guess of 2.5KG for the sweets in the jar. The actual weight was 2.499KG so pretty spot on! Congratulations Barbara. Don’t eat them all at once!
James is a very well liked member of staff and a huge part of the team at Yarnton. He runs the bakery incredibly well, working on his own initiative as well as helping to make sure other bakery colleagues are up to date with how things should be done. During the availability issues in the past month the store never ran out of items due to James’ foresight. He also makes suggestions on how he feels we can increase sales, including bringing back the morning breakfast baps which been a winner. Well done James - well deserved!
Fingers crossed 19th July becomes a reality and normality returns to us. The last year has given way to new thinking and many virtual events in the process.
In our nod to the humble School fair and the end of term coming up fast we wanted to give you a chance to win a massive jar of Choccy Yoggy sweets. This consists of chocolate and yoghurt coated nuts, dried fruit, honeycomb and chocolate beans. What a prize!
As you’ll know each of the stores supports a chosen charity and will ensure it’s bag tax money goes to that particular charity at the end of each year. We’ve crunched the numbers for the first half of this year and are pleased to share with our fantastic customers that we have raised over £1800 so far this year! Thank you to everyone who has helped contribute to this fantastic amounts. They’ll be more to come with other initiatives through the year so keep an eye out in the stores. For the individual store amounts see below…
With running becoming a pastime for many during lockdown a lot of people will be looking to races and challenge themselves to a 5k, 10k, half marathon or even marathon! If you’re looking for race and want to raise some money for a great charity then why not join us at the Oxford Half in October, running for Sobell House? Read on to join or Sponsor us....
Summer usually means Wimbledon, and with 2020 being a write off it really seems like the country has been yearning for the grass court season to restart and enjoy the action with a Pimms and strawberries and cream. We’ll be giving away 5 Wimbledon themed hampers for you to enjoy during the championships. Just keep an eye on Facebook for the competition launch and best of luck!
We were very pleased to be giving a Fathers Day gift to 5 lucky Dads on Sunday 20th! We’re sure all Dad’s had a relaxing day and were pampered by their children….! Thank you to everyone who entered. These Facebook competitions are always a hit at the stores.... watch this space for the next one!
In June we said goodbye to 3 subway members of staff. Liam and Kam from Brize and Charlotte from Marlborough, all with a combined service of 17 years in the business leaving a fair hole to fill. Best of luck to all of you! We are very pleased however, to have promoted Jordan at Marlborough to the role of manager. Jordan joined 4 years ago as a Sandwich Artist and has been a consistent part of the team showing great enthusiasm and is keen to continue the good work of his predecessors. Good luck Jordan and congratulations!
It’s coming home? Maybe… let’s not get ahead of ourselves though! The Euro’s did however come home to Portugal last time around and our lucky winner David Baxter guessed correctly and won himself a selection of beers to enjoy during the footy! Well done David. Enjoy! And good luck England!
Brad started as a fresh faced 18yr old student on a part time sales assistant basis while studying catering at Swindon Technical College. After completing his course he decided a full time career in retail was more fun than catering so 3 years later is now a Supervisor & nothing is ever too much for him. He’s even taken on an NVQ in retail within the company. Brad is a genuine team player who goes the extra mile for his colleagues & customers alike. Taking pride in his work and immersing himself in new Jet Wash centre he enjoys learning more about the machinery as and when issues arise. Well done Brad, well deserved!
After what feels like it has been a very long time, the Euro’s finally kicks off on 11th June. We just can’t wait and will be cheering on the home nations from the 12th!
With lockdown easing and friends and family able to watch the football together, where will you watch the games and who will be getting the beers in? To give a helping hand we’re giving one lucky person a chance of winner a selection of beers and ciders to enjoy whilst watching.
The final Tango Ice Blast machine was installed earlier in the month and has been a roaring success. We now have the machine in every store, and boy are they busy! The Tango combined with the F'Real have really given the stores something extra, and with Summer only just really starting we’re sure they will be super popular in the coming months!
Well done to Three Mile Cross for getting recognition from their nominated charity for the bag money raised in 2020. This is amongst a whole host of other fundraising the store has been doing, including the Easter raffle. The store will continue to support this important charity through various initiatives through the year, just keep an eye out in store and online to see how you can help.
The ever popular Facebook competition was back for the Spring bank holiday, the sun came out just in time for you to make the most of it too, you lucky winners! Keep an eye out for our next competition, focusing on the Euro’s!
After what seems like ages, we have finally gone in for planning on a new site in Arborfield, near Wokingham. The site will be a brand new to industry site, on a busy road much in need of the facilities. The site will have EV charging amongst a host of other initiatives to ensure we are ready for the uptake in Electric cars over the next few years!
This month see’s the Euros kick off so we thought we’d get you in the spirit with our latest Facebook competition. There’s one for each store so go to the relevant Facebook page to see how you can win a selection of footy goodies!
Congratulations to Phil Parry who was the lucky winner of the Laithwaites Rose. We asked you what you’d do to get the sun back out, and it certainly worked! His answer couldn’t have been better, taking one for the team by Going out with his umbrella - guaranteeing to make the sun shine! Thank you Phil, enjoy!
Osian has worked at the store since 2018, initially only working weekends. Over time he has added to this and now knows his fair share of the operations of the store! In the past month you could say that Osian has been thrown into the deep-end, firstly taking on the role of Supervisor last minute as another member of staff left. In his first week he had to deal with the issues of the tills being down and then in the second week dealing with an unfortunate incident at the store with a very difficult customer, though dealt with the situation calmly and in a the manner which he should be proud of. Well done Osian. Very well deserved!
May see’s the reopening of indoor hospitality, which may be needed with summer seemingly on hold so far! Fingers crossed May see’s the sun put his hat back on!
We're doing our bit to try and do a ‘sun dance’ by we’re giving away a case of Rose from Laithwaites. Hopefully this will force the sun to make a bit more of an appearance.
After the success of the Tango Ice Blast at Cannon Pool, Marlborough and Yarnton we were very pleased to have installed the machine into Three Mile Cross as well! The machine is the slightly different 'Viper' machine which does look the business and makes a top quality Tango Ice Blast as well. Come and try it!
In the third quarter of the year Oxford and Reading half marathons are taking place. Oxford is on 17th October and Reading on the 7th November. Fraser’s Budgens will be putting a team together for each to run for our prospective charities (Sobell House for Oxford and Sue Ryder for Reading). At the moment Nick Fraser has signed up for Reading and Jonathan Fraser has signed up for both!
Over Easter weekend some of the children of Yarnton did an Easter trail which ended up at the store and the children picking up an Easter treat... lucky kids! These trails have been really popular at the stores of late, with Three Mile also doing one over the Easter period. Well done to all involved!
With pub gardens reopening we asked members last month what makes their perfect pub garden. It’s safe to say that people are unanimous with their pub garden needs, and really just want great company above all. Congratulations to Sandra Fouracre who summed up many pub gardens perfectly… ‘More than anything to be surrounded by I want and I dream of in my pub garden... hearing my friends laughter and chatter, drinking local beer and a BBQ with local food, good music and dance our troubles away. Enjoy the Aspall Sandy!
Jayme has been at the store for around 5 years and during this time has become a vital member of the morning team. Always ensuring the delivery is brought in when needed, as well as helping to open up. During the pandemic Jayme has taken on extra COVID cleaning duties in the store, never complaining no matter what job he has to do.
In the past month he has shown his worth by stepping up on a Saturday morning, taking charge and ensuring everything is ready for when management arrives. Thank you Jayme, good work, and well deserved!
As we move through the Seasons and have already had that fleeting glimpse of Summer (which quickly seems to have turned on it’s head!), though it is coinciding nicely with the rule of six and outdoor hospitality reopening. So the question is pub or bar in the garden? Go to the prize draw section and let us know
Whilst we continue to invest in and improve the stores we have taken the opportunity to put the Tango Ice Blast into Yarnton as well as Cannon Pool and Marlborough. These have already proven to be popular and it isn't even summer yet! Watch this space for details of the others stores in the offing….
On Friday 19th March Brize Norton got fully involved in Comic Relief, all donning superhero outfits and capes! The staff looked fantastic, and above this they raised a quite brilliant £91.23. Well done all, a great achievement, whilst having a bit of fun at the same time!
We were once again very excited to be giving away more goodies on Facebook in March. This time it was for Mother's Day so was massively appreciated on what is a very special and well deserved day for many through the country! These are always so popular with customers and we'll keep them coming!
As you'll know, we opened our first Jet Wash Centre at Marlborough at the back of last month, and we are really, really pleased to share with you that it is really, really popular! Obviously people have seen the fantastic results and how easy it is to use. It is a great piece of kit and if you haven’t tried it yet you must come and use the truly amazing PowerFoam!
Huge congratulations to our five winners of Easter selections. There were a huge amount of great flavours sent through for next years on trend chocolate egg but only 5 could be chosen. The winning flavours were Raspberry, Peanut Butter, Chilli, Honeycomb or Hazelnut with Salted Caramel. All sound delicious but if we had to choose one we’d go for the rather extravagant Hazelnut and Salted Caramel. Yum! Congratulations to Kathleen, Lee, Matthew, Andreana and Felicity – all worthy winners! We hope you enjoy!
Ali has worked for us for 3 years and is a hugely valued member of the team. She covers all shifts that need covering including nightshifts, staying on when needed. Her worth ethic is second to none, as well as having great customer service making her a hit with customers and staff alike. Over the last month she has gone above and beyond and really helped out! Thank you Ali.
You would have seen the Easter Eggs landing in store, and some fantastic ones there are too! It certainly looks like Orange is the new black this year! Each store has a great selection and we’d like to give you a chance to get your hands on some Easter treats. In fact, we’ve got 5 to give away, one selection for each store!
As you'll see from the pic above the Jet Wash Centre at Marlborough is now complete and opened this week! It really is an impressive piece of kit and has had some great feedback so far. The centre is the first of its kind in the UK, although was born in Germany and is well established there. We are very, very proud to bring this to Marlborough and are sure it will be really popular. The machine has contactless and sanitiser stations to keep them safe as possible during these times so why not come and give it a go. Just using the exclusive ‘PowerFoam’ will be enough to have you wanting to keep coming back!
As you may be aware three of the stores (Yarnton, Cannon Pool and Brize Norton) have Sobell House Hospice as their chosen charity. Sobell House is a really important charity which ensures those in most need get the end of life care they deserve. We are so proud to be associated with the hospice and through the years have raised funds through various events at the stores. Through the ‘bag tax’ last year we are very pleased to give a fantastic £2401 through the three stores. A big thank you to Sobell House for the amazing work they do!
During half term Three Mile Cross took part in the community trail around the surrounding villages, being the focal point for the end of the trial. The trail was in aid of Cancer Research UK and we are pleased to say that the organiser smashed her fundraising target! The store is so proud to be a part of the community and be able to be a part of these fantastic community trails. Long may they continue!
Congratulations to all the lucky winners who managed to get their hands on the Valentines prizes at the stores, obviously romance was in the air during February as we had so many great entries. Thank you to everyone who entered and well done to those winners! Mothers Day next…..
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and as always we like to make a fuss (like everyone should!). Make sure you pop onto Facebook to enter of Facebook like and share competition to be in with a chance of winning some lovely goodies for Mum! There’s one for each store as always in these competitions so 5 prizes to giveaway!
Well, last months prize draw we were treated to some fantastic stories and some very deserving reasons for winning the lovely bouquet of flowers from Cotswold Flower Barn, our local flower supplier at Yarnton. In the end there could only be one winner, though in this case it turned out to be two! Mary Clarke from Yarnton put forward two twins who are more than deserving….
Nadeesha joined the team about a year ago and during this time has proven herself to be an extremely loyal, diligent and reliable member of staff. Her bubbly and helpful manor has had her an extremely popular member of the team, both with customers and staff alike. Over the past couple of month Nadeesha has really stepped up and helped out whilst another member of staff has been off, also taking on an additional supervisor role at the weekends. Thank you Nadeesha, well deserved
Ah, February the month of St Valentines when people get the chance to be romantic, whether that be through a card, a meal or just a peck on the cheek!
There is no doubt that this year is a little different and may not have quite the same romantic feel as other years. That’s why this month’s prize could just be for someone who deserves it. Go to our Prize Draw section to find out how to win some lovely flowers
Huge, huge congratulations to Louise and her team at Three Mile Cross who deservedly picked up the regional award for Best Site in South East England over 4m litres per annum, as well as Best Customer Service nationwide at the prestigious Forecourt Trader Awards. Brize was up for the equivalent award for the South West but was just pipped to this award but can really hold it's head up high for this nomination! Thank you to all the staff and all our wonderful customers for making the store what it is today!
As you'll see from the picture, the Jet Wash Centre at Marlborough is taking shape! Whilst, there was an unfortunate small delay of the actual Jet Washes coming from Germany, this only setback us back for a week and we know that this fantastic addition to the site is going to be very welcome in the area. We think it should be up and running (fingers crossed!) in late Feb. We really can’t wait!
Over the coming months you will see some changes taking place in the stores, some are small range improvements whilst some are larger display changes. This is to ensure that we are best serving everyone and making sure we have the right products convenient for you. If you have any suggestions just let us know! We expect minimal disruption but keep an out for these improvements!
Our Facebook competitions always create a little bit of excitement and this month should be no exception with a Valentines themed prize! To be in with a chance of this excellent prize (one at each store) just go to your stores Facebook page to share and like! Best of luck!
It's been a long time coming but next week we've finally installed the F'real milkshake machine at Cannon Pool! This sits right alongside the ever popular Tango Ice Blast. So far it has been a huge success as it has been at all the stores…. come and try one for yourself! It really is great treat!
Kam joined the team in October 2018 and has been ever present since. His strong work ethic and fun personality have ensured he is a popular member of the team, with staff as well as customers. Not only does he always go above and beyond, but in the past month he really stepped up when Brize was struck down by Track and Trace at the beginning of January, taking on roles he hadn't done before and even helping out on the Budgens side. Thank you Kam, and well deserved!
Congratulations to Clare Webber, our lucky winner of the fine foods hamper for January. We had a lot of entries this month as it appears most people have some resolutions they’d like to keep. We thought Clare’s summed it up beautifully… 2021, Staying positive. Embracing each day at a time whilst following my mantra, "my cup is half full!" Well, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Clare works on the frontline so those words mean a lot. Well deserved Clare. You are a hero in our eyes. Thank you and enjoy!
Well, it’s not been the start to 2021 that we would have hoped for but at least we can see a way out. Lockdown 3.0 is in it’s infancy but we’ve already seen the likes of Joe Wicks setting up their fitness routines for the country. Maybe one plus is that no one will have any excuse not to shift that excess Christmas timber! We’ve managed to get our hand of a lovely, positive hamper of fine foods for our prize draw this month.
With the Vaccine on its way there is hope but until then the country is in lockdown to try and stem the tide. As essential shops we shall stay open during this time to keep the local communities we serve stocked up. We know just how difficult this is for everyone but wanted to assure you that we are still keeping up with the Covid cleaning protocols introduced last year as well enforcing the various other Covid related measures at the stores. This is why you may be asked to wait outside if there are too many people in the store, or may not be able to go down certain aisles whilst the store is refilling. All these measures are for everyone’s safety so please do your bit in the stores by wearing your mask, using the hand sanitiser provided and staying 2m apart wear possible. Many Thanks and stay safe.
As you will be aware we collect for our respective charities through the 'plastic bag tax'. 2020 was clearly no ordinary year and we know just how difficult it has been for many, and also for our affiliated charities. That’s why we are really, really pleased to be able to donate £3422.35 through the plastic bag tax this year. Whilst the amount of plastic bags used dropped significantly, it’s still great we are able to make this contribution during a very tough period.
Finally we’ve managed to start getting contactless put onto the Jet Washes (turns out that everyone’s been doing it!). To get them installed has taken longer than we’d like put definitely worth it, and super easy to use. Just tap and wash! We’ll continue installing them as and when we can. Thanks for your patience!
Amongst the doom and gloom 2021 has seemed to have carried with it we are very pleased to have the Forecourt trader awards slap bang in the middle of January… the 14th to be exact. Both Three Mile Cross and Brize Norton are both up for the top awards in their areas. These awards would usually take place at a flashy hotel in London but due to the pandemic we shall all be cheering the stores on Virtually! Best of luck to both of you and we’ll ensure we let everyone know how we get on!
As Marlborough customers will be aware of the back of the forecourt currently being transformed as per the picture! Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that the new Jet Wash centre is going to plan and as it stands will be ready for Easter. The new Jet Washes will be a huge boost for the store and for customers, as well as the town of Marlborough as they really will be state of the art and bring the best of valeting to the site! We’ll keep you updated!
Whilst Christmas was certainly different this year and some of the festivities weren’t quite how they usually are, it didn’t stop the annual Christmas Jumper day for Save the Children. Fraser’s retail were extremely proud to be a part of this and although most staff were donning their festive knitwear through the entire month (and some for the extended pre December 2020 Christmas!) it was lovely to get everyone involved and see so many customers with their Jumpers on, and festive masks to boot!
Once again, during December each store ran the ’12 prizes of Christmas’ competition through Facebook, giving out a total of 60 prizes during the month. This year saw an increase of entries on last year and we were very, very pleased to be giving away some great prizes for Christmas. Well done to everyone who won and thank you to all that took part. We’ll definitely be doing it again next year!
Congratulations to Jonathan Quanbrough who was the lucky winner of the Beats earphones! His 2020 music choices were spot on…..
‘It’s the end of the world as we know it by REM. Pyjamas by Gnash. Everyday is exactly the same by Nine Inch Nails. From a distance by Bette Midler. Dancing with myself by Billy Idol. Don’t stand so close to me by The Police. You can’t touch this by MC Hammer.’
Perfect tongue in check selection for what has been a particularly difficult year. Thanks for the chuckle Jonathan! Here’s to a better 2021… maybe ‘The only way is up?’
Sophie is one of the longest standing members of Fraser’s Retail joining us when she was a teenager at Brize Norton. She worked several roles at the store including managing the subway before taking on a role overseeing the group of Subways, which in turn led to her stepping up to the managers role at the Yarnton store. Her strong work ethic and no nonsense attitude have helped the store to thrive in recent times and become a much more stable place of work. In the last month this work ethic has really come to the fore in helping out at Brize Norton when needed, dropping everything to ensure the store has been able to run as it should. Thank you Soph, and well deserved!
Well, what a year it has been for almost everyone, and to be frank it’d be nice to see the back of it! That said, a lot of good has come out of 2020, whether it be some fantastic community spirit, Captain Tom or rediscovering fitness. Whatever you have done this year we know that for a lot of you a soundtrack would have followed you, whether it be on a run or just whilst listening to the radio during lockdown.
That’s why this month’s prize is a little bit special; we think you deserve to be in with a chance of winning some Beats by Dre Headphones
You may be aware that the stores have started to use Too Good to Go. This is essentially a service which ensure that we are not throwing out of date products needlessly and gives customers a chance to grab a bargain before they go out of date… only £4 for at least £12 of food. Make sure you download the Too Good to go app to take advantage of this great waste saving, money saving idea! Hurry though, there are naturally limited bags and they get snapped up quickly!
Take a bow Three Mile and Brize; you have both made it to the finals of the Forecourt trader awards!!!! Three Mile is in for Best Site in South East and also for customer service, whilst Brize is in for Best Site in South West. Well done to both, just being nominated itself is quite an achievement! The virtual ceremony will take place on January 14th! Fingers crossed!
Well after 14 years and over 100,000 washes the car wash at Cannon Pool has been replaced. We are very sad to see it go but it was getting a little unreliable and to be fair, has done a very good job for our customers. It does mean however that we have installed a brand spanking new wash with all the latest gadgets and gives the very best cleaning. Come and try it…. it’s even contactless (though if you want to use your platinum card you’ll still have to come in store)
At Frasers Budgens we want to try and serve you as long as we can, although as it’s Christmas some of our opening times will change (see below for more detail). We are very pleased to tell you that both Brize Norton, Yarnton and Three Mile Cross will both be open for a few hours on Christmas day for those last minute batteries, extra prosecco or the forgotten Cranberry sauce….
Always looking at ways to improve the stores and give the best service we can, we have introduced Tango Ice Blast into Cannon Pool and Marlborough! Now, it may not be the ideal time to launch a frozen drinks machine but they already seem popular and will only continue to grow, perfectly complementing the FTG offering we already have in the stores!
Every year the stores love to get behind children in need, not only to raise funds for this excellent charity but also to have a bit of fun dressing up. This year, whilst understandably a little more low key, was no exception, with the stores raising a very credible £385.42 between them. This included a dress down day, duck racing, dressing up and cake sales! Well done all!
We are really pleased to be giving customers a chance of winning 12 prizes in the lead up to Christmas in our 12 prizes of Christmas competition on Facebook. This was really popular last year and is individual to the store so pop onto Facebook to see how to get involved!
Time to dig out your festive knitwear as Christmas Jumper day arrives on 11th December! This annual celebration of this seasonal delight (or not as the case may be!) is a great way to show support for Save the Children so please donate to this important cause if you're taking part. The more the merrier (so to speak!), so let’s get in the festive spirit and don that wonderful winter wear (as modelled by Elaine and Chris at Three Mile Cross last year!)
Huge congratulations to Jess Brown who won the Laithwaites Advent Calendar last month! It was a particularly well fought competition with lots of good entries but we felt Jess’ summed up the general theme throughout, going more minimalist with her advent calendar idea…. ‘My mum used to make our own advent calendars when we were younger. She used to put a tree decoration in each day and every day we could put one on the little tree. I think it was very nice creative of her and by Christmas we would have a little decorated tree’ Sounds exactly the right kind of calendar for 2020! Enjoy your daily bottle Jess!
Amanda has worked at the site for about 14 years, initially part time and taking on more and more responsibility through the years. Her knowledge and expertise has grown massively over this time and she really has become a rock for the management team. Amanda's willingness to get stuck in and go out of her way to help is evident every day. In the past month she has really shown that commitment in covering weekends and extra shifts, whilst making time to raise money for Children in Need. Well done Amanda, well deserved. A real credit to the team!
Christmas looms, and although times are so, so different at the moment we know just how important having some kind of a normal festivities are for people at this time. That’s why at Fraser’s Budgens we want to try and give some joy and normality during what will surely be known as Covid Christmas!
So with that in mind what is more festive than an advent calendar? How about a wine advent calendar from Laithwaites which we’ve managed to get our hands on to give away this month?!
New season, new kit.... same sponsor! We are once again very proud to be sponsoring Yarnton Blues football club. The team have really shot up the leagues in the last few seasons and we are proud to be associated with them. Picture taken with two younger Fraser's.... who were promised Subways and F'real for lunch!
Halloween gave Marlborough another chance to showcase their talent for dressing up once again! This time they really brought it to a new level (Pennywise anyone?!) and made sure the staff were suitably scary whilst raising funds for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, making a fantastic £94.20 in the process! Thank you to everyone who donated and to the staff who really made quite the effort!
Who doesn't like Take-away pizza? Well, at Yarnton, Brize, Cannon Pool and Three Mile we have started to offer take away pizza in the evenings. They are available from 3pm onwards and whilst they will be made throughout the evening they are whilst stocks last as they’ve been super popular!
As you would have heard and seen on Monday 2nd November the platinum Club 50% discount on Platinum Car Washes is now only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays rather than Mon-Fri. Whilst this is not a decision we have taken lightly it was a compromise to ensure we can still offer this popular discount during these uncertain times. Make the most of Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays!
Three Mile really got in the spirit over Halloween and took part in the Three Mile Cross and Spencers wood Halloween trail whilst really showcasing the talents at the store on the 31st with some fangtastic dressing up! We were really proud to be a part of this great community event and look forward to the next one!
Over the month of October the Yarnton store was very pleased to be part of the village spooky trail, even being a stop off for entrants to collect their maps and a treat, which would have seen the staff looking spooktastic on the 31st! There were some truly brilliant houses dressed up through the village and it was clearly difficult to choose a winner but the Alice in Wonderland themed house really stood out. Well done all!
Grace has worked for us since December last year and in this time has really shown us what a hard working, efficient and friendly employee she is. Her efforts to make sure the job is done to the best of her abilities shine through each shift, but it is going above and beyond in the past few months by helping to cover shifts and really go out of her way to help that make her a great and popular employee of the month. Thank you Grace, and well done
Congratulations to Elaina Perez who was the much deserved Halloween goodies winner, even turning up in her Halloween out fit to collect the prize! She had a multitude of suggestions for Covid themed Trick or Treating, which also meant that she was able to dress up in one of her many Halloween costumes! Great fun and enjoy, Elaina!
October is here, which can only mean one thing… Halloween is just around the corner? What do you have planned this year? It certainly will be a strange one, though we’re sure people will still make the most of it! What spooktacular ideas do you have this Halloween? Apple bobbing is out, trick or treating would be tricky (so to speak!). With Frasers Budgens getting in the spirit we have a load of Halloween goodies to give away this month to one lucky person!
Unfortunately as you’ll know, the Corona infection rate has risen so it is our duty as responsible retailers is to do our bit by enforcing everyone to wear a mask in the shops (unless you have a valid reason of course). This isn’t something we are taking pleasure in doing but you may not be served if you come into the store not wearing one. We would also ask that you scan yourself in via the track and trace app at the entrance of the stores. Thank you!
Three Mile Cross is very pleased to be part of this years Halloween trial for Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross, providing prizes for those who successfully complete the trial as well as a overall prize for one lucky winner. We are so proud to be sponsoring this spooktacular event and look forward to the entries!
On Tuesday 29th Three Mile Cross was rubbing virtual shoulders with some of the finest Convenience stores in the British Isles at the Convenience Awards. It was nominated for Best Independent Convenience Store though unfortunately didn’t win, but the store is officially in the Top 3 for the Country so something to be very proud of! Thank you to the staff for all their hard work and also to our wonderful customers who have helped make the store what it is today! Well done all!
At the beginning of next month we shall be changing the Platinum 50% Car Wash off promotion from 5 days down to 3 days. This still means that Platinum members will still be able to get a half price Platinum Wash but only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This change will take place from November 2nd so make the most of those half price washes this month!
Yarnton on the Spooky Scarecrow Trial
Halloween see’s scarecrows cropping up in various villages around the countryside and Yarnton are very, very proud to be a part of the Spooky Scarecrow trail in the village. We’ll be donating a prize later in the month – good luck with your scarily good scarecrows! Keep and eye on FB for more info….
It's now just over a month since the new contactless tap and donate for Sobell House machine was installed. In this period we are pleased to say that £70 has been registered through it, this is in addition to the fantastic donations made in the change pots. Sobell House are really pleased with this and hopefully this amount will go up each month! Thank you to everyone who has tapped so far!
Congratulations to Jeanette Woodrow, the luck winner of the tank of fuel! Well done. Jeanette simply told us she would go to Paignton, in Devon 'as it’s a lovely seaside town and it’s close to many other attractions too. A full tank of fuel would get me there and back and also driving around whilst there.' Well, let’s hope you get down there at some stage Jeanette. Thanks to everyone for entering, as you can imagine, this was a particularly popular one ;-)
We are very, very pleased to share some exciting news with you… last month all the stores started to stock a great new range of products called Jacks. These range from Fish to Chicken Kievs, to Cakes and more. The great thing about this range of products is that not only do they taste great but are also really well priced. More range will be added but so far so good! Enjoy!
Luke has been a member of our Yarnton store since before it was redeveloped 10 years ago, so has a vast amount of experience of the store... in fact you could say that if Luke doesn't know the answer, it's not worth knowing! Luke is now the Assistant Manager, bringing his knowledge and calming influence to the store on a daily basis. He is well liked by all and no job is too big or small for him, which is appreciated by everyone.
In the past month Luke has been deputising for Sophie, the store manager and did an excellent job running the store. Thank you Luke and well deserved!
For many, the last few months has meant your car may have just been sitting in your garage or on your drive really not getting much use. Well, as September is upon us and there is a marked increase of traffic on the roads it’s time to fall back in love with driving!
Even if you may not love driving, and it’s just to get from A to B we’re sure most people would appreciate a free tank of fuel!
We are very, very proud to share that later this month Three Mile Cross will be pitted against some of the finest stores in the country at the Convenience Store awards! It has been shortlisted as best Independent Convenience Store in the country. Obviously with 2020 being what it is, the awards will be virtual, taking place on Tuesday 29th September and we’ll be sure to let you know how we get on! Fingers Crossed!
In the last couple of weeks we have managed to secure planning for a Jet Wash Centre at Marlborough. This will be built at the back of the forecourt and will have 4 bays of state of the art Jet Washes. These washes have really grown in popularity in recent times and we believe this will give customers the best car valeting in the area. We'll update you on progress as and when!
Since we installed the F'real and Isqueeze machines we are pleased to say that they have been a huge success. They have really worked well for customers, whether after a cheeky milkshake or a freshly squeezed orange juice. So as well as Yarnton, Three Mile and Brize we have now both machines in Marlborough. We'll then be looking to install F'real into Cannon Pool. All very exciting and they are already bringing something different to the stores!
As you may be aware we held another, very popular, Facebook competition at the end of last month. Congratulations to everyone who won the Bank Holiday prize and thank you to everyone who entered! These really are hugely popular so keep an eye on Facebook for the next few… with Halloween and then Christmas on the horizon there should be some goodies up for grabs!
Well done to Jodie Martin from Yarnton who was the lucky winner of the case of Rose from Laithwaites, congratulations. Jodie was one of the many who told us that Rose wine is usually made from Red grapes. Well done! Not quite the fantastic Rose weather we had at the beginning of August but don’t let that stop you enjoying a glass or two ;-)
As you may be aware Pam (Brize Norton store Manager) has unfortunately been off for the last few months with a broken shoulder. In her absence it's fair to say that Tracy (assistant manager) has really stepped up and the store is running as smoothly as ever. We all know what a busy period it has been for the stores during the pandemic but Tracy has made sure that not only is Brize running as it should but has been ever present helping on the shop floor Her energy and passion is obvious to see on a day to day basis and why she was nominated by her fellow colleagues. Thank you Tracy and well deserved!
Ah, the sunshine! What is better than the English countryside basking in glorious sunshine? With the fields being bailed and boats running down the Thames it really can’t be beaten! So, with how this year has been so far, we’re thinking the August staycation may just be the dream holiday!
So, with the sun beating and some taking time off to relax we thought what better than enjoying it with a glass of classic summer Rose. Well, how about a case? We’ve been working with our partners Laithwaites to give you a chance of winning a case of the pink stuff!
As promised we have now installed the F'real milkshake machines and Isqueeze fresh orange juicer into 2 of the stores; Yarnton and Three Mile Cross, whilst Brize has had the F’real machine installed and the Isqueeze on it’s way! We'll also be installing F'Real into Cannon Pool and Marlborough in the near future too. These machines have both been really popular, with the juicing machine being a particular favourite!
We are really, really happy to announce that finally all the Subways are open! Marlborough kicked things off very successfully in June and during the past month we have opened both Yarnton and Brize. The menus limited right now but over time we shall look to increase the options here. A huge welcome back to all the Subway staff and our regulars - we have missed you!
As you’ll be aware the government has made it compulsory for everyone to wear a face mask when they go shopping, unless you have a valid reason. We would ask that everyone who comes into our stores abides by this as the rule is there for everyone’s safety. Please do not be offended if we ask you to put on your mask and if you don’t have one you can always buy one from us for £3.50. Thank you for you cooperation in these very strange times!
At the Yarnton store we have installed a 'Tap and Donate' machine for Sobell House, bringing the store right into the 21st century, whilst reducing the need for people to donate with cash in this day and age. It really is a great piece of kit and works very simply and quickly. People literally just have to 'Tap and Donate'... each tap is £3 and the money goes to a very good cause. We'll update you with how it gets on in the future and hopefully get them into one or two of the other stores as well!
Over the past few months all the stores have received some very nice compliments for some great service, whether that be in person, on Facebook, or in writing. Above is a lovely letter from the Wiltshire Air Ambulance acknowledging the fantastic efforts by everyone at the Marlborough store. Well done and thank you everyone! This really is just another example of the appreciation shown to all the stores over this strange period. Thank you to everyone who take the time to comment. It really does make the days brighter!
Congratulations to David Haynes who correctly told us that the luscious Purbeck Ice Cream was made in the County of Dorset at the isle of Purbeck. He won himself a selection of this award winning ice cream – lucky you! Well done David, enjoy the treats whilst cooling down over this warm weekend... perfect timing really!
Heidi has been at the store for nearly 2 years now, initially working at the Subway and recently transitioning to the store itself. Her work ethic is second to none, always making herself available and going out of her way to help. Heidi's bubbly personality makes her very popular with the staff and customers alike. In the past month Heidi hasn't been very well and yet has come in for every shift and not complained once! Well done Heidi and well deserved!
Summer-time… barbecue’s, strawberries, and ice cream! All we need now is some consistent weather! Fingers crossed this is just on the horizon so hopefully we’ll be enjoying those rays rather than the mix of rain at the moment!
With the sun on it’s way, and it being the height of summer, we’ve managed to get our hands on a selection of Purbecks Award winning Ice Cream. If you haven’t had it before it really is a delight… the honeycomb a particular favourite! Just go to the prize Draw section to see how you can win this scrumptious prize!
With the success of our Marlborough Subway opening we are very, very excited to be opening the Yarnton and Brize Norton Subways at the end of the month. Obviously there will be changes as there has been at the Marlborough store but we are confident we are now in a position to open in safe manner. The key changes will actually be to the queuing system around the store, so apologies in advance for any disruption but it’s important to get this right so we can do what we do best, and carry on serving!
Safety of our staff and customers is our top priority and with lockdown easing it means we are ensuring we're further enhancing our hygiene and safety protocols! As you'll be aware we have stepped up cleaning protocols in the stores and taken various steps to make sure we are being a responsible retailer but we with the further easing we need your help to make sure we are as safe as possible. Please socially distance in the stores as well as wipe your baskets before use. Thank you for your understanding.
As you may be aware the Yarnton store have been involved in the Yarnton and Begbroke help hub since lockdown has begun. This has been highly successful in ensuring vulnerable people in the villages have been able to get their shopping and daily needs. A lot of hard work has gone into this within the village so for the to be recognised by no other than the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire just shows what an amazing job the community have been doing, we are very proud to be supporting this excellent community based project!
At Fraser’s Budgens we are always looking to improve and continue to enhance the offer where we can. One of these enhancements will come in the form of a f'real milkshake machine which we have earmarked for Yarnton, Brize, and Three Mile Cross. These have become more and more popular in recent times and should be a sure winner. We've also been looking at orange juicing machines called Isqueeze for Three Mile Cross, Brize and Yarnton, which should also go really well. These machines won't happen overnight but we are very excited to be getting these into the stores, they will be a welcome addition.
We are very excited to be trialling a new sandwich and food to go supplier at the Yarnton store - Fresh Bite. They do a fantastic range of sandwiches, salads and ready meals which have gone down a storm so far! When they say deep fill they really are filled crust to crust! We'll monitor how they are going over the next 4 weeks and hopefully be able to roll them out in the wider business, but we are very excited to see how they go…. watch this space!
Congratulations to Tim Thornett, a Cannon Pool customer whose wonderful creative design of a new gin bottle was very deserving of the bottle of Cotswold Gin. We may be biased but anything that’s been named ‘Fraser’s’ gin surely has to be the winner! Thank you Tim. Enjoy the Wildflower Gin!
Once again the stores had an influx of entries in last months Facebook competition! Huge thanks for those entering, there were certainly some lucky fathers out there! Well done to those who were lucky enough to grab a lovely selection of Fathers Day gifts…. We cant wait for the next competition!
Josh has worked at Three Mile Cross for 2 years, starting as a sales assistant and now as a relief supervisor. Josh's positive attitude and great work ethic is credit to the store and is really appreciated by his colleagues and customers alike. His reliability has never been questioned, but what has set him apart is his continued help during lockdown which has been so important for the store. Thank you Josh
This month see’s World Gin day on the 13th June, and with so many gins on the market nowadays there really is one for ever occasion!
You would have noticed that all the stores have a good selection of some fine gins. None finer than the wonderful Cotswold Gin (yum!) . They have just brought out a new Wildflower Gin – sounds delicious! Which we have managed to get a bottle of to give away for this months draw!
At the stores we’ve been lucky enough to stay open during this time to keep serving our customers in what has been a very difficult time. We have made many changes to help with the social distancing and to ensure hygiene is paramount for everyone. We have carried out risk assessments at the sites as per government guidelines to keep serving you the best way we can. This means as we progress we will continue to make the necessary changes like barriering off aisles when merchandising a delivery, make changes to queuing systems, continue to limit the amount of customers. Thank you for your continued patience during this time and thanks to the staff for implementing these important changes, our aim is to create a safe environment that everyone feels comfortable in, whilst getting everything they need!
After what seems like an age we have finally opened our first Subway, following updated government advice.
The store seemed strange without Subway so it's great to see it back up and running with the trusted Charlotte at the helm, backed ably by her fantastic team of Sandwich Artists.
We are only open from 10am to 5pm until the demand increases which we hope will be sooner than later, plus you’ll notice we’re working with a reduced menu.
Everything is going well at the moment and the store is well set up for social distancing and has increased hygiene protocols.
We’ll see how it goes and hope to follow with the other two openings soon after!
Exciting news... we now have the opportunity to directly thank the 1.7m individuals employed by the NHS across the UK who have gone above and beyond their duty of care during these unprecedented times. Via BPme we shall be rewarding these individuals with double loyalty points from 8th June. This is as well as the free Coffee at Frasers sites. Please ask in stores more for more details.
Congratulations to those of you who took part and won our BBQ themed competition on Facebook. It’s good to have a bit of fun during this time and even better that National BBQ week actually had some fantastic BBQ’ing weather. Keep an eye out for our Father Day themed one in the coming weeks!
Congratulations to Louise Bumpstead who has certainly been busy during lockdown, creating the Bumpstead School of Learning! We asked what has changed in lockdown and what creative ways you have made the most of it. To be honest there were so many good entries, this was a very difficult one to choose! Though Louise’s approach to home schooling seemed to be excellent… in her own word s ‘My life has changed as I have become a teacher of my own 2 children and that of 9 classes of 11-16 year olds. My family are working together at home doing lots of fun activities like painting, baking, crafting, cycling, bug hunting, gymnastics the list is endless. But we are loving and enjoying the family time and The Bumpstead school of Learning!’ Well done Louise and well deserved!
We know how hard everyone is working during this period, we not only see it first hand but also hear the compliments from customers in store, as well as the very positive feedback we get through Facebook; thank you - what each and every member of staff is doing is not going unnoticed. So when we receive a card as we did at Marlborough, really thanking the staff for all they are doing it does mean a lot. All the stores have received some very gracious comments of thanks but this card sums it up quite nicely. Al these comments are hugely appreciated so thank you so much to everyone who makes our day!
Jake started with the company when he was 13 years old, cleaning the forecourt after school and at weekends, then moving on to work in subway during college months. Over the past couple of months he has become a hugely important member of the team, coming in at the drop of a hat, helping with the increased deliveries to ensure the store has stock on its shelves in what has been an exceptionally busy period! He has been a great help and a key member of the team, fully deserving of this months Employee of the Month! Well done Jake
During these strange times most people’s routines have changed exponentially, our stores have changed, even the weather has finally changed – unfortunately for the worse (unless your garden needed it).
With what has seemed like a summery past few weeks and some bank holidays on the horizon we wanted to give you a chance to get your hands on a summery case of Laithwaites wine!
The show must go on! Yes, corona has taken over the stores and our lives but sometimes things must go on as normal - well as normally as they can! That is why we are very proud to announce that from now on we shall be offering compostable carrier bags to customers. Whilst these may not be quite as exciting as a bag of pasta or flour in the current climate (you know what we mean!) they are a great thing to be able to offer going forward. The bags are strong and reusable but can also be composted so are better for the environment. You’ll see them in stores once we use our current plastic bag stocks. Get yours for 10p with your next shop.
As we continue through these uncertain times you would have seen various changes at the stores, most of which we detailed last month news. We’ll continue to limit the amount of customers in the stores at any one time, as well as enforcing social distancing throughout and restrict purchases on essential items. We’ll also make changes as we see fit to make things safer and run more smoothly as time progresses. You would have noticed some staff wearing visors for their own protection. We have also managed to purchase a bulk load of masks for the staff so you may see some staff wearing visors and/ or masks for theirs store. Changes are happening all the time but please know that these are all for the safety of staff and customers.
We are very proud to have launched a few videos to show what we are doing during this unprecedented period. With the help of a regular at Yarnton we’ve created a few short films which will hopefully show you a little bit about what we are doing at the stores at the moment. They show what we are doing in the community, how things have changed and what an amazing job the staff are doing. Whilst it was filmed at Yarnton (due to his location) it is certainly aimed at all the stores. There are three films and they are available to view on Facebook.
The Yarnton store has been very proud to be a part of the Yarnton and Begbroke help hub team. This is a group of volunteers from the village who are doing their bit by helping to get essential food shops to the vulnerable who are unable to come and get it themselves. The store is really pleased to help provide the products and be a part of this fantastic initiative. It really is an amazing piece of organisation and help. Hats off to everyone involved!
As you'll know Thursday evenings at 8pm are reserved for a round of applause for all NHS staff, carers and key workers (which includes those in Retail - thank you!). Whilst it is tricky to capture all the stores on film due to only having a few staff in but we wanted to show a couple of examples from Three Mile Cross and Yarnton of us joining in. Thank you to all who take part in this important acknowledgement of some very, very worthy people!
This month we had an amazing amount of entries for some very deserving people so choosing a winner was a particularly tricky one. We therefore chose a selection of worthy winners and picked one at random! Congratulations to Colin Rhodes in Yarnton, who was nominated by Mary Clarke Mary said... he has been working non stop over the past couple of weeks to get the Yarnton and Begbroke Help Hub up and running. His organisational skills are phenomenal and he has got over 60 volunteers registered and help getting to so many isolated and vulnerable people in the village. He will say it's a team effort but the team would not exist without him! He is such an asset to the village and such a lovely man and has done it all with kindness and humour. Thank you from all of us Colin. Thank you Colin, well deserved!
In what is a very, very difficult month to separate some amazing work through the business, this months choice has really stood out and gone above and beyond! Particularly with his work on home deliveries for the store. Bradley Rooney has worked for the company since January 2018, starting as a weekend cashier, then progressing to be a weekend Supervisor. He always goes above his role and will take his hand to anything and help anyone. Since the lockdown he has pushed the home deliveries, sharing it on Facebook & with customers, he has then done most of the deliveries himself, delivering the groceries and a happy smile to those in the community. Even coming in to do them on his day off... plus, having customers leaving notes on the door thanking him. He is a credit to the company. Well done Brad - well deserved!
During these difficult times everyone needs to give themselves a treat here and there, whether that be ordering your favourite takeaway, buying some new running shoes (which everyone seems to be doing!) or tucking into your favourite chocolate bar! At Fraser’s Retail we’ve managed to get our hands on a fantastic selection of super-premium Willie Cacao Chocolates; a proper treat! We want to give it away to someone really deserving, someone who is an unsung hero this month. Let us know at the prize draw section
We’ve had to make some changes in the stores to ensure the safety of our colleagues and for customers as well. Whilst we know it isn’t ideal we hope you understand the reasons why, we want to continue to serve you and ensure that the stores are as safe an environment as they can be. So far we have changed the following ….
We are very proud to be part of the BP network who are providing support to police, fire, emergency NHS ambulances, NHS trust non-emergency vehicles during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Our UK retail sites have a role to play in our response. With effect from 21st March 2020 we have been offering the UK emergency services – police, fire, emergency NHS ambulances and NHS trust non-emergency vehicles – free fuel via their existing fuel card arrangements for their fleet vehicles. This will support the unprecedented stretch their services may face in the coming days and weeks. This is a very welcome gesture and one we are pleased to be a part of
With everything that’s going on at the moment we wanted to publically say that we are thinking of our staff who are feeling unwell or unable to come into work during to the current climate. We know how difficult it can be and want to ensure you that you are missed by your colleagues and customers alike!
With things are they are right now some people are doing there upmost to help in what is a very, very difficult time. The NHS and any Emergency workers are going out of their way on a daily basis to help those in need, often putting themselves at risk. At Fraser’s Budgens we wanted to give a small gesture to say thank you and offer any NHS or emergency worker with appropriate ID a free Costa coffee, just pop in and show your ID. Thanks for all you’re doing! This is only available at Frasers Budgens for a limited time and you must show the correct ID
Congratulations to Stuart Birch who was the lucky winner of the Red Bull F1 merchandise. He correctly told us that Lewis Hamilton was the British six time F1 Championship winner. Usually we’d ask Stuart to come along and pick up his prize but due to the present circumstances we’re holding off until a safer time for him to collect! Well done Stuart, and stay safe.
This month it would be impossible to pick out one employee of the month; everyone in the business has been working flat out to keep our stores stocked (the best they can) and customers served. We are so thankful and proud of the part our employees are playing in helping the local communities. That is why we have decided to award Employee of The Month to everyone who works for Frasers Retail, what you are doing is amazing and much appreciated, not only by the management but by customers alike! Thank you everyone!
In celebration of the start of the Formula 1 we’ve managed to get our hands on a load of F1 goodies from Red Bull! Formula 1 is the fastest show on earth and as it kicks off in Melbourne later in the month we thought we’d team up with our friends at Red Bull to offer you a chance to get some quality F1 merchandise. Just go to the prize draw section to find out how
As you may remember we raised a fantastic £1295.35 for the Sue Ryder through the bag tax last year. On one freezing cold morning Louise (from Three Mile Cross) visited the hospice to hand over the cheque to this very grateful and important charity. The work they do is so vital to many people and the care given to those in need is nothing short of amazing. We are very appreciative to be associated with this organisation and will continue to support them where we can.
Keep an eye out for the new shiny polymer note in circulation from the end of February. This brings it into line with the £5 and £10 polymer notes. Like the £20 currently the note obviously has the Queens head on it and is still a purple colour but on the back it features the artist JMW Turner. There are various new security features on them so look out for these. At the moment we don’t know a date for the paper note to taken out of circulation but we have been told that it’ll be a 6 month deadline when they announce it.
February saw us getting behind Pancake Day and Valentines with our ever popular share and like competitions on Facebook. Thank you to everyone who entered, with the lucky winners receiving a selection of treats for their Valentines or Pancake Days… keep an eye out for the next one on Mother Day!
As we tick off the ‘mini events’ and get Valentines, Pancake Day and Mothers day out of the way we are paving the way for the big one! Easter is just around the corner and as we move closer the eggs will start to fill the store so make the most of them and stock up! We’ll have a great selection through all the stores, big, small, premium, its up to you! And don’t forget the selection of impulse Easter eggs like the wonderful Reese’s and Hershey’s Cookie and Cream… yum yum!
Well done to Tim Giles who’s the lucky winner of the beautiful bouquet of flowers from Cotswold Flower Barn. His ‘romantic’ story had a certain charm to it and was definitely a worthy winner…. Well,it was on holiday, my wife and I joined in the resorts gameshow 'How well do you know your partner?' Well you can guess after then after 30 yrs of marriage I still got all 3 questions wrong, also saying that "Bat out of Hell" by Meatloaf was her favourite song out of all the other choices of romantic songs!’ Very good Tim, hope she enjoys the flowers!
Julie joined the Yarnton team back in October 2017 when the store had it's refit and has become an ever present and hugely liked member of the team. She is a constant presence of calm in what can be an extremely busy store, seamlessly flipping between the Post Office and serving store customers when available. She is punctual, always serves with a smile and will go out of her way on a daily basis.
In the past month Julie has really helped out and even came in on her days off to cover an unwell member of the team, all without access to a car! Now, that is commitment! Thank you Julie, much appreciated and well deserved!
Hot on the heels of our fantastic Valentines and Pancake Day share & likes on FaceBook we’re very pleased to be following them up with a Mothers Day share and like. As always these are individual for each store so pop on your store’s FaceBook page to be in with a chance of winning some Mother Day themed goodies later in the month.
Love is in the air! Love it or loath it Valentines is on the horizon. In the spirit of St Valentines our prize draw this month has a romantic feel about it. So if you’d like to be in with a chance of winning a beautiful bouquet from Cotswold flower barn just go to the prize draw section to find out how
As the 'Less Waste' area starts to grow at Three Mile Cross, it was given a very timely boost by a local plastic free campaigner, writing a article on a local Wokingham website about the Less waste at Three Mile Cross. This is obviously a really good bit of publicity for the store and worked really well alongside the 50% off promotion in January. The promotion will move to a permanent 20% off for Platinum members, just for showing your card. Come and make the most of this great offer!
As veganism really takes its place in the mainstream we are very proud to be extending our ranges through all of the stores. Whilst all the stores have had a decent selection of ready meals and food to go but we’ve recently launched our vegan range for hot food in the stores, and we’re very happy to report that the Vegan sausage roll and Moroccan bean bake are absolutely scrumptious!
Last month we were very proud to hand over last years bag ‘tax’ money to Sobell House Hospice. This totalled £2,491.30 from the donations at Yarnton, Cannon Pool and Brize Norton during 2019 which is an amazing amount. This combined with the collecting tins and other events at the stores has meant over the past 8 years stores have raised over £20,000!!!! Thank you to everyone who has contributed over this time, your change makes a real difference
In the run up to Chinese New Year we gave customers a chance to win a selection of Chinese styled products to help celebrate the year of the rat! All customers had to do was go on Facebook and like and share the page… congratulations to all 5 winners! Keep your eyes peeled for more ‘seasonal’ competitions coming up!
After the success of our share and like Chinese New Year and 12 prizes of Christmas, Fraser's Budgens will be running like and share (the love) for Valentines. Once again, this will be one prize per store so pop onto Facebook and share the love!
Michele has worked at Cannon Pool for 2 years and in her time has shown she is punctual, reliable and a great worker. She has a fantastic relationship with colleagues and customers alike, always going out of here way to ensure the best possible service. In the past month she has really come to the fore and helped out on various shifts, saving the store from being short staffed. Thank you Michele, it is much appreciated. A very well deserved employee of the month - well done!
Congratulations to Teresa Scott who was the lucky winner of our Dry January hamper of Shloer> we asked what people’s new years resolutions were or what they wanted achieve this year and to be honest, could not look past Teresa’s heart warming story… I am helping my 14 year old son fundraiser £4500 for a World Challenge expedition to Madagascar. We are getting fit, losing stones and in September aim to climb Mount Snowden. We are holding a fundraising event in February and would use this as a raffle prize in our draw. Let us know how it goes and best of luck!
New Year, new you? New Year always starts with the best of intentions and January is about keeping fit, eating healthily and maybe doing dry January!
If you are doing dry January, or actually just like a quality, tasty drink then this months prize draw will suit you down to the ground. Win a lovely selection of Shloer, dry January’s drink of choice!
As you will be aware we collect for our respective charities through the 'plastic bag tax'. We've run the numbers the year and are really pleased to say we raised a fantastic £4042.35 for good causes in 2019. The amount of plastic bags used keep dropping too, which is great to see as we look to eradicate them from store in 2020. During the coming year we shall bags as we look to find alternatives to plastic so watch this space. That won’t impact what we do with our respective charities as we’ll find other ways to contribute
If you haven’t used our ‘Less Waste’ area at Three Mile Cross then you are really missing out… however as a Platinum member you can now get 50% off any of the lines by showing you r platinum Card. There’s a fantastic range of loose product so come along and make the most of your platinum card, whether it be nuts, pulses, grains, beans, cereals and more, we’ll have something that suits everyone. You can bring along your own container, purchase one from us or just use a brown paper bag.
Between Christmas and New Year Frasers Retail took the opportunity to give back the community. The stores all had a relative amount of vegetables left after the Christmas excesses so donated a huge amount of potatoes, carrots, sprouts and more to various different community centres including a Soup Kitchen. We were more than happy to help during what can be a very difficult time of the year for some.
This month saw a very successful Facebook campaign with the 12 prize of Christmas at each store. The 12 prizes of Christmas saw Frasers Retail give out a massive 60 gifts on the lead up to the big day and was a huge hit on Facebook. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this success and a special mention to Laura from Yarnton who managed to showcase her 12 outfits of Christmas at the same time!!! The picture is a selection of our favourites ;-)
Once again Fraser's Retail were very proud to take part in the annual Christmas Jumper day on Friday 13th December (not that the staff need much of an excuse to dress up!). Whilst it may be an unlucky day for some, it certainly wasn’t at the stores with pretty much everyone donning their festive knitwear. All a bit of fun, but also a great chance to raise for Save the Children.
During December we held our super sized Santa raffles at Yarnton and Marlborough. In fact at Marlborough there was a whole host of prizes up for grabs! We were really pleased to have raised over £100 for the stores respective charities, Sobell House at Yarnton and Wiltshire Search & Rescue. A huge thank you for everyone who got involved, your donations mean a lot.
Congratulations to Hannah Waterhouse who was the lucky winner of the Cadbury's Christmas Chocolates! Hannah certainly knows her 80’s Christmas hits by correctly telling us the next line in Whams Last Christmas. We hope you enjoyed the chocolate!
Sandi has worked for Frasers Retail for over 6 years, initially co-managing our Marlborough site. When the opportunity to work at Three Mile Cross came up Sandi put her hat in the ring and actually helped run the original store for 4 months.
Well, here we are! Christmas has landed! It does seem like it’s being building up since about August and finally it all come down to one day… and what a day it is, a day to really indulge and treat yourself.
We think our prize draw this month is a pretty good festive treat – what is a more festive treat than a selection of Christmas Cadbury?
At Frasers Budgens we want to try and serve you as long as we can, although as it’s Christmas some of our opening times will change (see below for more detail). We are very pleased to tell you that both Yarnton and Three Mile Cross will both be open for a few hours on Christmas day for those last minute batteries, extra prosecco or the forgotten Cranberry sauce….
As we become more environmentally conscious and our need to act is becoming stronger we felt that as a business we should do our bit. This will come in many forms over the next 12 months but initially we are very proud to be opening our first ‘less waste’ area at Three Mile Cross Either bring in your own container, buy one from us or use a paper bag to fill with your desired product. Print off the price label on the scales and pay for it at the till. Simple really! We have a complete range of products available and will always take suggestions and feedback. We know this is just a small step to helping reduce plastic but we think it’s an important one. Come and have a peek and try some of the wonderful lines in the store...
As you may know, we like to have a bit of fun at the stores and as it’s Christmas we thought we’d use Facebook to make the most of it! So, throughout December each store is giving away 12 prizes up until Christmas Eve… all you have to do is pop onto Facebook and share and like our post….. that simple! Best of luck!
Last month we had just started the new pumps, well, we've now finished... and what a difference it's made! We officially completed them on Friday 8th November and are very pleased to report that they not only look great, are quicker and much more efficient, but are pumping more volume! Obviously it helps that we're now doing Ultimate Diesel so all pumps do all 4 grades. There was actually very little disruption during the changeover but thank you to everyone who helped, or for your patience during this time!
Date for the diary - Friday 13th December. You too can sport some festive knitwear as modelled by Zoe, Charlotte and Jordan at Marlborough last year - looking far too chic and classy for Christmas Jumpers we reckon ;-) Whilst it is a bit of fun and a chance to wear something different it's also a really good way of raising money for Save the Children, a very important charity, so dust down those jumpers and join us in the official Christmas Jumper day!
Come into Yarnton, Three Mile Cross or Marlborough to take part in our annual Christmas Raffle! Yarnton will be raising funds for Sobell House, Marlborough for Save the Children and Three Mile Cross for Lambs Lane Primary School. You could win a 1kg Lindt Santa worth and amazing £45, pop into one of the stores and get your tickets to help raise for these important causes. If you get yours from Yarnton you may even be lucky enough to buy yours from Ellie, who is showcasing the raffle in the picture!!!
A huge congratulations to Ian Beer who was the lucky winner of our prize draw for November, getting himself a lovely magnum of Rex Mundi Wine – perfect for Christmas Day! He correctly told us that St Nicholas would have had a bottle of wine from Elmali in Turkey in his early years… not Lapland like many answers came back as ;-) Well done Ian, and cheers!
Fraser's Retail just love Children in Need, and dressing up!! This year was no exception, raising a fantastic £1127.57! That is seriously good... thank you to everyone who got involved, whether it be donating, buying a duck race ticket, dressing in 80's clothing, going spotty or wearing Pudsey; everything you did made a difference. Not only with the amazing amount raised but also created a fun atmosphere in the stores, it really does make a difference. Thank you!
Sam has been a very familiar face around the Lower Earley and Three Mile Cross stores for a number of years. She finally joined the business back in October 2018 starting with one shift a week, she has now increased to two shifts, whilst helping out with any other shifts needed. Though her help during November in particular was invaluable, going out of her way to assist while staff members are on holiday or sick, almost becoming a full time member of staff during this period! Above that her enthusiasm for Children in Need was infectious, helping to raise nearly £400. Thank you Sam - well deserved!
With Halloween past, there is the serious business of Christmas to be thinking about. Christmas does seem to be getting earlier and earlier each year, but we think November is about right for enjoying some festivities!
To get you in the Christmas mood we’re offering you a chance of winning a magnum of Rex Mundi from Laithwaites, this is a stunning wine and perfect on the run up to Christmas.
Back in February 2009 we had our very first Subway installed, at Brize Norton . In the 10 years it been open it has become our busiest Subway and at it's peak it had the highest turnover per sq foot in the UK and the highest footlong to 6 inch sales %. Whilst it is still up there it's not quite no. 1 anymore. That said, it is was time for a refresh. Step forward Fresh Forward... October saw the Subway close for a refit and reopen on Saturday 12th October. It's been a massive hit, and whilst there were a few teething issues we are confident it will make a huge difference going forward.
Christmas starts now! Love it or loathe it you really have to start thinking about it… and it’s pretty hard to avoid in the shops anyway! If you are getting prepared nice and early then pop into either Yarnton, Cannon Pool or Brize Norton to order your perfect Christmas lunch! There’s nothing quite like be organised and knowing that your Christmas lunch is safely secured and you won’t have to remember to do a thing until the big occasion.
The Yarnton store was very pleased to help with the local pre-school over Halloween. We provided a couple of pumpkins for the kids to have a play about with. This meant they were able to extend their learning of Halloween and celebrating in a variety of ways. The children also cooked it for them to taste as well as explore the texture of the inside as well as the outside. Certainly something we are really pleased to help on, let’s help grow those brains!
You may remember that last month we set up a raffle for Lambs Lane School (the local primary school to Three Mile Cross), where entrants could win a variety of different prizes including a tank of fuel, a signed Reading shirt, a selection of ales, amongst other great prizes. We are very pleased to share with you that the store raised a fantastic £329.89. This money will go towards the schools new playground which should be starting soon! Well done all and thank you.
If you’d been into the stores on Halloween you may have noticed a few ghouls, ghosts, vampires and witches serving you! As always Frasers Retails stores took the opportunity to have some fun on Halloween and get into the ‘spirit’. Hopefully you enjoyed the dressing up, we certainly did! Next stop Children in need….
You may have already noticed but each store had a mini Halloween pumpkin competition where we asked customers to simply tag and share to be in with a chance of winning a pumpkin and carving set, and what a response we had! Massive thanks to everyone who made an effort and joined in this bit of fun… keep an eye of Facebook for more competitions on the run up to Christmas!
After 33 years (when the site opened!) of the old fuel pumps we have put in brand spanking new ones! The old ones obviously did their time and have served us very well but we are very excited to be bringing the next generation of pumps to the forecourt. These will be faster, sleeker and will have all 4 grades on each pump (the site has not sold Ultimate Diesel before) so they really are an upgrade and should make a huge difference to the store! Whilst there is a small amount of disruption on the forecourt we expect them to be finished by 8th November!
Congratulations to Mary Thornett who’s Halloween themed short story certainly put a chill down our spine…
It was a cold wet dreary night, out walking with my dog, and children, to get to the main road we walked up a long dark lane, trees overhanging and wet, covered in slimy cobwebs, which leads to the church where we also have to pass through, we entered the church yard, where my children ran off, suddenly, there was a scream from afar, I ran as my children had disappeared!!
Laura has been with Fraser's Retail over 10 years, starting as a part time employee in the shop. She moved over to Subway many years ago and took over managing it around 18 months ago. She embraces the companies philosophy and always goes the extra mile. Particularly this month where she has certainly put in a lot of extra hours getting Brize ready for their refit as well as helping out with cover at Yarnton.
She epitomises what team work is all about. Well done and thank you Laura!
Every year we like to have a bit of fun in the stores with the staff dressing up in their favourite Halloween costume and maybe scaring a few customers in the process!
Now it’s your turn to have a bit of fun and scare us in the process… we’re looking for the best Halloween short scary story. Think under 100 words and get that creative (witches) hat on – we know we did it last year but we couldn’t help ourselves. So, get thinking and get typing. Most creative and most fun wins!
As you will be aware we collect for our respective charities through the 'plastic bag tax'. We've run the numbers for the last three months (July - Sept) and are pleased to say we have raised a fantastic £3090.10 for good causes so far this year. The amounts keep dropping too, which is great to see.
It may be early but it’s probably about time to start thinking about that Christmas lunch… we know Halloween hasn’t been quite yet! Though, there’s nothing quite like be organised and knowing that your Christmas lunch is safely secured and you won’t have to remember to do a thing until the big occasion. At Yarnton, Cannon Pool and Brize we’ll be using Bourton Road Butchers again so keep an eye out in store and on Facebook for when you can order them. Just a side – one of the Frasers had the turkey crown last year and can safely say it was the most succulent and tasty Turkey the family had had at Christmas lunch… ever! High praise indeed! You could also win a case of Laithwaites….
Ever been stuck on where to get your Amazon parcel delivered to when you’re not home? Well, now we can help! At Three Mile Cross, Cannon Pool and Marlborough we have installed the Amazon lockers (or at least they are being installed soon) so when you order your Amazon product then just choose one of our locations on the drop down, and then look out for the big yellow lockers at the sites. Easy peasy!
As the kids went back to school Marlborough decided to mark this occasion with a back to school fundraising day! All deciding to dress up in their old school clothes to help raise for St Mary's School - the stores chosen charity. They raised a very respectable £50.89 which goes towards various school projects! Well done all!
As you'll probably be aware we were very proud to be associated with the Swallowfield 10K, just up the road from Three Mile Cross. Whilst we unfortunately couldn't raise a team to do the race we we very pleased to be providing the water for such a great local event! It was quite a warm race day so water would have been much needed. Thanks to Sam for helping with it!
On Friday 13th (unlucky for some!) Three Mile Cross held it's annual Bowls evening at the local Bowls club - who we also sponsor! We were blessed with the weather, and also some very patient tutors. A great evening was had by all with 34 from Fraser's Retail attending (Photo of Sandra, expertly showing how it's done!). Congratulations to the winners on the evening.... Already looking forward to the next one!
If you’ve been into Three Mile Cross of late you would have noticed the new Gelato machine. This is called FWIP and has been very popular since installation! That may be because it not only tastes absolutely fantastic (winning various Taste awards) but it’s also low in Calories (the sorbet is only 79 calories per portion!). So if you haven’t tried it yet then come and give it a go… hurry though as it’s only on a trial at the moment!
If you were in our stores on Tuesday 1st October the chances are you had a free Costa coffee…. Well, suffice to say the stores were BUSY! To put this into context we thought we’d share some of the volumes with you… on a normal day we can expect to vend between 650-700 cups between the 5 sites. On Free Coffee day we did a combined 3,422 cups!!!! That is obviously an impressive uplift. Hope you enjoyed the free coffee ;)
Keli has worked at the store for 4 years now and has become a very popular and important member of the team in that time. She has an infectious laugh, a great sense of humour and great rapport with customers, ensuring she has become a well known staff member, helping to brighten up everybody's day!
Over the last month Keli has gone above and beyond... she has stepped in when needed, covered various shifts, and all of this whilst still keeping her sense of humour and smile! Thank you Keli, it's been a pleasure!
Congratulations to Melissa Jones who gave us a pretty compelling and fluffy comfort zone… so wins the selection of Cadburys Chocolate! Her ‘comfort zone is getting home on a dark autumn evening and smelling log fire smoke in the air- then I get my PJs on and curl up with a mug of hot chocolate and a book on the sofa and eat chocolate buttons - waiting while each button dissolves slowly in my mouth - bliss!’ Well we think you’ll be pretty pleased with the sections!! Enjoy Melissa!
Back to school, back to normality… back to the everyday. Relief for most! We love getting back to familiarity. People are back to work, the school run gets into full flow; it puts us back into our comfort zone. There’s nothing quite like the relaxing feel of the comfort zone. That’s why our prize draw has that comforting feel about it. What’s more familiar than a good Cadburys Chocolate bar? How about a selection of different Cadburys bars…. go to the prize draw section to find out how to win!
We are very proud to be continuing our partnership with Lambs Lane Primary school near Three Mile Cross with a raffle at the store in aid of their new playground. As you may have noticed, we have started to work more with this wonderful local primary school and are very excited to be able to help with such an important project.
Jean has worked for Fraser's Retail Ltd for almost 30 years, completing this major milestone on 11th September 2019. She works in our Head Office accounts team based in Didcot and always works with great diligence and accuracy. The Accounts Team are a very important back bone to our business and are fundamental to the stores successes. For most of the time whilst in the office you wouldn’t even know Jean was at work as she just puts her head down and gets on with it, not allowing for distractions but is always up for a good chuckle.
The Brize Norton store is very proud to be supporting the Marie Curie & Royal British Legion Bingo nights in September & November. This year we've put together a hamper of goodies to be raffled off. The store has supported this important event for the last few years and are really pleased to once again be associated with the important charity. Marie Curie supports those with terminal needs at the end of their life and really relies on donations like this to continue providing this necessary care.
Time is nearing for the Swallowfield 10k.... if you are interested in taking part registration is still open for the Swallowfield 10k, 3k and Duathlon! This fun (and serious) run takes place on 15th September. We'll be providing the water for this local event near Three Mile Cross.... as well as entering a team!!! If you are interested please go to www.swallowfield10plus3.com/
Congratulations to John Standen for winning Augusts platinum prize draw. He managed to get his hands on a great selection of beers and ciders! We just wanted to hear where you like to enjoy and beer with friends and why, and John’s simple and relaxing way to enjoy his beer with friends was a winner for us…. ‘Just relaxing and having friendly banter in the garden with a great BBQ is while drinking a cold beer or cider is blissfully satisfying’ Well done John! Enjoy…
As you may know, we are not ones for standing still.... and whilst Yarnton is a very successful store and we are making some changes to the store during September - date to be confirmed. This will see the movement of the flowers nearer the door and we'll utilise this space for a new promotional end. Whilst the magazines will move onto a spinner (fancy!), creating more fixture space in the store. Good changes we reckon! Disruption should be minimal....
Charlotte has been with the company nearly 5 years, in that time she has gone from a sandwich artist to supervisor and most recently taken on the role of manager.
She has always showed herself to be hard working, and will have a go at anything, even going out of her way by opening the Budgen’s store herself when others couldn’t get into work in the snow! Charlotte always has a solution when people need it, is a great motivator, a team player and all round great asset to the company.
As the Summer continues and we bask in beautiful sunshine, we think there’s nothing quite like cracking open a cold beer or cider with friends.
If you agree then this month’s prize draw will be right up your street as we’ve teamed up with Molson Coors to give you a chance of winning a fantastic selection of beers and ciders. Just go to the prize draw section to find out how you can win this wonderful hamper
We are very proud to announce that Three Mile Cross will be sponsoring the Three Mile Cross Bowls Club once again. For those of you who don't know, this will be our 4th year sponsoring it, since we opened the doors at the store. We feel very lucky to be associated with such a wonderful local club, and look forward to our annual game towards the end of the summer!
Registration is still open for the Swallowfield 10k, 3k and Duathlon! This fun (and serious) run takes place on 15th September so a couple of months away now! Fraser's Budgens will be providing the water for this local event near Three Mile Cross.... as well as entering a team!!! If you are interested in taking part please go to www.swallowfield10plus3.com/ to enter
As you’ll be aware, BP have launched a brand new loyalty card which is turning out to be a huge success (if you haven’t got yours yet you’re missing out!) We are very proud to share with you that Marlborough were the regional winners of a BPme incentive for sign ups! Well done all - great start!
Tina started in November 2017 as the Post Office manager. Since then she has become an extremely valuable member of the team in the shop as well as the Post Office, taking on extra duties including the ordering of a couple of departments. Tina is not one for sitting still and is always working stock and helping out in the shop on her days off, particularly in the past month as she has provided extra support in the store, with members on holiday and off sick, whilst managing the Post Office as usual. Thank you Tina, your support towards the team is much appreciated!
Congratulations to Alison Holder who correctly told us that Mungo Jerry sang the summertime hit, ‘In the Summertime’... enjoy the Shloer! Perfect for the Summer!
Don’t say it too loudly but summer may have arrived and we are getting ready for it at Fraser’s Budgens, starting with this months summery prize draw hamper!
Get a lovely hamper of Shloer to compliment your BBQ party or just to enjoy in the Sun! Shloer really is summer in a bottle, with a whole host of fantastic flavours. Just go to the prize draw section to be in with a chance of winning this great prize
As you'll be aware Fraser's Retail were nominated as Grocer Gold Independent Retail Chain of the Year. The awards took place on 11th June at the prestigious London Guild Hall. We don't think we really appreciated the enormity of this event with some of the industries top players being involved, including Waitrose and Tesco's who took home some of the big awards. Whilst we lost out to COOK frozen foods (who we sell) to even be shortlisted was a feat in itself and will spur us on for next year. A huge thank you to everyone - without you we wouldn't have been there!
Three Mile Cross has recently started to work with the local primary school, Lambs Lane. Initially approached to help with the school fair, this led to helping the Year 6's see what the daily workings at the store were and us hosting them for a few hours each day one week.
If you haven’t yet signed up then what are you waiting for? BPme Rewards is BP’s brand new loyalty scheme which you can join today. It’ll run alongside the Platinum club helping you earn those little treats more often. You’ll get points for purchases in the store and fuel so make the most of the fantastic loyalty offer.
Once you've earned your points, you can redeem them in-store on fuel or shop purchases. Or you can save up, and redeem them on our rewards catalogue at www.bpmerewards.co.uk, or trade them in for vouchers from our great partners, such as Amazon.co.uk and Marks & Spencer. Nice!
As you will be aware we collect for our respective charities through the 'plastic bag tax'. We've run the numbers for the last three months (April - June, so far) and are pleased to say we have raised a fantastic £2005.60 for good causes so far this year. This amount is actually down on the same time vs last year, which means that people are starting to less use plastic.... finally!
You may remember last month that Charlotte was promoted to store manager… well, following this we are pleased to show huge congratulations to the team who came top in a recent regional Subway Incentive. This competition was run over 6 weeks to see which store could get the most TELL SUBWAY surveys completed with the target being 3 per store per day. Essentially gaining customer feedback so we can improve our service. Well done team Marlborough - hats off!
Congratulations to Julie Phipps who was the lucky winner of the bottle of Pinkster Gin! Her new craft gin infusion may be an acquired taste and not for all but we think Pink Peppercorns would be a great addition to a pretty busy market – plus it keeps with the pink theme! Thank you for your answer Julie, and enjoy!
Ilona joined the team as a Sandwich Artist back in October last year and has become an integral part of the Brize Norton Subway machine. Her customer service and work ethic really stands out on a daily basis and has shone through with various customer compliments over the last few months.
The Summer solstice is just around the corner, which means Summer is officially here and longer evenings are upon us. Now, we like nothing better than sitting back in the sun and having a perfect G&T, hopefully you do too….
We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on a lovely bottle of Pinkster Craft Gin. This raspberry based pink Gin is a real treat and actually the pink pioneer of pink gin – which are all the rage now! It uses real raspberries to give it its refreshing twist.Go to the Prize Draw section to see how you could win one!
BPme Rewards is BP’s brand new loyalty scheme which you can join today. It’ll run alongside the Platinum club helping you earn those little treats more often. Once you've picked up your BPme Rewards Card, or signed up via the BPme app, you'll be able to earn points on qualifying BP transactions, either when you buy things in-store, or when you purchase fuel. You can even earn points on your BPme transactions.
Once you've earned your points, you can redeem them in-store on fuel or shop purchases. Or you can save up, and redeem them on our rewards catalogue at www.bpmerewards.co.uk, or trade them in for vouchers from our great partners, such as Amazon.co.uk and Marks & Spencer. Nice!
Once again Yarnton were proud to be involved with the Sobell House annual golf day, proudly donating a hamper for one lucky person (as shown alongside Laura from Yarnton here). Last year the Fraser’s Retail team won the day so had a lot riding on them this time… unfortunately this year it wasn’t to be, but fun was had by all! More importantly though, the day raised just over £19,000, which is well up on last year. Well done all!
The Grocer Gold Awards are getting closer.... 11th June..... nervous times! As a reminder we have been shortlisted for (deep breath) The Grocer Gold Awards 2019 Independent Chain of the year! This really is a big award and is one for the whole company so thank you to staff and customers alike; without you we wouldn't be in for such a prestigious award. Whilst it is going to be a tough one to win, just being shortlisted is an achievement in itself! Well done all.... we'll keep you posted!
Mad as it may sound and hot off the heels of the Swallowfield 10K Frasers Retail are putting together a team for the Oxford Half Marathon in support of Sobell House on October 13th! This obviously may not be everyone's cup of tea but if anyone is a budding runner and wants to help raise much needed funds for this important charity then please go to
Huge congratulations to Charlotte at Marlborough who has stepped up to become manager at the Subway. She has worked for us for 5 years and in that time has shown great commitment and ability as a supervisor. We are super-proud to be internally promoting another member of staff!
Ben joined the store back in 2016 when we opened our doors. He started as a cashier and merchandiser. He always gives 100% and has shown his passion from day one. Ben's care and total diligence in his daily duties really shine through and has helped him to become a very popular member of the team. This hunger to help and commitment to the store meant he was the perfect candidate to take over the chilled department.... in this role he has really excelled and seen it grow and grow. Well done Ben!
Congratulations to Fiona Manicom who was the lucky winner of the case of Laithwaites last month, celebrating the new 10% promotion in style. Her named wine was perfect; both simple and elegant with a charming reason why. She called it ‘This Little Life of Vine’… and the reason behind this lovely bottle is that ‘it would cheer people up as they sat back to sip a lovely glass of their own’ Congratulations Fiona, and cheers!
We are pretty pleased with our new card offer, giving members 10% off any Laithwaites wine; just go to the wine club pages to find out more. In celebration of this we want to give you a chance to stock up on some of these fantastic fine wines and have managed to get a case of Laithwaites for one lucky winner!
Exciting news… you can now get 10% off Laithwaites wines just for showing your card! This is replacing the Wine of the Month and will give you a wider choice of discounted quality wines from our trusted finer wines supplier Laithwaites. All you need to do is choose your wine (Laithwaites only) and show your Platinum card at the till; another benefit of being a Platinum member! Have a browse of the available wines in our wine club section
Quite a mouthful, we agree, but this really is quite the accolade and being shortlisted alone is pretty impressive. Bizarrely we are going head to head with COOK frozen food, so you can see the company we are in with! This is an award for the group so massive thanks must go to all the staff and customers as the company wouldn’t be in this position without your support! The awards are on 11th June so fingers crossed....
Every year Yarnton holds an Easter raffle for Sobell House. The prize this year was a fantastic hamper won by regular customer, Mrs Cranston. The store raised a fantastic £137 for this important charity. Thank you to everyone who took part; your change really does make a difference!
We are very proud to be the shirt sponsor of the inaugural Cannon Pool darts team! Ginette, Corrina, Tracey and Carrie got together at the beginning of the season and asked if we would sponsor their shirts! They came 5th in their first season, which is pretty impressive considering they hadn't played together before! Well done team Fraser's Retail (real name - Windrush Club Team B - doesn't have the same ring to it....)
Sue has worked for the Yarnton store since 2015 and during that time has done various different roles at the store. Whilst she has left the store to spend time in Australia during the winter months she has always made herself available when around - this flexibility has really come to the fore in the last month as Sue has literately saved our bacon in the Bakery (excuse the pun).
Huge congratulations to Sarah Curry who was the lucky winner of the Brewery tour at West Berkshire Brewery. She correctly told us the ingredients for a proper beer were Water, grains, hops and yeast. Well done and thank you for entering! Enjoy the tour, it really is an amazing place… pretty jealous here at Fraser’s HQ!
Frasers Retail were very proud to be a part of the 97th Celebrations of RAF II Squadron Parachute, sponsoring the evening which included a Boxing tournament. Thank you to the RAF for allowing us to be part of this historic occasion and we look forward to the next one! Congratulations to everyone who took part, and particularly to the winner!
Anyone who’s drunk a West Berks beer will know just how good it is (Good ol’ Boy a fave), anyone who’s been to the Brewery will know what an impressive outfit it is. It has had huge investment in the past 18 months and can now boast one of the best brewery facilities in Southern England, including a fantastic bar and kitchen. Fancy winning a tour?
Yarnton coffee drinkers listen up, we’ve finally managed to get the coffee machines at Yarnton replaced! These are all singing, all dancing piece machines that don't try and over-complicate things like the old ones did! It has a bar code system so has a much larger menu of drinks and has the look and feel of the old, old one - except the upgraded 'best foam' system, ensuring they deliver a ‘proper’ flat white! We think you’ll just love them – just remember to take the barcoded receipt up with you….!
As you will be aware we collect for our respective charities through the 'plastic bag tax'. we've run the numbers for the last three months and are please to say we raised a fantastic £966.30 for good causes so far this year. This amount is actually down on the same time vs last year. Thank you to everyone who has helped bring this down, whilst giving to important causes at the same time
As you may be aware, every year Yarnton holds an Easter raffle in aid of Sobell House, the stores chosen charity. Whilst we haven’t managed to secure a 1KG chocolate bunny we think the lovely Easter hamper more than makes up for it. Just go into store to buy your raffle ticket and be in with a chance of winning this wonderful prize, and you’ll, of course, be helping make a difference to terminally I’ll people in need in Oxfordshire.
Registration is now open for the Swallowfield 10k, 3k and Duathlon! This fun (and serious) run takes place on 15th September so a good few Frasers Budgens will be providing the water for this local event near Three Mile Cross.... as well as entering a team!!! If you are interested in taking place please go to www.swallowfield10plus3.com/. Six months or so to train... who's in?
On March 15th the stores all did their bit for Comic Relief, whether it be dressing up in red, their pyjamas, selling cupcakes or having a competition in store! We are very pleased to tell you that between the stores we raised a magnificent £790.58. Special mention must go to Three Mile Cross who made an impressive £428 alone.... mighty stuff!
Congratulations to Suzanne steer who was the lucky winner of the Spring hamper! She correctly told us that Old Mother Hubbard’s cupboard was in fact bare! Enjoy!
Amanda started at the store in 2006 as a part time cashier and has come a long way since. She has proved what she can do when she sets her mind to it, becoming increasingly reliable over the years and taking on many different tasks from magazines, ordering, banking, supervising, amongst other duties. She is always there when needed and goes the extra mile, as proved since moving to Budgens, and in particular the last month, with two key members of staff on holiday in the same week. Thanks Amanda, well deserved!
With Mothering Sunday right at the back end of the month we wanted to show our caring side by giving you the chance to win a fantastic looking spring-time hamper from our friends at Holleys.
The Directors and Management are very, very proud to share with you all that Trish Parrot at Cannon Pool has made it to 30 years working for Fraser's Retail!
For those of you who don't know, Trish co-manages Cannon Pool with her daughter Ginette, and has become the bed-rock of the site. Trish has seen a lot of change in her time with the company, but has always remained consistent with her calm presence, her hard working attitude and a great sense of humour to boot.
Some of the staff at Three Mile Cross went up to the Sue Ryder hospice to deliver the cheque for last years plastic bag ‘tax’ . The store managed to raise an amazing £1264.55 for this important charity. The Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading provide expert palliative care and support for people across Berkshire who are living with life-limiting conditions, as well as supporting their families. Fraser's Budgens are proud to continue supporting the hospice and will continue to do so through the year.
It’s not often that a change in sandwich supplier makes it to the news section on the website, but we really wanted to share with you that Honest Crust will become our sole supplier through the stores from the middle of the month. What’s so exciting about this, we hear you ask? Well, not only do they make a seriously good range of sandwiches, subs and salad pots, including Vegan and Gluten Free options, but they do so much more!
Ian has worked for the store for a little over a year and in this time has become instrumental in the way he carries out his day to day duties. His consistently good nature has made him a favourite with customers and staff alike.
Ian's dedication goes above and beyond and will happily stay on late to help train new staff, always giving 110% for every shift. He thinks turning up 10 mins before his shift is running late.... hats off to this man!
We are super-excited to announce that one of our regular customers at Marlborough was a lucky winner of the BP ‘free fuel for a year’ competition, getting the top prize in the weekly draw! Congratulations! Now, for those of you who are getting a little jealous you still have a few more days to enter the competition.
Congratulations to Julie Rodgers who was the lucky winner of the beautiful bouquet of flowers for her lovely romantic story. Julie said ‘My husband arranged our honeymoon without telling me where we were going! He packed my clothes, arranged for me to be off work and organised it all! It wasn't until we got to the check in desk at Gatwick that I found out we were going to the Maldives! What a romantic!’ We agree…hope he’s kept it up!
With February being the month of St Valentine we thought we’d get romantic and give away a beautiful bouquet of flower from local supplier Cotswold Flower Barn
At the end of January we were very proud to open the doors of Brize Norton as a Budgens store. With some huge changes to the store and new ranges throughout the store now has a very different feel and the feedback has been excellent. The staff should be very proud of what has been achieved in a short period and we look forward to serving you as the latest Budgens at Fraser’s Retail Ltd!
The Yarnton store was very proud to hand over is ‘bag tax’ money this month. As shown by the rather large cheque, we raised an excellent £1312.45 just through the sales of plastic bags in 2018. Whilst this is a fair amount we’ll strive to raise as much as we can for this important charity throughout the year…. watch this space!
Fresh with a new look we’re pleased to let you know about the new Facebook page for Brize Norton. Keep up to date with all the goings on at the site and see the changes we’ve made over the past month!
As you’ll know Three Mile Cross was involved in some pretty amazing fundraising at the back end of last year. The store has been supporting Oliver’s Urgent Appeal through Solving Kids Cancer. Oliver requires life saving treatment in Barcelona, which costs £203k! The store helped by holding a raffle and raising £1114.65 just before Christmas. Thank you to everyone who donated to this vital cause. We are very pleased to tell you all that the target has been reached - fantastic news! Oliver will still need treatment so funds are still being raised.
Fraser's Budgens are giving their heart to Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice this Valentine's and will proudly be displaying our beautiful limited edition Heart to show support to the wonderful hospice staff and patients.
For the cost of funding a nurse for the day, £140.00, you too could get involved and purchase your own Heart and if you buy your heart before 8 February Sue Ryder will also include your logo in our page of hearts in the Reading Chronicle. Please share this post and visit www.sueryder.org/lovedok to buy your heart.
For those of you eagle eyed-cookery-programme-loving lot you may have noticed Yarnton getting a small part on Jamie & Jimmys Friday night feast. The site was used for some filming to show the types of charcoal we sell at the site. Two members of staff also got to try some Jamie Oliver cooked BBQ and have a chat with Jamie and Jimmy.
Rob has become an indispensable member of the team at the store. He goes out of his way to help customers and staff, and will always look to fix things himself. In the past month we had had a few customers praising his helpfulness, by putting air in customers tyres etc. He also is out there in all weathers - even this bitter cold spell! Well done Rob, much appreciated and well deserved!
Congratulations to Louise White who was the lucky winner of a years worth of Car Washes. Well done you! She correctly answered our valeting themed question by telling us that Rose Royce sang the hit single ‘Car Wash’…. You know that all ‘you’ll be talking about is the car wash, girl!
With the gritters out in force in January you may find your car needs that bit more TLC and few extra visits to the Car Wash to keep it clean and pristine. We are offering one lucky person a chance to win a years worth of Car Washes at one of Fraser's Retail stores.
As you may be aware, the Three Mile Cross store has been supporting Oliver’s Urgent Appeal through Solving Kids Cancer. Oliver requires life saving treatment in Barcelona so needs to raise £203K. The store helped by holding a raffle and raising £1114.65 in the process. Thank you to everyone who donated to this vital cause.
A particularly tough choice this month as it was difficult to separate anyone through the stores, but Tracey Hollerbach at Cannon Pool just edged ahead with her consistency and general excellent standards over the festive period. She has worked at the store for just over 10 years and has always given 100% for the shop. In December she really went above and beyond, helping out with extra shifts and adapted well to the changes in seasonal ordering. Tracey is a joy to be around and brings a positive cheer to the store - well deserved!
From 14th January the Brize Norton store will start its transformation over to Budgens from Spar. This will take around 3 weeks and although there will be disruption through this period we will try and make this as minimal as possible.
We are very pleased to tell you that in the past year the stores have raised over £4000 for our respective charities in 2018 just through the plastic bag charge (£4352.80 to be exact!). Although this is a good amount we have managed to bring down the total bags per customer through the year for the second year running! A huge thank you to all our customers for your continued support during the past year.
Huge congratulations to Mrs Talbot who was entered into the Wine Prize Draw just for buying her Christmas lunch through the Yarnton store. Lucky lady! In fact Mrs Talbot was so happy with the Turkey that she rang through a few days later to tell us just how great it was! Thank you – we’ll be sure to let the Butcher know!
Every year the stores take great pleasure in getting dressed up for Christmas so it would have come as no surprise that come December 14th (Official Christmas Jumper Day) the stores got their finest seasonal knitwear out on show. A huge thank you to all the staff and customers for making this day a huge success – some even wore some tasteful jumpers – who would have thought!!
The Brize Norton store has always had a good history of raising for Local charity Carterton Lions Club so was very proud to be part of the Christmas collection, raising a fantastic £283.36. This amount really helped contribute to the charities Christmas collection. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this!
Thank you to everyone who played the Guess the Elfs name game at Cannon Pool. The store raised a brilliant £97. Thanks to the staff who really got behind this and to those who donated to this important charity.
Congratulations to Ashley James Sturges who was the lucky winner of the selection of Craft drinks. His newly named craft ale was a worthy winner… actually he named 3 new craft ales ‘Sly Fox, Crafty Fox, Intriguing Fox... as a Triple range of Craft Beers... because they’d chase the ‘Old Speckled Hen’..!! Congratulations and we hope you enjoyed them over the festive season!
With Christmas in mind we've managed to get our hands on a fantastic hamper of craft drinks. As you would have seen the craft drinks market has really exploded over the past year or so and some wonderful wacky named beers and ales have come out.
With 3 out of the 5 stores open on Christmas day the stores will be there for you for any of those important batteries, extra prosecco or forgotten cranberry sauce...
Put the 14th January in the diary as we will make a start on the shop refit and changeover to Budgens at Brize Norton then. Whilst there will be times during this 3 week changeover where we'll be shutting parts of the store and possibly close it overnight we will try to keep disruption to a minimum and keep you updated as we progress through the build.
With Christmas just around the corner we thought we’d give you an early present at Cannon Pool and at Marlborough. When you spend £20 in store you'll get a voucher for 10 pence off a litre from your next fuel purchase (exclusions apply - please see terms and conditions instore).
With the success of Bourton Road Butchers at Yarnton we are proud to have brought this Carterton based local butcher into Cannon Pool. First indications are excellent with some great customer feedback.... they also do Marmite sausages which are A-Mazing!
On Friday 16th it was children in need which gave the stores a great opportunity to get dressed up, have some fun and raise some serious cash for this important charity. A massive thanks to everyone who got involved - as a company we managed to raised a fantastic £1193.30!!! Well done!
At the beginning of the month Marlborough town opened the new Coopers Meadow play area. Our Marlborough store were very proud to play its part in donating towards the play area as well as providing the goodie bags for the grand opening.
Elaine has worked for the company since September 2016, in that time she has had a dual roll, which includes running the bakery at the weekend and as a customer service assistant during the week. She is the ultimate flexible employee as she’s had to swap her shifts and help fill in at short notice. Elaine will take on many tasks that are definitely above and beyond the call of duty, always without complaint. Well done and thank you Elaine!
Congratulations to Emma Munro who correctly guessed that Magnum PI is the 80’s hit show detective sharing the same name as our Christmas sized bottle of wine. Enjoy Emma... definitely a showpiece for the Christmas table!
On Tuesday 27th November it was 'Giving Day'. Our Yarnton and Cannon Pool stores both used this opportunity to raise money for the stores chosen charity, Sobell House Hospice. The stores had a raffle, donated the proceeds of the car washes and Yarnon even got dressed up in the Sobell House colour of Yellow, really embracing this important charity!
You may have noticed that Yarnton and Cannon Pool have introduced Bourton Road Butchers from Carterton.... and first reviews are excellent, so if you haven’t tried them yet then give them ago, our personal favourite is the Marmite Sausage - you'll either love them or..... like them ;)
The stores really got into the spirit of things this Halloween by dressing up and scaring a few customers in the process. Not only were the shops themselves looking great but the staff were suitably dressed for the occasion. Thanks to all who got involved, you looked great. We also managed to raise a very respectable £107.59 for our respective charities, so well done to the stores!
We are very proud to welcome Bourton Road Butchers as the new Butchers at the Yarnton store. Whilst it was very sad to see The Meat Joint go we are excited with the new ranges available from this locally renowned butcher. Initial signs have been excellent and we’ve received some great feedback.
Congratulations to Darran Brown who was the lucky winner of the Brioche treats hamper for October. His short story got our nerves jangling here at HQ…..
Huge congratulations to Rachel Brand who was the lucky winner of the £100 shop spree we gave away during our 'launch' month at Cannon Pool. Rachel certainly made the most of her shopping spree looks to be feeding her village this weekend! Enjoy!
Unfortunately the move over to Budgens has been delayed again. This is due to the current till system having to be replaced as well. Whilst not ideal it means the store will be in a better place in January to deal with the changes, and we do need to ensure that the till systems works for the store and provides us with what is needed going forward.
There's no stopping Marlborough this month...... not content with receiving a letter form the council the store once again got the charity hat on raising for the Stoke association with a cake sale and 'Prosecco Sweepstake' which went down unsurprisingly well.
A huge thank you and well done to Rose and her team at Marlborough for their continuing efforts on the stores fundraising. So much so that the Town Council have highlighted what the store has been doing with the letter above.... it's not often that any store gets acknowledged like this so really well done to team Marlborough!
Tamsin has really shown her value this month, whether it be covering holiday in the post office, covering spare shifts in subway or covering the supervisor shifts over the weekend in the shop she has shown a huge amount of commitment to helping the store run smoothly.
In what feels like the final piece of the jigsaw we'll be moving Brize over from Spar to Budgens in November. This means that all the stores shall be now be under the Budgens brand. Clearly we believe in it and has proven to be successful in the other stores. We feel that moving over will help give the store not only a premium makeover but will improve the ranges throughout as well as ensure we are well placed for the incoming 700 houses near the site!
Now the dust has settled and the kids are back at school it's back to business for Cannon Pool. Its now nearly 3 months since we reopened our doors as a Budgens store and to celebrate October is our mini re-launch month. When you spend £20 in store you'll get a voucher for 10 pence off a litre from your next fuel purchase (exclusions apply - please see terms and conditions instore).
As you will be aware we collect for our respective charities through the 'plastic bag tax'. we've run the numbers for the last three months and are please to say we raised a fantastic £3227.95 for good causes so far this year. Please see what each of the stores have raised for their individual charities below.
The Yarnton store are very proud to be sponsoring Yarnton FC again this year. The team has really progressed in the last few seasons with the 1st team and reserves being promoted to the top division in the area - giving even more reason for us to be associated with this team - like we really needed an excuse to get behind them! Good luck for the season.
Following on from our success at the Forecourt trader awards 2 weeks ago our Three Mile Cross store was rubbing shoulders with the best in the industry at the Retail Industry Awards on Thursday 27th September. These are widely acknowledged as the premier awards night, not just for Forecourts but also recognising the best of the best through the retail sector. We are delighted to report that the store was highly commended as Best Forecourt Retailer.
You may have noticed that Marlborough just love dressing up raise money for their respective charities! September was no exception, and the whole store dresses up as Taylor Swift or her ex-partners..... this raised a fantastic £48.01 for the Wiltshire Search & Rescue.
On Thursday 13th September both Yarnton and Three Mile Cross were up for their regional awards (Best Sites Midlands over 4 million litres and London/South East over 4 million litres). Both stores were the lucky winners of their respective awards which is quite the achievement! Well done to the sites, you both deserve it and as a business we are very proud and appreciative of the hard work put in by all at the sites. Thank you!
Have you seen our new Facebook page for Cannon Pool? We're pretty pleased with it! Find out wha's going on at your local store and more about our 'relaunch' month. Like us, follow us, keep up to date with important info. Tell us what you think...
Leanne joined the team on November 17th 2005 as a Sales Assistant, quickly taking on the off license department, one of the busiest at the store. She always works tirelessly in making sure it's well stocked up and looking immaculate, taking pride in her work, being very organised and methodical whether she is merchandising, ordering or doing admin.
Congratulations to Susan from Yarnton, the lucky winner of the Bottlegreen who correctly guessed that the elderflower is from the Elder Tree.
On Thursday September 13th both Yarnton and Three Mile Cross will go head to head at the Forecourt Trader Awards. This prestigious nationwide event is highly regarded and whilst the stores are in different regions they could well meet in the final!
As well as the Forecourt Trader awards in the middle of the month, Three Mile Cross is also nominated in the Retail Industry Awards for Best Forecourt. These awards are widely recognised as the ‘Oscars’ of the retail world and to be nominated is quite a feat in itself so to win would a real coup for the store.
Quite the fundraising month for Marlborough.... getting their charity hat on (again!). This meant not only did they raise a fantastic £128.03 for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance but also got to dress up as their favourite musical characters (Mamma Mia a winner here)... putting the fun in FUNdraising... ;-)
Over the past 8 months Marlborough have really stepped up their fundraising for the local school... this hasn't gone unnoticed and even the local MP acknowledged their efforts and sent through the above letter to thank the store. Well done to all!
Caitlin joined the team just under 2 years ago. She always goes above and beyond to make sure the job is done to the highest standard. Her inquisitive mind means her skills are always being tested and improved.
Congratulations to Stephen who won the Cadburys World tickets for his creative twist on a Cadburys Chocolate Bar.
Cannon Pool seems to be making some noise this month! So much so that both the Witney Gazette and Oxford Mail have written stories on the redevelopment of our oldest store. It was a very positive article and really shows what an important community store it is.
In what has seemed to be the longest build ever we pleased to announce that the extension is finally complete and is already making a huge difference to the store. With a new staff kitchen and toilet, a new office and ordering area as well as more space through the stock room we are really pleased with the investment made. Long time coming but worth it!
Since Cannon had it's refit we've been expecting a visit from the Food Standards Agency who will look a anything food related in the store. This include the general hygiene and cleanliness of the stores, training records, temperature records, process within the store, amongst a host of other checks.
As a company it is important our stores are kept to the highest standards throughout. Cleanliness is king at the stores so when Food Standards Agency visit is a good test to see how our hygiene is rated by an external auditor. We are very happy to say that Three Mile Cross was given the top rating of 5 Stars, so joins Cannon Pool by getting this rating in the past month.
On Monday 23rd the team at Three Mile Cross had a bowls night at the local bowls club. Aside from being a success and a lot of fun it was great to cement the stores relationship with this important part of the community. We were very proud to present a cheque of £750 to the president of the bowls club, this money goes towards the general upkeep of the club.
Louise joined the team last year and it quickly became apparent that she had potential to take on more responsibility. About 2 months ago she became weekend supervisor and has grown in to her role like a dream.
Congratulations to Lawrence Park who was the lucky winner of our selection of beers from Heineken.
On 8th June Cannon Pool moved over to Budgens. This was a longer overdue investment for the company and the finish of the store really brings it up to date. Early indications are very positive and the feedback has been excellent so far. The changes have made a huge difference to the store and really turned it into a proper one-stop-shop.
Earlier in the month Yarnton was lucky enough to be chosen as a filming destination for Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast! All very exciting, and although they were a few hours late (the car broke down!), they still spent about an hour on site filming about BBQ charcoal of all things.
We are pleased to say that the Yarnton extension is just about there….. the roof is on, the walls are up and things are taking shape inside. The fencing is down so we have the parking spaces back; the staff will move into their new office and staff area imminently.
What a start for Cannon Pool! A huge thank you must go to everyone at the store.... it's never easy starting out when a new store is opened but the team have coped brilliantly and everyone has gone out of their way to make it a success.
Congratulations to Barbara Burket who won last months month hamper of fine food from Holleys.
Exciting times at Cannon Pool with the new store opening date set to be 8th June. When it reopens the store will not only be a Budgens, but will bring a whole host of new products, including Laithwaites Wines, a specialist 'Free From' range, great new bakery products as well as a new staff area, new refrigeration in addition to the whole new shop.... exciting times are ahead!
You may remember that Yarnton made a pledge last year to raise £10,000 in 4 years for Sobell House Hopsice as part of the 40 club. Well, amazingly the store has managed to raise a fantastic £8,821 so far exceeding it's target so far.
On Tuesday 29th May we leased out Lower Earley to Petrogas Ltd. The Fraser Family have owned and run the site in Lower Earley since it was built in 1995. During this time, we have worked with and developed some special relationships with our staff and customers, both of which we will sadly miss.
After what seems like an age (weather this year really hasn't helped) we are now in a position to announce that the Yarnton extension will be finished this month. We're looking forward to getting those parking spaces back.... as well as create a nice new area for the staff, new office and new storage area, so a real improvement for the staff at the store.
It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to the Lower Earley team this month, some of who have been with us for 20 years, and felt it was an appropriate time to recognise their contribution in the newsletter.
On June 23rd Fraser's Retail will be putting together a team for the annual Moonlight Stroll in aid of Sobell House, It is a night-time sponsored walk of approx. 8 miles through the streets of the city, taking in some of the oldest and most picturesque parts of Oxford. This year is an eighties theme so should be great. We put a team together last year which was a lot of fun! Keep an eye out in store for fundraising and sponsorship!
Congratulations to Ray Adams who was the lucky winner of the Magnum of Rose this month. He correctly gave us the answers for the bottle sizes...
If you haven’t downloaded the BPme app yet, then you are missing out… BPme is changing the way you pay for fuel from your car forever - easier, faster and more convenient. It’s easy to use; just put in your pump number, the amount you want to spend, then fill up with fuel and go.
Only a couple of weeks ago we were wondering just when was the Yarnton extension going up….. well, wonder no more. It is full steam ahead and looking more and more like an extension every day… fingers crossed there’s no more hold ups!
We’re pleased to say that Cannon Pool is coming along nicely. We anticipate a mid June opening and as shown in the artists impression the move to Budgens will give the store a smarter edge. The new Cannon Pool with have an increased range and will showcase the best Budgens has to offer – from serious scrumptious to just great value – the store will have something for everyone.
On Thursday 26th April Frasers Retail put up a Quiz team for the regional Barclays fundraiser in aid of Guide Dogs. The evening raised over £10,000 for this important charity and fun was had by all! We look forward to doing our bit next year..... thanks to all involved!
From mid May we shall be offering the Hermes parcel service at Brize Norton. It is already at Cannon Pool, Lower Earley, Three Mile Cross and Marlborough and has proven a very popular service for customers. ‘A myHermes ParcelShop is the ideal way to drop-off your parcels if you can’t be at home or you don’t have a safe place to leave your parcel for a courier collection.
Congratulations to Neil Holroyd from our Brize Norton site who was the lucky winner of the tank of fuel!
Rose has been a member of the team for 16 years, firstly managing our Calne store and then moving to our Marlborough store when Calne was moved to M&S BP. Her dedication and work ethic has never been questioned and is highlighted through the efficiency of the store.
In January Budgens approached the Three Mile Cross store with an idea to turn it into their template for future stores. It was chosen because of it was as near to the 'perfect store' as they wanted. Quite the compliment.
As you'll be aware Cannon Pool is going through some major changes at the moment. The the shop has moved to smaller temporary shop within the main building. This is so we can stay open and serve you instead of closing.
As you will be aware we collect for our respective charities through the 'plastic bag tax'. So far in 2018 we have raised a fantastic £1075.60 for good causes. So you know where your money goes and how much each store has raised we thought it’d be good to share with you…...
This month Rose (Marlborough Store Manager) made the trip to St Marys school Marlborough to present a cheque for £432.90. This was a combination of the 'bag tax' from 2017 and a raffle held at the store.
For Easter the Three Mile Cross store put on a colouring competition for the local children. There were three prizes up for grabs, first prize was a VUE cinema voucher, second, a tray of 24 easter eggs and third was a kinder Bunny and Eggs.
On Good Friday the team from Marlborough had a fun filled day of dressing up and raising some money for their chosen charity, St Marys School Marlborough.
Congratulations to Gary Bunn of Lower Earley store who won the Easter 1KG Lindt Chocolate bunny!
Congratulations to Janice who won the 1KG Chocolate for the annual Easter raffle at Yarnton. Lucky you! The raffle raised a respectable £52 for the stores chosen charity, Sobell House Hospice.
We are very proud to announce not one, but three promotions at Brize with Tracey, Laura and Kieran all being recognised for their hard work at the store.
Henry started employment with Frasers Retail almost 4 years ago straight from University where he studied Animal Behaviour. He was a quiet person to start with however, working with the management brought him out of his shell and he soon progressed to the level of Supervisor.
You may remember our Ultimate Fuel promotion last year. This was a massive success so we have decided to make it a permanent offer – lucky you! Get 5p off per litre of Ultimate Fuel just by showing your Platinum Card.
During the month Louise and Jonathan from the store, went along to the Sue Ryder Hospice to present a cheque totalling £1335.70. This included £1200.70 from the plastic bag 'tax' for 2017 and an additional £135 for their Valentines #LoveYourHospice initiative.
Work has finally started at Cannon Pool, this will mean a huge change for the shop when complete in around 12 weeks. Not only will the shop be extended, have new chillers, shelving and back of house area it will also be re-branded, giving customers a far wider range and mix of products.
During February our Yarnton store was very proud to present last years takings from the plastic bag tax to their chosen charity 'Sobell House.' The total amounted to £1634.90 which directly contributes to the running of this important hospice.
As you'll no doubt realise, we certainly don't do things by half in the company, with our Yarnton and Cannon Pool extensions going on at the same time! The Yarnton extension hit a slight snag for a few days but has quickly resumed so we don't anticipate much more delay.
Pete has worked at the store for about 18 months and throughout his time has shown a good work ethic and always puts the customer first.
Congratulations to Jan Reid from our Three Mile Cross store who won our Romantic bunch of Flowers from Cotswold Flower Barn for her proposal story.
With the refit starting mid February (date to be confirmed) and looking like a 12 week build we thought we'd share some exciting news with you. Whilst the store will have an extension on the side, be completely refitted with new shelving and fridges we have taken the opportunity to move the store to a Budgens fascia.
Over the last 6 months our Three Mile Cross store has been helping the local school by providing a selection of fruit for the students each week. The breakfast scheme at Oakbank school has proved very popular.
We have finally managed to secure a date for Yarnton starting phase 3 of it's improvements. On Monday 5th February work on the side extension will start and should take about 8 weeks to finish. The extension will bring with it an improved office, better staff area and the stock holding area will be that bit bigger.
Back in December you may remember Christmas Jumper Day in the stores. Marlborough decided to go one step further and holding a raffle for the hamper shown in the picture. A Mr P Bailey won the hamper (although this is his wife in the picture) and the raffle raised a very respectable £55.69.
In January alone the Marlborough store raised a fantastic £266.45 for the Wiltshire air ambulance just through the collecting tins! Usually January is a very quiet month in store so to raise such an amount is pretty impressive.
One of the most infuriating parts of running any forecourt is having to deal with Drive Offs - they take up time and can become a real burden for the store. In the past month Pippa has taken it upon herself to address this rising issue at the Three Mile Cross store, her diligence and organisation has ensured that over £200 of drive offs have come back to pay. Berkshire Police have even commented on the speed and quality of the forms handed in!
Well done to Syreeta Simpson who won the 10K Fuel Protein breakfast bundle in our first Prize Draw of the year.
Congratulations to Mrs Cleaver who was the lucky winner of the case of Laithwaites in our Turkey prize Draw at the Yarnton store. Not only did she have a lovely locally sourced Turkey through the store but she went into our Christmas lunch draw for the a case of Laithwaites Wines!
We are very pleased to tell you that in the past year the stores have raised just shy of £5000 for our respective charities in 2017 just through the plastic bag charge (£4956.70 to be exact!). Although this is a good amount we have managed to bring down the total bags per customer through the year.
Friday 15th December saw the Save the Children Christmas Jumper day and in true festive spirit the stores didn't disappoint! Everyone seemed to get involved which means that between the sites we managed to raise a fantastic £225.64 whilst having some festive fun.
Congratulations to Brad Rayner who won the hamper of Cadburys Christmas goodies last month. His version of the classic Christmas poem definitely hit the right notes...
Kieran joined the team just under a year ago, initially doing weekends. He soon moved up to a weekend supervisor until recently as he finished education and now works for us full time.
On 15th December all the stores will be donning there ever so tasteful (and maybe some not so) Christmas Jumpers, in aid of Save the Children.
Yarnton folk; you may well have seen a new face around the store of late! Sophie Roberts has been recently promoted to acting Manager. Sophie joined the business over 10 years ago and most recently has been running food to go side of the business.
Well done to all the stores who got behind Children in Need this year, from cakes sales to Tombola's and fancy dress to a dressing down day, the stores really got behind it and at the latest count had raised an amazing £935.54 for this important charity.
Lyn joined the store when it opened and quickly took on the role as evening supervisor. Her vast experience in retail really shows as her attention to detail shines through and is clearly on show each morning when the store opens.
Congratulations to Martin Lawson-Smith who was the lucky winner of our prize draw this month.
During the refit at Yarnton we took the opportunity to transform our wine area by bringing in renowned stockists, Laithwaites. Whilst a difficult decision to make, due to the store moving away from Oxford Wines, it has proven to be a hit, with some really special wines - most great value too!
What difference a couple of weeks makes! We are pleased to announce that the store refit for Yarnton is now complete (albeit with a few areas still to finish). A huge thank you to all staff for their efforts during this time. it's good to see the results have been worth it!
Huge congratulations to Henry Bittain who has made the jump from Supervisor at or Marlborough Subway to manager of Lower Earley Subway! Henry previously worked at the CO-OP in Pewsey on the Deli Counter before joining the team in August 2014 as a Sandwich artist, becoming a Supervisor last year.
At the beginning of the month we said goodbye to the old conveyor wash at Lower Earley. Obviously a sad day for all involved but we are pleased to say that the new car wash is now open!
With Henry moving onto pastures new Marlborough decided to see him off in style, whilst raising money for the local primary school, St Marys Marlborough. So, with Mario & Luigi, Pacman, Lara Croft - to name a few - serving customers for the day the store was proud to raise a very respectable £85.95. Well done to all involved!
Well done to Diane Bessant-Moss who won a ghoulish Halloween hamper in last month's Prize Draw!
This month we have taken the unusual step of giving employee of the month not to one individual but to a team. It has been hard to separate one employee with the hard work by all during the refit so the November's employee of the month goes to the team at Yarnton for their combined efforts during what has been a tricky time for the store - well done to all! Some noteworthy efforts - thank you!
The stores really got into the spirit of things this Halloween by dressing up and scaring a few customers in the process. Not only were the shops themselves looking great but the staff were suitably dressed for the occasion. Thanks to all who got involved, you looked great.
On Thursday 14th September this store was entered into the prestigious Forecourt Trader Awards 2017 at the Hilton Park Lane, Central London.
It comes with great sadness that we say goodbye to the conveyor car wash at Lower Earley. It has served us well for the last 30 years but due to increased unreliability and costs we have taken the tough decision to replace it with a brand new state of the art wash.
With phase 1 (Post Office) now complete (albeit with a few further changes still to come) we are pleased to start progressing with the next phases of the refit. In the following two weeks the store will undergo somewhat of a transformation getting it right up-to-date with increased chillers, ranges, a new bakery area, two brand new Costa machines and brand new imagery!
Well done to Stephen Willis from Lower Earley who won the Premier League shirt for his pretty inventive Cadbury themed team.
Brize Norton were very happy to be supporting MacMIllan Coffee morning with the RAF by donating some cakes for this important charity. On the day a fantastic £241.15 was raised! Well done to all!
On 15th September Three Mile Cross did their bit for the Sue Ryder Hospice by having a cake sale to help raise funds for this important charity. Huge thanks to the staff who really got behind this great initiative with some superb ‘bake off’ inspired cakes raising a fantastic £410.
As you will be aware we collect for our respective charities through the 'plastic bag tax'. So far this year we have raised a fantastic £3783.10 for good causes. So you know where your money goes and how much each store has raised we thought it’d be good to share with you...
It is with great pleasure that Marlborough has teamed up wit the new local primary school, St Mary's of Marlborough. The school had an initial donation during its building phase from the store, as shown my picture of the headmistress and Rose, the store manager.
On the 30th September Fraser's Budgens and the Rotary clubs of Easthampstead and Maiden Erlegh demonstrated the amazing support the charity Shelterbox is providing to families who have been made homeless by many of the recent disasters. At Three Mile Cross the Rotary club of Easthampstead erected and demonstrated the contents of a Shelterbox that can provide short term emergency, life saving accommodation to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods.
Matt has worked at the Brize Norton store since 2006 and in his time has taken on more and more duties becoming a hugely important and dependable member to the team. In the past month Matt has worked six days a week, sometimes seven, and is always willing to help everyone in the store, even above his own duties and sections.
The bank holiday week saw the Swallowfield Show which the Three Mile Cross store was sponsoring. It attracted around 10,000 people and with horticultural Competitions, Horse Show, fabulous Arena Acts, Fun Fair, Dog Show, Craft and Trade Stands, Ferret Racing, Bands, Classic vehicles, Quirks Animal Roadshow and more we were very proud to be associated with this exciting local show.
This month sees the Forecourt Trader Awards (September 14th) and Retail Industry Awards (September 28th), with Three Mile Cross in for both! At the Forecourt Trader Awards the store is up for 'Best Large Store in South East' (so in with a shout of the top prize) and 'Customer Service'.
4th September see's phase 1 of the Yarnton refit start. The counter will be replaced to accommodate the Post Office moving into it in October as per the artists impression above - all quite exciting. Alongside this change of counter the store also see new faster tills, new cigarette drawers and a new back wall for spirits.
In August we saw the launch of our first every 'frozen drinks' machine. It's called Polar Krush and is going down a storm already, even with this less 'summery' weather. Come along and try it – it really is a treat – particularly as it has natural flavours and colourings so has that guilt free factor to it as well!
On August 19th a team of ten from Fraser's Retail braved the streets of Oxford at night, dodging hen nights, flocks of pigeons and cyclists to complete the 9 mile walk through the city. The walk was in aid of the Sobell House Hospice - Yarntons, chosen charity.
Congratulations to Brian Presley from the Marlborough store who won a festival hamper of drinks in last month's prize draw!
Did you know that we have started to put our excess cardboard to good use at Brize Norton. We now give it to a local company called eBale who bail it up and use it in the stables! Perfect, no waste from us and what better way to put it to good use.....
Tania’s worked for the company for just over 14 years. She looks after the accounts for Yarnton and Canon Pool and has become a key part in the operations of those stores. Within this role she does the Bank reconciliations, purchase ledger, month end accounts, vat returns, paying suppliers amongst a host of other duties, including payments to the banks and various suppliers.
The Yarnton stores much anticipated refit has a confirmation date for phase one! This will be in w/c 4th September where the counter shall be replaced ready for the Post Office changes in October. Whilst there will be some disruption at the store it should be minimal.
You may be remember that we gave platinum members a chance to have their say about the club last month. We had a fantastic response with over 300 people giving valuable feedback.
The Swallowfield Show attracts around 10,000 people each day it is on over the August Bank Holiday. Three Mile Cross is the key sponsor for this event and will have a tent within the venue.
As you'll probably be aware Fraser's Retail will be entering a team into the Moonlight stroll in Oxford on August 19th. It is essentially a 9 mile sponsored walk around Oxford at night in aid of one of our chosen charities, Sobell House.
We are pleased to announce that Cannon Pool passed its planning permission so will look to extend the store at the beginning of 2018. This will be a significant change to the store and will bring it a much needed update and refresh.
Huge congratulations to Henry Brittain and Charlotte Southam at Marlborough Subway who both passed the managers course in the last month. Whilst they are both currently supervisors at the store this means they are both fully qualified in running the store.
Craig joined the team when the store opened last year as an evening assistant. He quickly established himself as a key member of staff, firstly taking on a supervisor role and then when the opportunity arose, as the chilled supervisor. His hard work and dedication has become invaluable and helped with the smooth running of the store.
Congratulations to Helen Appleton who won the wonderful hamper of Keeprs Gin in last month's prize draw!
Whilst not exactly an award for Frasers Retail it is certainly something to be proud of. A lot of hard work has gone into the Budgens brand since Booker took over about 18 months ago so they were more than happy to pick up this award on the 16th June!
School Fete season is upon us and whilst we know most stores will be giving something away for a raffle it’s good to get some recognition form the local school as shown in this pic.
We are please to announce the amount raised for our respective charities over the first half of the year with the sale of plastic bags. The last three months has brought in £1313.45 which brings the overall total in 2017 to a fantastic £2490.
Earlier in the month we were proud to present a cheque for the monies raised in 2016 to the Sue Ryder home. The total was £1109.80 which accounted for collection tins and the sales of plastic bags. We look forward to doing more in the coming months.
Congratulations to Joanne Brierly from our Brize Norton store who won the hamper of fine food in last month's Prize Draw!
Charles joined the store in June 2016 and his hard work and personality have become integrated into the stores ethos. He comes to work early and stays on after to make sure everything is done, he gives 200% to every job and really knows how to motivate a team and makes everyone feel happy.
We want to hear what you think of the Platinum Club. Tell what you like, don’t like, want to see more of or let us know if you have a great idea! Everyone who enters will be sent a £1 Platinum Car Wash Voucher.
A year ago on June 8th at around 10am Three Mile Cross opened its doors in its new form for the first time ever! A lot has happened since then and the store has grown and grown – even becoming a finalist at the prestigious Convenience Retail awards for best new store!
Due to the popularity of the 5 pence per litre promotion last month we have decided to keep it on for another month. BP Ultimate with ACTIVE technology is formulated to eat engine dirt from your first fill. It starts fighting the effects of dirt from the moment your start your car, helping your engine perform at its best, so you can keep moving.
Our Yarnton store was proud to support the Sobell House Golf day by donating a hamper. As you'll be aware Fraser's Budgens are a big supporter of Sobell House so to be a part of the golf day was important for the store.
At the beginning of the month customers would have noticed a few changes at the Marlborough store with a minor refit haven taken place. The new lower shelving has really given the store a very different feel, making it more spacious with better natural lighting filtering through it.
Congratulations to Antonio Guimaraes who was the lucky winner of tickets to Cadburys World in last month's Prize Draw!
Sheila joined the business in January 2009 and has become an ever present and important member of the team since. Her infectious personality has made her a hit with staff and customers alike - knowing many customers by name. She is reliable and goes that extra mile if needed.
You would have noticed a few changes at the Lower Earley store since the refit last month, with extended ranges and a new coffee machine, among other improvements. Now proudly stocking a range of Laithwaites wines customers wont have to go anywhere else to get a real quality wine.
At the beginning of the month Brize Norton were pleased to launch a brand new replacement car wash at the store! The old wash had done us proud over the last 8 years but it was time to upgrade.
As you may be aware the Yarnton store has collected money for Sobell House for many years. This year we have decided to go one step further by joining the 40 Club - essentially committing to raise £10,000 over the next 4 years.
Congratulations to Denis Kennedy from Witney who was the lucky winner of the 1kg Lindt Chocolate bunny for his amusing Easter themed limerick.
We are happy to extend our support of the Three Mile Cross bowling club again this year. The club is home to one of the finest bowls greens in the county and only a stones throw from the store we were glad to lend a hand to this prestigious club.
Aaron has worked at the Lower Earley store on the ever busy Car Wash since 2012. It is guaranteed that he will walk through the door with a smile on his face, no matter the weather. He is incredibly hard working both on the carwash and on the forecourt, and takes pride in what he does.
On March 16th amongst the glitz and glammer Three Mile Cross was involved in two awards at the prestigious Convenience Retail Awards. Unfortunately we didn't win best new store or best alcohol but to be in the top three nominations is impressive in itself.
If you remember from last month Tania and Lesley (from Head Office) and six others formed a team (Fayes Fairies) to do the Monster Race in memory of Tanias daughter who died last August.
For this years Comic Relief the stores decided to dress up in red! Not only did they have a little fun (any excuse to dress up really) but they also managed to raise a fantastic £352.67 between them. Well done to all the staff who got involved and a big thank you to the customers who generously donated!
We were proud this month to make some rather large changes at our Lower Earley store, this included brand new refrigeration, lower shelving, some new products, and a new queuing system in the store. With some great feedback from customers and staff we think we’ve given the store a better shopping experience. Come along and see what changes we’ve made.
At the beginning of March the Yarnton store was pleased to hand over the cheque for £1826.30 for the sale of plastic bags last year. On handing over the cheque to Tim from Sobell House the team were pleased to also hand over the takings of £171.95 from the tins on the tills.
We are please to announce the amount raised for our respective charities over the first three months of the year with the sale of plastic bags. Once again we have seen a drop in the use of them which is great but at the same time a massive £1176.55 was raised between the sites.
Congratulations to Marcus Bishopp for winning last months case of scrumptious ProperCorn.
This months Employee of the Month was a particularly tricky one, with so many staff going that extra mile. One staff member however, stood out and Christine Clarke is well deserved this month. Chris joined us when the store opened back in June 2016 and has been an ever present member since.
The thought that energy policy would play a major part in any election is fanciful at the best of times, and in this period of heightened political funk, it seems more unlikely than ever. Nonetheless, with an imminent French Election of unusually sharpened significance (not to mention this week’s triggering of Article 50), we thought it would be interesting to look at French Energy Policy and see how it compares to the UK.
In February Three Mile Cross were very proud to have the British Heart Foundation using the store to help raise money, and awareness, for the British Heart Foundation. Over a few consecutive days they raised over £4000!!!
On pancake day the Three Mile Cross store took part in the annual fancy dress Shinfield pancake race, raising funds for Royal Berkshire Hospital Lion and Dolphin Ward. We are pleased to report that whilst coming a close second in the actual race, the team (Louise, Sandi & Craig) won the prize for fancy dress. No surprise there really!
As you might have realised over the years, our stores like to dress up! Whether it be Halloween or Christmas any excuse will do. So what better excuse that Red Nose Day, raising funds for this ever important charity. Keep an eye out in the stores for some great fancy dress.
On March 16th Three Mile Cross is up for two awards at the prestigious Convenience Retail Awards, one of the premier events in the awards calendar! Up for two awards, Best New Store and Best Alcohol against some of the finest stores in the UK. Fingers crossed we win but getting to the top three is impressive in itself.
On April 1st Tania & Lesley, who work at the Head office, are taking part in a charity run in memory of Tania’s daughter Faye Louisa. Faye sadly passed away somewhat unexpectedly last year after living with Cystic Fibrosis since birth. She was an absolute inspiration and did not let her condition stop her enjoying life to the full.
Sue started with us in Jan 2012 on Subway as a sandwich artist, she is now the weekend supervisor and Country choice head baker. She is very passionate about her job, making sure the full range or hot food, cakes and bread is offered everyday and is always looking at ways to improve the range instore.
Congratulations to Catherine Henderson who won the Valentines Bouquet from Cotswold Flower Barn. Her finishing of a classic poem made us laugh...
As you may be aware the Yarnton store is part of the Post Office network changes so will be coming out of it’s current position and will be relocated on the tills counter as an extra till. We have used this opportunity to make a few changes within the store.
Last month Frasers Retail put three of our top Subway supervisors through a week long intensive Subway managers course. We are proud to say that Laura Prew, Ollie Hawkins and Marek Siska all passed with Flying colours!
Congratulations for Michael Kitching who won the hamper of honey for correctly answering that over their lifetime 12 worker bees make a whole teaspoon of honey!
Linda has worked for the store for about three years and has shown time and time again how indispensable she is as an employee. She is always covering shifts, even at short notice, her customer service is second to none and she’s always willing to give a new task a go to benefit the store.
Congratulations to Kathy Foale, our December prize draw winner. We asked you 'what creative culinary you would wow your guests with over the Christmas period?' Kathy's simple but scrumptious sounding feast like a real winner...
Congratulations to Monica Fisher who won a lovely case of Laithwaites Christmas wine to go with her Christmas lunch - all for just buying her locally sourced Christmas lunch though the Three Mile Cross store.
Congratulations to Mrs Cleaver who won a lovely case of Oxford Wine to go with her Christmas Turkey, bought in store through the Meat Joint.
The stores all got fully behind Christmas Jumper day on Friday 16th December! Whilst it's a very good excuse to don some lovely knitwear, we were also happy to raise a fully festive £304.38 through the stores.
When the bag levy came in Fraser’s Retail decided to use this to help raise money for our local charities. Over 2016 we managed to raise a huge £4820.50 for the various charities we support through the sale of these plastic bags.
Back in November the stores all did their bit in raising for the Poppy appeal. Between the 6 stores we contributed a fantastic £1377.63 for this important cause.
Vicki joined us back in 2012 when the store opened and in her time has become a vital cog in the stores general operation. In the past year Vicki has really grown not just as an employee but as a person. She's been given more responsibility and lots of challenges, including co managing the site with Caroline to cover maternity leave.
Over the past month we have supplier tastings at the two stores. Starting with The local Butcher at Yarnton and Loose Cannon at Three Mile Cross we have a full calendar of events going through until Christmas! From ales to wines to cheese to fudge - we have a bit of everything through the stores. Check out the stores Facebook page for more details of when the next tasting is.
Clare Hart, from our Three Mile Cross store. Congratulations to Clare who won a fantastic 4.5kg Toblerone for telling us what her Christmas treat would be.....
Children in need is always a great opportunity to not only help those in need but also to dress up and have a little fun. This picture was taken at Lower Earley where the staff got in the spirits with some great Pudsey costumes whilst raising some money for a great cause. Thank you to all the staff and to the customers who donated their spare change to this important charity!
We are proud to announce a book signing at the Yarnton store of Friday 16th December from 3-5pm! Dan Clacher, a Yarnton resident and husband of Sarah (cashier extraordinaire!) has written a series of children’s books called Muddy Waters set around the Oxford area – as well as a few other places.
Henry has worked for the Subway for over 2 years and has become an indispensable member of the team in that time. Over the last month he has been covering shifts on his days off if people have been sick; he never complains and as a supervisor goes extra mile to make sure the department is ran correctly.
At the Brize Norton store we teamed up with the RAF to offer the local food bank in Carterton a helping hand with supplies, ranging from tins to biscuits to sugar and more. The Carterton food bank provides an important service for many families within the area and we were more than happy to help.
Last month we were pleased to introduce Laithwaite's wines to our Marlborough store. Whilst already stocked at Three Mile Cross and proving a real hit with customers. Come along and try some truly great wines from this renowned wine specialist.
Kicking off yesterday (November 2nd) with The Meat Joint, each week up until Christmas we’ll have a tasting in store. They’ll be a selection of local suppliers showcasing some of the finest Oxfordshire has to offer! Keep an eye out in store or for updates on Facebook for dates and times!
The stores really got into the spirit of things this Halloween by dressing up and scaring a few customers in the process. Not only were the stores themselves looking great but the staff were suitably dressed for the occasion.
Last week Trish, the co-manager of Cannon Pool celebrated her 70th Birthday. Being the hard worker she is, she actually had to be forced by the other staff to take time off to celebrate! Trish joined the company in January 1989 as a cashier and soon developed an extensive knowledge of the store. Within time Trish was offered the co-management of the store with her daughter, Ginette, and the rest is history.
Congratulations to Louise King from our Yarnton store who won a fantastic selection of Halloween goodies.
Lesley started working for Fraser's Retail in May 1999 as a part time cashier at our Didcot store. Her potential was quickly recognised and she was offered her more hours to go full time and was promoted to supervisor soon after.
Carol Stevens of our Lower Earley store marked her 25 years with the company in September.
Last month we were very proud to announce the 10,000th member joining the Platinum Club. Congratulations to Trudy Draggan (pictured with Louise, our Three Mile Cross manager) who won £30 off her next shop and a bottle of bubbly! Thank you to all our loyal members who help make the club work.
Congratulations to Penny Willis from our Cannon Pool store who send us a photo of her Green & Blacks inspired baking!
On 16th September our Marlborough store took fund raising to new heights by dressing up as Disney characters! Whilst it was a valued staff members last day the team saw it as a great opportunity to get dressed up and raise some cash for Wiltshire Air Ambulance, the stores chosen charity.
Throughout the stores we were pleased to be part of McMillan Coffee morning on 30th September. Whilst Yarnton did there bit by helping with the Yarnton village morning our Marlborough store got fully involved!
With Three Mile Cross now done its first three months it was inevitable that our overall bag sales would go up. Since July we are pleased to let you know that through the stores we have managed to raise a fantastic £1431.45 which shall we split accordingly through the stores and donated to their chosen charities.
Antoni has worked at Yarnton for 3 years and in this time has become a supervisor and a great asset to the team. In the past month Antoni has gone out of his way to help on many occasions, most notably, single handily stopping two potentially large drive offs of over £100!!
Once again the stores will be taking part in the MacMilan Coffee morning at the end of September, where you'll be able to tea and cake whilst helping raise money for this important charity. So eat cake and feel good about it!
Congratulations to Rosanna Hope from our Marlborough store who correctly guessed that the Brazilian national cocktail is a caipirinha!
Frasers Budgens Three Mile Cross were happy to support the St Michaels Church Fete in August by donating a bottle of wine. All proceeds went to help with the upkeep of this important part of the community.
Sandi joined us back in 2012 when we opened Marlborough as an office based employee. Over time Sandi's role become all encompassing as she picked up other tasks on the shop floor, from cleaning the forecourt to even fixing the car wash and jet wash.
Make sure you pop onto the new Three Mile Cross Facebook page to keep up to date with everything that’s going on in store.
We are nearing our 10,000th member, with less than a couple of hundred until we reach that milestone. We want to celebrity this by giving this lucky member a £20 voucher for the stores and a bottle of fizz to enjoy.
As you’ll be aware we have chosen to participate in the 5p charge for carrier bags, choosing to donate to our chosen charities throughout the stores. We’ve now crunched the numbers from April to June’s bag charges and are please to say that £1106.35 will be split between the stores.
Well done to Debbie Green who was the lucky winner of our Facebook competition for Countryfile live tickets. The event is at Blenheim Palace this weekend (4th – 7th August) and all the money raised from the raffle went to our chosen charity Sobell House Hospice.
Congratulations to Nicola Perkins who won a selection of summer goodies in last month's Prize Draw!
The Brize Norton Subway team have been helping out at St Johns school summer fete, they donated cookies for the school to sell and Subman was on hand to help along. It looks like Subman has also managed to make friends with the local police too! Naughty Subman!
Tracy has worked at the store for 18 1/2 years and has gone from a cashier to a valued member of management. She always steps up and goes out of her way aid the smooth running of the site.
On 8th June at 10am Three Mile Cross opened its doors for the first time. Thank you to all who helped develop it - shown in the pic - and all of our new customers who have shopped there since, as well as the staff who have been excellent. We are really pleased with the responses we've had so far and some very encouraging initial sales - thank you to all.
Fraser's Retail are very pleased to announce that Sally McNally has been appointed the new store manager of Yarnton. Sally joined the team 10 years ago as a cashier, being promoted to supervisor and most recently to Assistant Manager.
Frasers Retail are proud to be supporting the defibrillator at Three Mile Cross. We have worked with Heartstart Swallowfield and the Swallowfield Community Responders to ensure that this vital piece of equipment if fully funded and is in a key location at the front of the store. Please pass onto the local community as to where it is situated.
A huge thank you to all our customer at the Yarnton store for giving their spare change to the Sobell House Hospice - the stores chosen charity. Sobell House is an important hospice that gives care to people in the last few weeks of their life. It is a self funded hospice and donations are key to the running of it.
Congratulations to Gavin Creber who won a delicious summertime hamper of honey in last month's Prize Draw!
Alan works across three of our sites - Brize Norton, Yarnton and Cannon Pool as the forecourt man. He has proved himself indispensable and a real team player. No job is too big for Alan, come rain or shine. Thank you Alan - well deserved!
As you'll most likely be aware our latest venture opens on Wednesday 8th June. A lot of effort has gone into the site over the past 16 weeks (and more). The team having been working hard training over the last few weeks. Huge thanks to Louise (new store manager) for putting in the time to get it right.
With the platinum launching at the back end of 2012 in our Budgens stores and extending through the business 12 months later we're wondering where the time has gone! A lot has happened in those years and we're now approaching the 10,000th member.
On Monday 23rd May Frasers Retail held a welcome evening for our new customers at the Three Mile Cross Bowls Club. Not only were customers able to try a host of lovely local products but they could see the plans for the store, win a hamper worth £50 and the first 50 through the door got a goodie bag!
With Louise moving on to new ventures within the company at Three Mile Cross, Lower Earley has not one but two new managers! Alex and Jan have both stepped up to share the responsibilities as duty managers! They both have a wealth of experience and have already shown the assets they'll bring to their new roles.
Subway Brize Norton were delighted to be a part of Brize Norton Cubs International Badge Mexican theme! The children enjoyed the donation of nachos with cheese, giving them an authentic Mexican snack whilst educating about the different cultures around the world.
Well done to Henry from our Marlborough subway who did a charity head shave for Macmillan in Friday 13th may. He has raised over £180 so far and did this because is uncle is going through treatment at the moment and wanted to put something back to say thank you for the help they are getting from Macmillan!
Congratulations to Naresh Khandelwal who won a selection of party foods from Holleys fine foods in last month's Prize Draw!
On Thursday 26th Rose Jinks - manager of Marlborough - gave birth to Jack at 8.14pm. Congratulations to rose and the family. Baby and mother are doing well - so well in fact that when Rose came to the site to show him off she couldn't help but put a few invoices on! That is dedication.... now go and enjoy motherhood Rose.
Over the past couple of months Louise has been working behind the scenes preparing for the launch of the new store, that whilst training up the new management team at Lower Earley. Her workload has ramped up but so has her enthusiasm and her focus to get the job done has been impressive!
Come along and check out what’s coming to your new store and tell us what you want. We’ll be showcasing the new store on Monday 23rd May at Three Mile Cross Bowles Club for the community to meet the team, try some product and see the plans for the new store.
After a few minor, weather related delays at the start of construction we are now able to give an opening date of Wednesday 8th June. You would have seen the roof going on and the canopy columns up over the last few weeks.
On 23rd April Subway Brize Norton celebrated St Georges day in style! Giving away one 6 inch sub with every 6 inch sub bought. The day was a real success with the Sandwich artists as busier than ever – none other than our very own Subman, who took to the streets of Carteton, visiting the locals schools and businesses.
As you will be aware, we introduced the bag surcharge back in October when we opted into the government led initiative. Having crunched the numbers from January to March we are pleased to say that once again the use has fallen.
Congratulations to Andrew Dix who won a selection of local ales (courtesy of Craft Drinks) in last month's Prize Draw!
Rose has been with us since 2002 when we acquired our Calne site. She was promoted to store manager very quickly and when the site was sold came over to the Marlborough store. At Marlborough her relaxed demeanour and hard working ethic has been a credit to the store.
So, the tanks are in (as you can see from the picture). They look more like yellow submarines we know, but rest assured these are where the fuel will be stored! The building frame is up and the brickwork has started. All coming together nicely.
This month we have chocolate bunnies everywhere! The winner of the prize draw was Kate Hitchings from Lower Earley who told us that on Easter Sunday her family 'eats their Easter eggs after we have rolled them down the stairs to crack the chocolate shells!' Sounds fun.
This Easter our Yarnton store were pleased to contribute towards the Easter hunt at William Fletcher School. All 253 children were pleased to receive a Easter chocolate from Frasers Budgens… there were even a few extras for the staff. Glad to be spreading the Easter joy through the village!
Congratulations to our regular customer Nancy who won the Easter raffle at our Yarnton store. Pictured here with Phil, the store manager, Nancy won a 1KG Chocolate Easter Bunny which helped raise a fantastic £165 for our chosen charity, Sobell House.
This year for Sports relief you would have seen the stores getting active and getting behind this great charity. All in all raising a healthy £199.05! Thank you to all our lovely customers who donated their spare change for this worthy cause.
Saskia started in November 2015, as a part time member, and has now become full time. She works hard to a high standard, always does overtime and works weekends. During the last month she has been doing the early morning opening up of the subway while other members have been away, this includes doing the in store baking along side training the new members of staff.
With the site down now you'll start to see the major changes taking place in the coming weeks! All very exciting!
During the month of March you’ll see a slight change in our Coffee offering at the Yarnton store! We are pleased to be bringing the UK’s No.1 Coffee brand to Yarnton, replacing the existing Lavazza machine. This change was not taken lightly but we are confident you will love the taste and reliability of Costa!
Congratulations to Serra Malta who won a bouquet of flowers courtesy of Cotswold Flower Barn in our Prize Draw!
On February 20th a 12 hour charity bowls match took place in aid of Sam Justin - a well-loved ex employee. This helped to raise funds for the critical care unit Justin was in. The Brize Norton site and Subway raised the sum of £1000 for this important charity.
Sophie joined Fraser's Retail 10 years ago as a part time worker while still at school until taken on in a full time position, eventually becoming the Subway manager about 6 years ago.
We are pleased to let you know that work has officially started at Three Mile Cross. This will be a 16 week build so we are aiming for a late May opening. Whilst the store will have a wide range of fresh products, as well as groceries, wines etc – we are keen to hear what you want.
As work is underway and the time will fly by we wanted to get started on the recruitment of the store. The site will be a large convenience store and will need a force of part time and full time workers. Some cashiers, some merchandisers and other positions will be needed.
Back in December our Brize Norton store donated a substantial amount of food and non-foods to the Carteton Food Bank. The items went into 25 hampers which were delivered to families in need over the festive period.
Sadly, on 13th January on of our ex-employees Samuel Justin passed away aged 18. He is greatly missed by all of the employee and his friends at the Brize Norton store and Subway and our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
You’ll be pleased to hear that our Cannon Pool site had its planning application approved. Whilst there is only a 10 sq metre extension on the sales building we have managed to increase the sales area by 25% on the plans.
Julie has worked at the Yarnton store for 2 years now and in this time has always shown great commitment to her job. In the past year she has taken on the produce section and is running it to a very high standard.
Congratulations to Michael Hocken from Cannon Pool who won a refreshing hamper of Fentimans Drinks in our Prize Draw!
As you will be aware we have chosen to implement the 5p carrier bag charge since the government change on October 5th. Over the 3 months since the charge not only have the bags given out reduced dramatically but we have raised a fantastic £1053.36 for good causes.
Congratulations to Mrs Isles who was the lucky winner of a case of wine to go with her Christmas Lunch! We hope you enjoyed your Christmas lunch and the wine that perfectly accompanied it!
At the beginning of next month work will start on the development of Three Mile Cross. This should take around 16 weeks to complete. We’d like to thank the locals for their patience during this time but the wait will be worth it.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Louisa Packham, who won some fantastic party wines from the Oxford Wine Company!
You may have noticed over the Christmas period the stores all in a particularly seasonal mood. Our 12 days of Christmas dressing up was in full swing in the festive build up. We hope you all enjoyed it - Julie from Yarnton definitely did as shown by the picture!
Christmas is a particularly difficult time to chose an employee of the month so whoever it was would have to have done something exceptional! Well, look no further than Corrina from Cannon Pool. Corina has worked for us for 15 years and in this time has become a ever reliable member of the team.
Here are the Christmas and New Year store opening times for Yarnton and Marlborough. All opening times remain normal, except for the following:
Friday the 13th November saw the annual Children in need! All the stores got involved in their own ways. Whether it was dressing up in their pyjamas at Marlborough or having a Cake and Ale sale at Lower Earley they all did their bit raising a combined total of nearly £500 - very nearly infact (£498.69!). Lower Earley gets a special mention for raising £322; a big thanks to Jo D who was at her fund raising best!
The Yarnton store (as you know it now) is 5 years old this month. For those of you who remember, the store opened under a foot of snow in freezing cold conditions, a challenge in itself!
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Pedro Ferraro from Brize Norton, who won a Christmas Cheese and Chutney Hamper!
You may have noticed some funny top lip action during the month of November (or Movember as its known). Some of the team at Yarnton were raising awareness and a bit of money for the Movember charity.
This month was a particularly difficult choice with a lot of staff throwing their hats in the ring! Well done to all nominations but there can only be one winner... this month it is Jo D from Lower Early. Well done!
November means Movember in Frasers Budgens. Phil and a few members of the team are growing a moustache in aid of mens health. Please donate and help us raise as much as we can for this worthy cause.
You may have noticed on the 30th and 31st October a spooky feel in the stores. A few witches (as showcased by our team at Lower Early), Zombies, Vampires amongst other weird and wonderfully horrible costumes.
Amy has worked for the store for less than a year but in her short time at the store has shown why she is a fully deserved Employee of the Month. Combining her work at Yarnton with her studies Amy has brought a great enthusiasm to the store.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Angela Hilton from Yarnton, who won a sweet hamper!
Over the past few years Frasers Retail has made a donation to the youth activities programmes in the village of Yarnton. This year it is the street sports programme and with a few other selected local businesses we have helped this become a major success, so much so that we were honoured to get a mention in the Oxford Mail! Long may this partnership continue!
As you will be aware the government is introducing a 5p levy on carrier bags from Monday 5th October. This only applies to larger businesses but at Fraser’s retail we thought it important to make some changes – that’s why we have decided to take part in this levy. Each store will be raising funds for it’s chosen charity with the proceeds from the bags. We are proud to be supporting this initiative and if you would like more information please ask in store.
On September 10th our Yarnton store was proud top host the latest local supplier tasting day. With 6 of our favourite suppliers attending customers had a real treat in store. A big thank top the following suppliers; Oxford Wines, Oxford Cheese, Cornfield, West Berks, Arkells and The Meat Joint.
As the sausage project draws to a close we are please to say that over the last few months the store has sold a mouthwatering 169 maple syrup and chilli sausages! This equates to a fantastic £67.60 towards the new kitchen equipment. This combined with the generous donations from customers in the store, although at this time not fully counted, makes a very heathly amount for the school.
At our Marlborough store a Rugby Raffle was put together to raise funds for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance. So far we have raised a fantastic £183 - the store will continue raising funds until the end of the world cup!
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, David Leon, who won a load of baking goodies!
With Halloween coming at the end of the month it gives the stores a great opportunity to not only have a bit of fun but also raise some money for their chosen charity! Keep an eye out in store for some ghastly ghouls and wicked witches as the stores get into the spirit of things (spirit, get it?!!).
Jenny has worked at the store for over two years now and has become an important member of the team. Recently she has been nominated for UK cashier of the year award on the back of getting 100% in her last 6 mystery shopper reports!
On 25th September BP Cannon Pool hosted it’s own MacMillan coffee morning raising a fantastic £50.70 for this great cause. Well done to all the staff and thank you to all our wonderful customers who contributed. Here’s to next year!
Ahhh, the smells of summer….fish and chips on the beach, freshly mown grass, sun-lotion (particularly those coconut ones) and…erm, the smell of hot bitumen being laid on the road network. And the sights of summer? Well depending on the kind of holiday you’ve just had, they may be golden sands and turquoise waters. Or perhaps its massive traffic jams that come to mind, as road crews up and down the country mend, fill and construct new highways. But why oh why can’t they do it when the roads are quiet, instead of the very time that everyone goes on holiday…?
Come along to our Yarnton store to sample some local treats on Thursday 10th September from 3pm. Sample a host of fantastic local products from the Meat Joint, Oxford Wines amongst a plethora of lovely local suppliers.
This months prize draws gets inspiration from our love of The Great British Bake off and Strictly Come Dancing!
As the project continues we are pleased to update you with how its progressing. The project was set up as a collaboration between Fraser’s Budgens of Yarnton, The Meat Joint (local butcher) and the local school, William Fletcher.
We are pleased to announce that we have full planning permission to develop our Site in Three Mile Cross.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Joanne Brierley, who won a fantastic hamper of Cotswold Fudge!
Marek started at Subway Brize Norton in July 2014 and in his time has sown he is a very hard worker. He works to a very high standard in his role and was soon given evening supervisor.
As the sausage project rolls on we are pleased to say that so far a fantastic 98 maple syrup and chilli sausages have been sold, which translates as £39.20 so far towards the school kitchen! Whilst on holidays we'll be doing our bit in the store so come on in and try some of the wonderful William Fletcher Summer Sizzler. Remember, these have been designed by the children, made by the local butcher and sold in your local store!
For the fourth year running Frasers Budgens of Yarnton will be sponsoring the Youth bus in Yarnton. The Youth Bus is a fully adapted bus used for youth work sessions throughout Oxfordshire. The vehicle has a dedicated 'chill out' area, music and video game facilities being perfect for youth club sessions during the winter months.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Amy Get, who won the 'Relish The Thought' picnic hamper!
Jan has been put forward by a few members of staff. She is the supervisor and right hand woman, staff can go to her for anything. She'll gladly take on any task which will always be performed to the best of her ability. On many occasions she stays over her time to get the job done. Her dedication and hard work shines through.
As the ‘Sausage Project’ progresses we were pleased to see it made the Oxford Mail! If you remember the sausages were whittled down to three and the winner was chosen by the judges and the children on the 11th June.
We are very proud, and excited, to introduce Phil Naylor to the team at Yarnton! Many local customers would have already met Phil but if you haven't pop in and say hi! Phil brings a wealth of experience with him, having been with Sainsburys for the last 17 years.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Dennis West, who won the lovely hamper from Twinings!
Pop into Marlborough to pick up a top quality wines at a great price with our new pick and mix offer. Pick any of the wines in the offer and get 15% off - see in store for more details.
Jodine is leaving in August to move away as her husband is in the forces but over the last 5 years she has been very much committed to the company, she is hardworking and a real support to the store manager.
Over the past 6 months our Marlborough have been raising funds for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance – the stores chosen charity.
As the sausage project continues the flavours have been whittled down to 3. Some fantastic suggestions came in from the children at William Fletcher School.
BP have joined up with Pizza Express to give you the opportunity to get a free main course at their restaurants!
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Angela Jameson, who won two Arkells Beers Gift packs!
Steph has been at the store since it opened having come from our Brize Norton store. She took a break from the Subway to pursue a career in web designed but has come back and managed the Subway permanently since September.
Once again Frasers Retail will be taking to the streets of Oxford to partake in the Moonlight Stroll! On July 11th a team form Frasers Retail shall be dressing up in their super hero gear (seriously!) to raise money for Sobell House by walking 9 miles through the spires of Oxford at Midnight.
What do you get when you combine William Fletcher Primary school, Frasers Budgens and the Meat Joint Butcher? The Sausage Project of course! Over the next few months the Sausage project will see a group of Primary School kids designing and selling sausages through Frasers Budgens with a percentage of each pack sold going towards new kit for the school kitchen!
On 6th May at William Fletcher School the children of years 3 and 4 were lucky enough to have a very special presentation on the humble Bee! Our Honey supplier The Oxford Honey Company took time out of their busy day to tell children all about Honey and Bee’s.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Carole Abilad, who won a fabulous hamper of Oxford Honey.
No matter what the weather is we have a great selection of summer wine in the stores. Our wine of the month and recommend wines are a mixture of soft light reds, fresh and fruity whites, summer sparkling’s and fantastic rose’s!
Frasers Retail would like to wish good luck to Wojtek Pluciennik and family their next chapter in life. Wojtek has been a vital member of the team since 2006, and we will be really sad to see him leave.
Julie has worked at the store for the best part of two years and in her time has shown a tremendous enthusiasm for the job. Her work ethic is excellent whilst her good humour makes her a joy to work with.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Garry O'Brien from Brize Norton, who won a bottle of GH Mumm Champagne.
Last month two of our Subway supervisors Zoe and Sophie passed their management course at Subway HQ! The course covered a whole host of day to day duties, from standards to cleanliness and stock management to financial management, amongst much more! Well done to the two of you!
This year the Easter Bunny raffle raised a brilliant £161 for Sobell House, our chosen charity. The winner was a very lucky Mrs Taylor from the Village, who has given the Bunny to Sobell House!
This Easter Frasers Budgens of Marlborough were proud to donate a 1KG Lindt Easter Chocolate Bunny! The raffle raised £141, which goes towards the day to day running of the home and for various amenities and activities for the residents.
Over the Easter Period our Marlborough store held its annual Easter bunny Raffle. This year we managed to raise a fantastic £83, which takes the total raised and donated by customers over the last 6 months to a very healthy £243.13.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Daniel Wickham-Jones, who won a luxury bouquet of flowers! We asked you to share a romantic poem to be in with a chance of winning…
Yarnton customers – we have launched our brand new Facebook page. Whether we have a special weekend deal, something we’d like to share or let you know, keep in the loop with all the latest news on Facebook.
Our Yarnton store was the top collector in 2014 for Sobell House Hospice. Sobell house provide much needed care in a comfortable environment for those at the end of their lives. We raised £644.03 which makes the store by far the top collecting box outlet in the county for 2014, increasing the amount taken by £200 more 2013.
Sam has been with our group since 2008 and is currently running the accounts for our site in Marlborough. Over the past month, Sam has helped set up the necessary applications for our new site in Three Mile Cross and has proved herself to be a real asset within the offices and our company as a whole.
We were proud to provide the ingredients for the annual founders day at Yarnton Primary School, William Fletcher.
Rose Wiggins has managed our store in Calne since we purchased the store in 2002 and moved across after the sale to BP.
Anas works both night and day shifts, he always goes above and beyond to help the site out. He covers many shifts, especially this month due to people on maternity leave.
We are pleased to announce that we will be completing the purchase of a new store in Three Mile Cross, Reading on Tuesday 13th January.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Richard Jurd, who won dinner party case of wine courtesy of the Oxford Wine Company! We asked you to tell us 'Which 6 famous people (dead or alive) would you invite to your dinner party?'…
Sadly, after almost 13 years within our business, our site in Calne (or Pippin as it is known within our company) has been sold to BP M&S. We bought Pippin in 2003 and quickly doubled the size of the convenience store and added a car wash and 2 jet washes.
Throughout the stores, whilst be very busy, the staff still had time to have some fun, and even a little competition! With the stores looking festive, there were some great Christmas Jumpers, a polar bear and even a Christmas tree on display. It's just a shame the staff can't dress up like Christmas trees every day!
Dale has been with us for just over a year and in this time has shown himself to be a great member of the team. Every day Dale is hard working and his no questions asked attitude makes him an important and popular employee.
Please see below for a list of all of our Opening Times over the Christmas and New Year period.
Get your order forms in by December 8th at Yarnton to guarantee your perfect Christmas lunch. As you will know by now, we have teamed up with the Meat Joint to bring you traditionally reared free range turkeys by reknowned farm Peachcroft. Last chance to order you local Christmas lunch at Yarnton!
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Peter Barnes, who won a Christmas taster hamper! We asked you to tell us your favourite Christmas cracker joke…
On 7th December we are pleased to be supporting the Yarnton Pre-School Christmas funday. By providing a range of Christmas delights like mulled wine and mince pies we hope we can help raise funds for this important establishment.
Debbie joined the store over year ago and in her time has become a hugely important member of the team. Her sense of humour and willingness to get stuck in combined with her attention to detail makes her a well liked and appreciated employee.
After the success of last year we have again teamed up with the The Meat Joint to offer all our customers at Yarnton the opportunity to get their Christmas turkeys with all the trimmings from the store.
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Catalina Marin, who won a fantastic mix of Halloween themed goodies! We asked you to tell us a short spooky Halloween story and Catalina's winning entry certainly was….
November means Movember at Frasers Retail. The month when some staff grow a moustache in aid of MOvember; a charity set up in aid of mens health. This charity supports the number one and two male specific cancers - prostate and testicular cancer.
Come and join us for some local tastings at Yarnton every Thursday during November. From the local sauces of Ben & Jacobs, the wonderful preserves and chutneys of Bay Tree to our reknowned butcher, The Meat Joint, you can come and meet the maker. See you there!
From Friday 7th November, our store at Lower Earley will be trading for a smaller temporary store, while the existing shop floor is re-fitted.
On October 31st in true Frasers Budgens style the stores took the opportunity to dress up in their finest Halloween outfits! With some vampires, witches and even princess Fiona from shrek in the stores there was fun to be had!
Have a read of what Fuels expert James Spencer thinks………
The price movements in October were certainly significant and they also came on the back of a more steady decline in prices that commenced just about the time that Portland made his bold prediction.
David has been our Car Wash Supervisor at Lower Earley since 2001. Over the past 13 years, David has always been a go to man at the store if a customer or colleague needs assistant.
On November 14th we will be attending the annual Oxford Wine Tasting at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford. If you would like to join us it’s £10 a ticket (refundable when you purchase 12 bottles or more).
Congratulations to our latest Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Michelle Cook, who won a collection of scrumptious cakes from Fatherson Bakery!
Our Budgens store in Marlborough won the award for Best Valeting Facilities at last months Forecourt Trader awards. This is the second year running that we have won this award at the same store, so clearly we are doing something right.
For the first time, our SUBWAY staff supported the RAF Brize Norton families day. As well as donating £500 towards the nominated charity of the day, we also provided fresh sandwiches/cookies and cold drinks.
Jean joined the company in September 1989 and celebrated her 25th anniversary as a member of our team, with afternoon tea at Blenheim Palace.
Congratulations to our second Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Lesley Adams, who won a case of wine from the Oxford Wine Company!
On Friday 5th September Aga, Jonathan, Laura and Sally from Yarnton took part in the ice bucket challenge! Raising donations for ALS, we were proud to be part of this widespread craze!
Fraser’s Retail has been providing the Oxfordshire West Food Bank with a place to store and supply food since the end of last year. Although we are in 2014, local Food banks are continuing to grow in demand and when were approached last year to assist the Oxfordshire West Food Bank in finding a new premises to store and supply food we were delighted to be able to help.
In November, our Lower Earley store will celebrate its 20th birthday. To celebrate this, we are carrying out an extension to the building, a new store refit and will be putting in a Subway Fresh Food offer (our 4th in our group of 6 stores).
During the month of August Lindsay Simmons, our Produce and Bread manager at Marlborough rode her horse with a group of volunteers along the northern sector of the western front in France to commemorate the start of the First World War.
Trish started with our company in 1989 (when she was very young) as a part-time sales assistant. Since 2001, she has jointly managed our Spar store in Witney, with her daughter Ginette.
On July 12th a team from Fraser's Budgens donned their PJ's (plus a onesie!) and took to the streets of Oxford with 1000 other people to raise money for our chosen charity, Sobell House.
Chris has been at the store since day one and has become a very important member of the team. He runs the frozen department as well as being in charge of the ever popular COOK food.
Congratulations to our first Platinum Club Prize Draw winner, Claire Fitton, who won a hamper full of local goodies!
Every year Fraser’s Budgens helps out with the William Fletcher Fitness day! This year it was on July 17th and with the super hot weather we were more than happy to donate that extra bit of much needed water, amongst the various types of fruit the children could also dig into.
Over the last few months Fraser’s Budgens have been conducting a trial with Abingdon and Winey College with the waste from the store.
On Friday 27th June Frasers Budgens took part in the annual School Fete, selling Strawberry and Marshmallow kebabs in aid of William Fletcher School.
As you will be aware Fraser’s Budgens is entering a team into the annual moonlight stroll in Oxford on July 12th. We will be donning our Pyjamas and walking the streets of Oxford at night with thousands of others in aid of our chosen charity, Sobell House Hospice.
Nathan joined our Subway Team 6 months ago. He has shown an exceptional work ethic and commitment to his duties which has had a great influence on both customers and work colleagues.
On July 12th Fraser’s Budgens will be entering a team into the Moonlight Stroll in aid of our chosen charity, Sobell House Hospice. The Moonlight Stroll is a night time sponsored walk through the streets of Oxford.
Noel has been with the store since we opened and has always shown a fantastic work ethic. He is hard working and has become a hugely reliable member of the team.
On 30th May our local baker, Cornfield Bakery showcased their great range of bread at our Yarnton store with a tasting morning. Customers were given the chance to try some of our wonderful breads, baked only 9 miles from the store!
Our wine partner, The Oxford Wine Company has won this prestigious award for the last four years. We are extremely proud to be selling Oxford Wines in the store and to have them as part of the wine club. Congratulations to everyone at Oxford Wine!
Chris joined the team nearly 2 years ago as a category manager for Grocery. During his time at Yarnton he has helped drive this area forward in the store. His sense of fun and good humour is infectious for both staff and customers alike.
Fraser’s Budgens of Yarnton are proud to announce a new partnership with Cornfield Bakery. Cornfield Bakery are a third generation family run bakery, based in Wheatley. They have become one of the most popular bakers in the area and will add something different for the customers of Yarnton.
The Easter Bunny raffle was a was a huge success with our generous customers donating a fantastic £369.60 combined to our two charities, the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Sobell House Hospice.
Frasers Budgens of Marlborough were proud to donate an Easter hamper to Combe End Court care home over the Easter raising a fantastic £124 in their Easter raffle. The money raised has gone to the amenity fund, meaning the residents of the care home can go on days out and have entertainment provided in the home.
At the till points at Fraser’s Budgens of Yarnton we collect donations from our generous customers for the Sobell House Hospice. For the remainder year we have decided to make Sobell House our official charity at Yarnton.
Feeling patriotic? We are! Visit one of our Subways (Yarnton & Marlborough only) on 23rd April and get and 10% off your Subway.
On Friday 20th March Fraser’s Budgens got involved with Sports Relief. At Marlborough and Yarnton the staff got dressed up in their sports gear raising funds for this worthwhile cause.
We are delighted to announce that all Platinum club members can now obtain a 10% discount at the 3 Oxford Wine Company stores!
Simply take your Platinum card along to any of the following stores, and just show your card at the checkout to redeem your discount.
Joan is the longest serving member of staff at Yarnton and with that brings a wealth of experience. Her excellent work ethic shines through every shift but this month she has really stepped up when needed.
Moira has been a part of our Subway Team from a very first day works in a store as a Sandwich Artist. She is one of the most reliable and dedicated members of the team; there is no job too big or too small and she will always perform it with a big smile.
Lindsay has shown in her time at Marlborough a great appetite for getting the job done! She has taken on more responsibilities including running the produce and the bread.
On January 16th Frasers Budgens were proud to show their support in the community by presenting donations to nine local charities and organisations in Marlborough.
Frasers Budgens of Yarnton are proud to launch the first Lavazza coffee machine in UK forecourts. Lavazza is well known as Italy's favourite coffee but it is soon to become Yarnton's favourite coffee too!
During the month of January William Fletcher School in Yarnton celebrates the school founders day. William Fletcher, the founder of the school, asked that each child gets a fruit cake on the anniversary of his death.
Every year Fraser's Budgens teams up with the local church to provide over 100 oranges for the school Christingle. William Fletcher School in Yarnton showed the Christmas spirit as displayed by the photo!
You can now get 50% off a cup of coffee just by showing your Platinum Card, instead of the usual 20%. This offer is only available to coffees bought through the subway so does not include Costa or the new Lavazza machine at Yarnton. The first of many additions to the platinum card in 2014!
In the week before Christmas both Marlborough and Yarnton dressed up in their finest festive wear!
Yvonne has been with us for over 2 years now and in her time has contributed to the store in many ways. Her willingness to help when needed and her sense of fun have made a favourite for staff and customers alike.
On Wednesday 27th November at 19.48 Thomas Fraser became the latest member of the Fraser household! Jonathan, the store manager of Yarnton, and Victoria couldn't be happier. Both mother and Thomas are well. Jonathan would like to thank customers and staff alike for all the lovely messages.
On the 20th November Yarnton Pavillion opened its doors for the first time. As proud sponsors of the football club we were very pleased to get a mention. The photo is a great pic of the men's team with our banner outside the Pavillion. Good luck for the season!
