From part-time store roles to senior leadership, four Scotmid colleagues are marking career milestones that together span more than 110 years.
Their journeys highlight how the Scottish convenience retailer continues to “grow talent from within,” it said, creating long-term career paths across stores, operations, HR and learning and development.
For Lynne MacGillivray (below right, with flowers), the journey started in March 1991 in what was then known as a ‘shelf filler’ role at Scotmid’s South Queensferry store while she was still at school.
More than 35 years later, Lynne is now a senior member of Scotmid’s HR team, having spent the past two decades supporting and developing colleagues across the business.
Lynne said: “I never expected to stay as long as I have, but Scotmid’s variety of opportunities and strong community values made it somewhere I wanted to build my career.”
Meanwhile, Kevin Lowe joined in April 2001 as a regional business manager. Over the last 25 years, he has supported significant change across the business, including major acquisitions, business transformation projects and the growth of Scotmid’s store estate.
Reflecting on his time with Scotmid, Kevin said: “When I first started, we had around 50 stores, four Regional Business Managers and the bones of an expansion plan.
“Today, we have more than 180 stores and a custom-built head office. It’s been a fantastic growth journey, both personally and professionally, to be part of.”
Following Scotmid’s acquisition of Morning Noon & Night in 2004, Jane Burns joined Airdrie’s Scotmid store as an experienced manager. Since then, she’s progressed through compliance, training and learning and development roles and is now a lead L&D consultant, helping colleagues build successful careers of their own.
Jane said: “I quickly saw that Scotmid genuinely puts people first. The care, compassion and empathy shown during the transition made a lasting impression.”
Career development
Finally, while studying Business and Information Management at university, Lynne Hedger joined Scotmid 25 years ago as a customer service assistant. What began as a part-time job developed into a career spanning store management, change management and major business projects. Today, Lynne is head of central operations and a member of Scotmid’s Retail Leadership Team.
Reflecting on her Scotmid journey, Lynne said: “I didn’t expect to stay after completing my degree, but I quickly got the retail bug. The people, progression opportunities and support within the Society have shaped my career, with numerous mentors guiding and encouraging me along the way.”
Margaret Anne Clark, COO for services at Scotmid, said: “All four of these incredible colleagues have each made an outstanding contribution and commitment to Scotmid over many years.
“They’ve helped serve customers, support colleagues and guide the business through periods of growth and change. Their stories demonstrate the opportunities that exist within Scotmid and the difference people can make when they build a career with us.”
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