John Roberts’ mission to give young people ‘somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to’ makes him a worthy winner.
Now in its second year, the Retail Activist Award was introduced to highlight the great contribution that retailers make to society through the efforts of those who have personally championed a cause or spearheaded a campaign that shows great corporate citizenship.
All of the shortlisted candidates are listed here, in the spirit of the award, but the winner is John Roberts, founder and chief executive of electricals etailer AO.com.
Roberts was recognised for his support for young people as chair of OnSide Youth Zones, which provides young people with safe, affordable and inspiring places to go in their leisure time.
“If you think how a community can sustain a B&Q, it can sustain a youth club. We use B&Q to keep our homes a bit smarter. Let’s use a Youth Zone to keep our kids a bit happier, brighter and more engaged”
John Roberts, AO.com
Backing for youngsters is nothing new for Roberts, who has been involved with the Bolton Lads and Girls Club for 25 years, but OnSide takes that to another level. OnSide’s centres are a far cry from the fairly basic youth clubs that some might remember. Based in inspiring buildings, all sorts of activities are on offer, ranging from well-equipped music rooms to sports facilities and food. There are mentoring, employment and mental health initiatives, all supported by youth workers.
About 38,000 members, often from deprived communities, make 520,000 visits to OnSide centres every year.
Roberts says: “I think talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not, so I think it’s incumbent on us as a nation and as adults to give kids the best possible start in life that we can. We have a responsibility to do that across all communities, whether rich or poor, black or white, of whatever religion.
“Social cohesion is a critical thing and bringing kids of all faiths and backgrounds together, it’s amazing how all the issues we as adults impose on them just disappear. The principle is that we give kids somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to.”
Community caring
The funding model is based on partnerships between councils and communities, including businesses. “It is a brilliant example of how the whole community comes together to make this happen,” says Roberts. “I think consumers expect business now to think more about communities, but I also think business should do it because it’s the right thing to do.
“There are amazing benefits from it – I always say I think the mentor benefits more than the mentee in lots of instances.
“Having a business’ team and colleagues involved in volunteering, giving something back and a real deepening of purpose in life is brilliant for a business.
“From a retail perspective, we’re in the heart of some of the most disadvantaged communities and what we’re doing is making the streets safer.
“What we really need to do is get these kids to believe, to lift their eye line and believe they are worthy of all the opportunities that the world has to offer them.”
The right thing to do
Roberts’ experience at OnSide has prompted changes to AO’s business. Four years ago at one centre, the entrepreneur met an 11-year-old girl who was being teased at school. At home, the washing machine was broken and, her mother unable to afford a new one, the girl’s uniform went unwashed – the only option would have been a costly rent-to-own deal or resort to a doorstep lender. AO has since launched a rental scheme on washing machines for £2 per week, with no need for any upfront payment, repairs covered in the event of breakdown and replacement after five years.
Roberts sees much unmet need for OnSide. He explains it in retail terms, making a comparison with the number of places where B&Q trades. He says: “If you think how a community can sustain a B&Q, it can sustain a youth club. We use B&Q to keep our homes a bit smarter. Let’s use a Youth Zone to keep our kids a bit happier, brighter and more engaged.”
Marks of excellence
Mark Constantine, co-founder and MD, Lush
The co-founder and managing director of cosmetics specialist Lush was an environmentalist long before issues such as climate change and single-use plastics were mainstream.
Designing out waste has always been part of the retailer’s approach and today 65% of its cosmetics are available packaging-free – or, as Lush calls them, ‘naked’.
Constantine, who along with wife and co-founder Mo was awarded an OBE for services to the beauty industry in 2011, says it makes sense from a business and consumer perspective as well as for environmental reasons.
He says: “In Lush, we work in an industry where the packaging costs the customer more than the product. The customer needs to worry about how to recycle something they didn’t want to buy in the first place. This seems like a raw deal to us. If we can cut out all the plastic packaging, we can give our customers better value for money.”
Lush’s eco-activism has struck a chord with customers, evidenced by the growth of its naked lines. Back in 2010 Lush sold 49 million naked products; by 2018 the number had climbed to 93 million. In terms of actual impact, for example, Lush estimates the sales of its shampoo bar since 2005 have prevented 124 million plastic bottles from ever being produced.
The retailer has been opening naked shops since 2018 – they now trade in Berlin, Hong Kong, Manchester and Milan.
Constantine has put his money where his mouth is through Lush’s support for groups campaigning on and raising awareness of environmental and other issues. Last year the retailer made donations worldwide totalling £12m, of which £4.3m went to 672 environmental groups.
Constantine believes, despite the rise in concern about the degradation of the environment, it must be addressed much more urgently. He told Retail Week earlier this year: “I am so sick of everyone talking about what they’ll do in five or 10 years and targets – do it now.” That is a mantra he will continue to act upon at Lush.
Henk Jan Beltman, chief chocolate officer, Tony’s Chocolonely
Chocolate brand Tony’s Chocolonely was created with one clear mission. And it was a very different ambition from those that characterise many start-ups: to make chocolate 100% slave-free.
Founded in 2005 by Dutch journalist Teun van de Keuken, Tony’s Chocolonely is now headed by majority shareholder and chief chocolate officer Henk Jan Beltman, who since 2011 has led the growth of the business. Tony’s has initiated new ways of sourcing, processing and paying for cocoa to put its central objective into practice.
The retailer says: “With incredibly tasty chocolate, we lead by example and show the world that chocolate can be made differently.”
Through direct relationships with cocoa farmers and its use of technology, Tony’s “has created a completely transparent and traceable bean-to-bar process and a living income reference price for farmers – showing that you can be commercially successful while eradicating slavery from the value chain”.
The appeal of its ethical product is evident from its status as the number one chocolate brand in the Netherlands and growth overseas including the UK, where it is sold by retailers including Ocado and Sainsbury’s.
In an interview with financial website This is Money last year, Beltman said he hoped other businesses would take a lead from Tony’s. He said: “I believe if you inspire other companies by showing them that you can be commercially successful and scalable, then they will take the matter seriously and change.
“It may sound pretty naive and arrogant but I fundamentally believe that we can inspire other companies and take out illegal labour in the cocoa industry.
“So that’s what we do and why we do it, and we’ve been doing that for the last 14 years in Holland.”
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Retail Activist: AO's John Roberts on bringing kids OnSide
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