Welbee’s: The power of people, culture and a personal touch in retail

For Welbee’s, the local supermarket chain that has swiftly established itself as a household name over the past three years, success has less to do with offering the lowest price and far more to do with delivering consistent value, reliability, and a superior customer experience.

In fact, even though their outlets, website and app are often sporting great offers, David Borg, Head of People at Welbee’s, is quick to dismiss any notion of the chain being a discount store. Instead, Welbee’s has built its entire ethos around something far more profound, and that is a warm, personal, and memorable shopping experience.

“We want our customers to feel like they have visited their local grocery store,” David explains from the outset. “That is perhaps the extra value we strive to give our customers, a positive experience which makes a shopping visit an enjoyable one, through warm and engaging human interactions.”

This simple yet powerful concept drives everything at Welbee’s. From the moment staff members are onboarded, they’re steeped into the philosophy of customer care that David, who brings with him a wealth of experience from the five-star luxury hospitality sector, describes as an advanced can-do attitude.

“Staff members at Welbee’s are instilled with a positive attitude towards clients, encouraging them to say, ‘Yes I can’ for any request they receive. In fact, whatever is asked of them, within reason, they try their utmost to assist, much like your local corner grocery store would, because you would have built a rapport with the patron over the years,” David explains.

Naturally, instilling such a broad-reaching culture-shift across all staff members, now reaching a total of around 500 people, is no small task.

“The scale of the operation is considerable, as well as quite delicate, especially when considering the international complement of staff. Having a balanced mix of Maltese and foreign nationals in our teams, we opt to look at diversity as a strength rather than a challenge. In fact, we invest handsomely in climatising our international employees to elements of Maltese culture, to help them integrate successfully, while understanding the community they serve.”

And Welbee’s is pleased to note that the approach has paid off very well. “Over time, staff who once may have been hesitant about local customs, now not only speak conversational Maltese, with most of them comfortably holding everyday chats, but have also adopted the friendly, familiar approach almost akin to that of your typical Maltese village shopkeeper,” David continues.

Welbee’s takes pride in investing in its people, helping them grow and discover new potentials, with many of them reaching new heights.

“Some of the stories are genuinely inspiring. Kim, for instance, started out as a cashier in Naxxar, but she was always interested in marketing. Her drive to learn combined with our will to see our employees grow meant that three short years later, now she leads Welbee’s’ entire digital marketing efforts. Same as another cashier who recently clinched a role as an accounts clerk. We’re incredibly proud of them, and it is no surprise that most of our vacancies get filled from within our own ranks,” David says.

The company actively fosters this culture of growth through various programmes, which prepare future leaders, and notably sees active participation from foreign employees.

Furthermore, Welbee’s also collaborates with the Richmond Foundation, giving employees free, confidential access to mental health support, a benefit that has proven extremely popular and greatly appreciated.

Long service is another testament to Welbee’s’ employee-first approach. “25 people have been with us for over 20 years. In a modern world, where few people stick to the same job for more than four or five years, at most, this is no mean feat. Among them is our general manager in Naxxar, who ranked his way up to the leadership position over 38 years of dedicated service, and an assistant manager who’s clocked up 30 years despite not yet being 50! For us, it is one of our greatest achievements, seeing our team members grow with us. That kind of loyalty means everything.”

Naturally, none of this happens by accident. HR at Welbee’s isn’t treated as a back-office administrative function but it is an integral part of the company’s commercial engine. It is seen as an essential driver for sales.

“We believe that happy, courteous, well-trained employees are the best ambassadors. Ultimately, they are our first line of contact with our customers, so a lot depends directly on how well they perform,” David notes.

Taking the customer experience up a notch or two, Welbee’s also makes sure that everything in each supermarket is displayed beautifully and engagingly, according to carefully studied trends and industry norms.

“Today we have a dedicated Fresh Counter Specialist, whose job it is to ensure that all counters across all 10 outlets, be it deli, butchers, fish or bread, aren’t just stocked to the brim, but displayed attractively in a manner that entices purchases.  Our innovation department goes even deeper, meticulously tracking how often every shelf is restocked and studying buying patterns. It is the height of retail psychology at work, ensuring customers encounter the right products in the right way,” Mr Borg reveals.

In such a competitive sector, where supermarkets are constantly coming up with innovative ideas to increase trade, Welbee’s believes that making people feel genuinely welcome is what tips the scales.

“Ultimately, we want customers to look forward to coming to our shops. Shopping for groceries can be an annoying necessary task which often happens after work. We want to take that experience and make it as enjoyable as possible. When customers enjoy coming to the shop, they’ll keep coming back,” Mr Borg concludes.

This interview forms part of the 50 Business Leaders project. The new online serialisation on MaltaCEOs.mt will feature 50 distinguished business leaders, CEOs, and emerging business minds to create debate and encourage business leaders to share their journey with our readers.

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