Company Pension Scheme

The company pension scheme is one of the most important and valuable benefits that the company offers you. To join the scheme you must contribute at least 5% of your pensionable earnings. These contributions are deducted from your earnings before tax, so you get tax relief at the highest rate that you pay. The company will match your contributions up to 5%.

Life Cover

Active members of the company pension scheme will qualify for life assurance. If you die while employed by the company, your family/dependants will receive a payment equivalent to six times your annual earnings, based on the last 52 weeks’ earnings up to the date of death. Eligible non-pension members will also qualify for life assurance to the value of one times annual earnings. Hourly paid staff qualify upon completion of 12 months' continuous service. 

Health Cash Plan

A health cash plan is available to you to help protect you and your family against everyday healthcare costs. The cash plan is a voluntary healthcare benefits plan where you pay a regular weekly/monthly payment and in return you can reclaim up to 100% of any monies that you spend on healthcare, up to a specified annual limit. For more information or to sign up to the plan, please click here to read and download our Health Cash Plan leaflet and application form. You can also sign up the plan online at www.bhsf.co.uk/signup using the application code WA0905. 

Childcare Voucher Scheme

Childcare vouchers are designed to help working parents save money on their registered childcare costs. This is done by reducing the tax and National Insurance contributions you have to pay from your gross salary. You can use them to pay for registered childcare for children aged up to 16.  

Company Paternity Pay

Eligible employees are entitled to two weeks’ paid paternity leave, with the rate calculated from an average of the last 12 weeks’ pay before the date that paternity leave commences. Leave should be taken in one block within eight weeks of the birth. This is in addition to annual holiday entitlement and must be requested in advance of the birth, giving an indication of the expected date of confinement.

Staff Discount (Blakemore Retail SPAR stores)

All employees are eligible for a 10% discount (no discount on alcohol) when shopping in one of our participating company-owned SPAR stores. Simply select your shopping, provide the till operator with an acceptable form of identification (i.e. recent pay slip or company issued ID card) and the operator will authorise your discount.

Cycle to Work Scheme

The Cycle to Work scheme is a government-approved salary sacrifice scheme that allows you to hire/purchase a brand new bike up to the value of £2,000 from the company and save on tax and national insurance contributions through salary sacrifice. Repayments are made over an 18-month period directly from your gross pay, with you making savings of up to 48%. Click here to find out more. 

Long Service Awards

When you reach key service milestones, a voucher or monetary award will be given to you in recognition of your contribution to the company. Awards are given at 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years of service. When you achieve 25 years’ service the company will recognise this achievement with an additional four weeks of paid sabbatical leave. 

Retirement Gifts

Community Volunteering

The company’s award-winning community volunteering programme encourages you to make a significant, positive contribution in the communities where you live and work. You have the opportunity to get involved in a whole host of activities in the community including practical regeneration projects, mentoring, study tours of our sites and employability based workshops for students. Please email the Responsible Business team if you would like to get involved: rbp@afblakemore.co.uk. 

Blakemore Foundation

The Blakemore Foundation is a charitable trust established by the Blakemore family to help local good causes within the company’s trading area. These funds are distributed to local good causes within the company’s trading area. If you are aware of a local good cause in need of support or have undertaken a sponsored activity, then the Blakemore Foundation may be able to help. Click here to find out more.

Payroll Giving

Payroll Giving is a simple, tax-effective way to give to charity from your pay. Once authorised, the Payroll department will deduct regular charitable donations from your pay. Your donation is then sent to Charities Trust, which is approved by HM Revenue and Customs as a charity agency. The agency distributes the money to the charity or charities of your choice. Click here to find out more. 

GroceryAid

A.F. Blakemore has partnered with national charity GroceryAid to provide welfare support services to employees across the group of companies. Services include crisis support, financial assistance and free confidential advice via a helpline. Click here to find out more about GroceryAid's services.