A.F. Blakemore Bids Farewell to Geoff Hallam

June 10, 2022

After 32 years with the business, A.F. Blakemore’s Group Managing Director for Operations, Geoff Hallam, retired on 20th May.  

Having spent 25 years as a director, Geoff has been pivotal in the growth of the company.

Holding responsibility for the Blakemore Retail division, he oversaw the growth of the company’s SPAR chain from 12 to more than 300 stores, increasing annual turnover to more than £500m.

Geoff introduced partnerships with Greggs and Subway as well as developing the food-to-go offer under the DailyDeli brand. These are now core to Blakemore Retail’s successful strategy.

He also oversaw the measures implemented in-store and operationally during the pandemic, reacting quickly to lead the company’s effective response to these considerable challenges.

As a Group Board member for 20 years, Geoff has made a significant contribution to the growth of the overall A.F. Blakemore group, including the development of the Property department and Design & Shopfitting division.

He was appointed Group Managing Director for Operations in 2018 and assumed responsibility for the company’s Logistics, Finance, IT and Property functions as well as operating the Philpotts store portfolio, which he oversaw the acquisition of in 2019. 

Following Geoff’s retirement, Jerry Marwood has taken over day-to-day Group CEO responsibilities and will continue to steer the company’s strategic direction until his own retirement in May 2023. Geoff will continue to support the business as a pension trustee.

Group Chairman Peter Blakemore commented: “Geoff’s contribution to the AFB business has been substantial, and I would like to thank him for his dedication and commitment during his time with us and wish him every happiness in his retirement.”  

Geoff commented: “It has been a pleasure and honour to have been part of the A.F. Blakemore team over the last 32 years and I would like to thank each and every one of you for your help and support over that time.

“But most importantly I would like to put on record my gratitude to Peter personally for his guidance and support. It has been invaluable, and without it I would not have had such a fantastic career with AFB.”

We caught up with Geoff one last time to ask him about his time at A.F. Blakemore:

Firstly, can you tell us a bit more about your career?  

I joined Blakemore’s in 1989 as General Manager of our 12 retail company stores, reporting to Elwyn Davies, who was the Sales Director at that time. In 1994 AFB acquired the convenience chain Tates Ltd, and in the same period we purchased a large number of Lo-Cost stores. These were all converted to SPAR, increasing store numbers to around 150 in a very short period of time. 

I then became Tates Operations Director, reporting to the Managing Director, Colin Ellis. In 2001 Colin retired and I became MD and joined the Group Board, reporting to Peter Blakemore. Since that time, I have had Group Board responsibility for many areas of the business, including Blakemore Retail, Design & Shopfitting, Property, Logistics, Fresh Foods, the cash & carry depots we used to own and Philpotts. I also supported Scott Munro-Morris with Finance and IT (not sure I was any help!). My final job title was Group Managing Director – Operations.

What have you enjoyed most about working at A.F. Blakemore?

I think it must be the people. I have been so fortunate to have worked with so many great people, not only with the company, but across the whole SPAR organisation.

Do you have any favourite memories?

I have far too many to mention them all, but an example would be store manager conferences in places such as Marbella, Disneyland Paris and Center Parcs. It was such a pleasure to see the whole team, who worked so hard throughout the year, having a fabulous time with their colleagues.

Then, from a people point of view it has given me great satisfaction seeing colleagues join the business and then watching them grow, develop and get promoted into senior roles. When I look across this business, it is amazing how many talented and hardworking individuals there are.

I have really enjoyed the process of developing new stores, from buying a piece of land to the design and build process, instore design and refit, the launch, and then them becoming a successful Blakemore Retail store.

Another thing I have enjoyed is working with new divisions and learning how they work. Wherever I worked across the business I always met great, dedicated, hardworking colleagues. This was most recently the case in Logistics.

Is there anything you will miss when you leave?  

There are many, but the number one thing is the people and being part of a team that is all pulling in the same direction, giving 100% to achieve a common goal.

What would you say is your biggest achievement?

I will leave other people to decide on that.

How do you see the future of A.F. Blakemore?

I see a very exciting future for AFB under the guidance of the senior team. There are many opportunities to grow and acquire new business. There may be short-term difficulties; like all other businesses the company is not immune to challenges, but when you have been trading for over 100 years, you have experience and expertise to overcome these types of challenges that come along from time to time. As a family business AFB is much more resilient and can make the right decisions for the long term.

Have you got any plans for how you will be spending your retirement?

I have some nice holidays booked, so I will have plenty of time to plan my future.
 

Happy retirement Geoff! 

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