Store Wars challenge for Invesco Perpetual pays off

As part of our wider corporate social responsibility to support local charities, community events and organisations and also drive fund raising and promote volunteering, we look to organise fund raising days like the Store Wars event as an important part of our staff led programme.

We’re delighted to support such initiatives, not only in our local community but also in the wider community.

This is why each year our employees vote for a specific charity to support, the Invesco UK ‘Charity of the Year’, and why we organise the annual Invesco Perpetual Challenge fund raising event.

We took over two of their charity shops for the day, putting a team in each to compete head to head against each other in order to improve on the day’s takings.

This is in collaboration with the Youth Adventure Trust, in which teams of clients and employees compete in a series of demanding physical challenges in mountainous locations around England raising money for disadvantaged children.

The incredible work that the care teams at Sue Ryder do caring and assisting individuals and their families during the most difficult times has touched the lives of many Invesco Perpetual staff, their friends and families over the years.

We have had a partnership with the Nettlebed hospice, near Henley, for over 10 years now and are proud supporters of a number of their annual fundraising events including the Southern Women of Achievement Awards coming up in March.

Many of our staff choose this charity to support either as volunteers or by taking part in their many challenge events.

When thinking of ways to further support Sue Ryder we decided the Store Wars volunteering day was the perfect event for our Retail Sales team to take on. We took over two of their charity shops for the day, putting a team in each to compete head to head against each other in order to improve on the day’s takings.

The Sue Ryder staff didn’t want the teams to leave at the end of the day as, being a competitive bunch, they threw themselves into every aspect of the retail sales chain, from stock taking to the store displays.

They drew on their professional skills and contacts to make a real difference to both stores that day with their fundraising totals. On an average Wednesday, the two stores would expect to take a combined total of £800 in sales.

However, with additional sales and fund raising across the two stores, we managed to raise a grand total just short of £3500. This equated to an increase of £2617.99, or 327 per cent - on a normal days trading for the two stores.

Ben Bar-Lev, in the corporate partnerships team at Sue Ryder Nettlebed Hospice, said: "Store Wars for me is quite special, being the individual who created it.

"However I always knew I wanted a team of enthusiastic and inspiring individuals such as the Invesco Perpetual sales team. I was thrilled that they decided to take on the challenge and the team were ambitious, had great incentives and really went for it.

"They are all stars and the shops loved having them-they didn't want them to go! Thank you to all who took part and ultimately helping us to continue to provide incredible hospice care."

To find out more, visit Sue Ryder Nettlebed Hospice.

Chris Lyes is head of UK retail sales for Invesco Perpetual