News UK Retail Field Team Midlands Territory Manager, Lisa Bagshaw is in the spotlight this week as she explains how the team visits 12,000 stores across the UK on a six week rota and has placed one million items of point of sale materials with retailers.

Sum up what you do at News UK in the shortest sentence possible.

I work within the News UK Retail Field Team as a Territory Manager. I manage a territory with nearly 400 Newsagents & Roundsmen and visit them once every 6-7 weeks, engaging retailers on why news matters to their stores and how the category can support their trade.

Lay a bit of context on that?

I support and educate newsagents on the in-paper campaigns for The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times, ensuring that retailers understand them and they are executed to a high standard in-store to encourage purchases. One of the most important parts of my role is spending time with each of my retailers to help them to understand how the news category, and News UK brands specifically, can support their sales. This is all part of our News Matters campaign and reminding retailers how newspapers can multiply their basket spend – 13% more store visits are made by newspaper shoppers and 75% of those shoppers buy at least one other item in-store.

What attracted you to the role in the first place?

I was excited by the opportunity to work for the number one news brand in the UK – I previously worked as a retail manager and this role allowed me to transfer my skills to support other stores to maximise their trading with amazing brands.

What’s the most interesting/challenging part of your job?

I am visiting different stores each day so I get to meet a wide network of retail colleagues. This allows me to continually build new relationships and help drive sales in each store.

What are the three most important things on your working agenda today?

Our ‘News Matters’ campaign messaging is the most important part of my role. So I will be reminding my retailers why newspapers should be front of store to draw in customers!

The Sun £9.50 holidays campaign has been a key focus over the last few weeks where we are activating a full point of sale promotion to increase the campaign’s visibility in store. This is our biggest campaign footfall driver, so ensuring we get this supported by our retailers is vital.

Within my team I also support with the training and development of colleagues. This includes coaching the team with how to deliver campaigns and priorities. I am currently training a new member of the team on all the calls we make and how to ensure we maximise the time we have in store.

Last book, film, binge watch and sounds you consumed?

Fear bubble by the SAS’ Ant Middleton.

What is your most treasured possession?

I have two:

1.My father’s army medals from the Falkland’s & Northern Ireland conflicts.

2.A Balrog Weta statue from Lord of the Rings, which is a limited edition and signed by the sculpture artist.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

Ellen DeGeneres.

What was the last gift you gave to someone – and why?

I bought my wife a Kindle Oasis e-reader for a Christmas gift.

And what advice would you give to anyone wanting to do your job?

Make sure you are organised and have a good plan to ensure you are productive & effective as a Territory Manager. Always keep a positive mindset and treat each store call as a new opportunity. If you’d like to find out more about opportunities to work at News UK, click here.