It’s great to be part of the Klose’s family and thank you to all for the warm welcome.
My first few weeks has been absorbing the great talent we have in our business, spending some time in stores with customers and suppliers. It’s great to know that the business is in sound form and doing some great things!
A little bit about me.
I grew up down the hill at Sturt and spent most of my younger years watching my 4 older siblings get into trouble. This paved the way for me to figure out what mistakes not to make with my parents! After finishing school, I joined the RAAF as I have a passion for aviation which led me to convert to a commercial pilot’s licence post RAAF. In this time, I also worked in retail/hospitality and found a drive for being with people/customers and food. After working and travelling in Europe for several years both in aviation and retail I decided that retail was more conducive to family life, and we came back to Australia. This is where I really got passionate about leadership and worked across some big retailers whilst further study for an MBA majoring behavioural health.
With 3 kids, (Hamish, Jess, and Chloe), a dog (Marley) and a pet turtle (Rex) life is busy and it’s kept together by Juliet whom I’ve been married to for over 20 years.
People often talk about purpose and roles.
As an example, a role can simply be a job tile, let’s say “Store Manager”. However, the role is more than that. It’s a position that provides essential services to the community, provides the opportunity for customers to celebrate occasions though great products and service, it’s a role that provides choice and convenience to consumers, it’s role that provides employment security for their team members, a role that provides economic growth for the region/state and a role that upholds the family name Klose’s. Whatever role you have in the Klose’s business, your role plays an important part to people’s lives and is something to be very proud about. Spend a moment thinking differently about your role and how it contributes to others. I’d been to keen to hear your story.
I’m excited to be part of this business and help shape its future through our team and customers, so I look forward to catching up with everyone in due course during some store visits.
Regards
Tim
Please help us welcome Tim, his wife Juliet and their children
Hamish, Chloe and Jess to our Klose’s family.
1. What are your three favourite foods? Pizza!, Indian butter chicken (on pizza) and Mum’s Bread and Butter Pudding!
2. What is a line from a movie that you love? What is the movie?
“Negative ghost rider”…. Original Top Gun movie.
3. You have to sing karaoke, what song do you pick?
“Oh Yeah” by Yellow.
4. If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted in this country, what would you like to do?
Ban the show “Big Brother” and retire Alf from Home and Away!
5. What are your favourite/most used apps on your smartphone?
Life 360 (track the kids), Google and Gumtree.
6. What’s the weirdest fact you know?
Flamingo’s bend their legs at the ankle, not knee’s.
7. If you could invite three people to dinner, living or dead, who would you invite?
I would invite 4 … both sets of grandparents, as I never got to meet them.
8. What is the best concert/show/festival you attended & why?
A concert with the band “The Cruel Sea”, was held at the Tivoli Hotel in Adelaide early 90’s, best night ever! (I can’t say why!)
9. What talent do you have that everyone doesn’t know about?
I have a commercial pilots license.
10. What’s your favourite Dad joke?
What did the cheese say to mirror…? “haloumi”
Recruitment and Promotions
Congratulations to Alycia Rowe who has been promoted to Assistant Manager at our Balhannah store as of Monday 20th June 2022. Alycia has been a go to for support in our Deli Departments and we are very much looking forward her stepping into the Assistant Manager role.
Congratulations to Stacey Martin who was promoted from Grocery Assistant (all-rounder) at our Nairne Store to Cash Office/Scanning Assistant at our Lobethal store. Stacey, we wish you all the best in your new role.
Big thank you to Nairne and Woodside Cash Office/Scanning team members for their support and training during recruitment and supporting Stacey in her new role.
We are currently recruiting for the following roles, if you know anyone who would be a great addition to the Klose’s family, please ask them to apply via our website:
Assistant Manager
Cash Office/ Scanning Assistant (floater)
Day Casual Deli Assistants – Balhannah, Birdwood, Littlehampton, and Woodside
Day Casual Meat Packers – Lobethal and Nairne
Culture Survey
In July we will be sending out our first culture check in survey to all team members. We are invested in growing with our team and are truly interested in receiving feedback from our team members in relation to our culture, leadership, communication, reward, and recognition. Our aim is to review your feedback and recommendations to assist us in improving our business, enhancing leadership strategies, aiding future investments and overall implementing positive changes to our Company. We ask that all team members take the time to complete their survey. These surveys will be confidential, and this project is a safe space to provide open and honest feedback and suggestions to us.
Klose’s Way – Retail Development Program
We are looking to launch our retail development program in August 2022. The program will give team members a chance to grow and develop their retail career with us. The program will entail working within all departments to give team members a greater understanding of the whole store’s operations. External study will also be a part of this program. We believe by investing in our team members we will have the next leaders for Klose’s Supermarkets for future opportunities.
Career’s Expo at Cornerstone College
On Tuesday 9th August 2022 Klose’s Supermarkets will be attending our first Career’s expo. Jordan Caldwell and I will be attending and speaking with students and parents. We are both excited to showcase Klose’s and the amazing career pathways we can offer our local communities. Gordon and Megan have been busy putting together pamphlets and signage ready for the night. We are hoping this is an on-going event for Klose’s to be a part of.
Support Team
You may have noticed team members from our support team entering stores in corporate attire lately. Name badges are on the way so that team members and customers can clearly identify who we are without our uniforms when in store.
Did you know that sadly 1 in 2 Australians are diagnosed with cancer before the age of 85.
At Klose’s, we want to be a part of changing that!
Our morning tea has helped to raise the vital funds required to bring us closer to a cancer free future.
Let’s hear from our Woodside Store Manager, Jordan Caldwell
At Woodside we have now been open for two years. It has been a very challenging but rewarding journey. I started working in the store in May 2020 transferring from our Lobethal store. Together the team and I have had many setbacks along the way which come along with opening a brand new store, but I am very proud of the dedication and commitment everyone has shown to the new Woodside store.
As a team we have improved many of our processes and procedures over the last 12 months, delivering consistent and quality service to our customers. As the store sales have been increasing over time, we have continued to grow the size of our team, we now have almost 80 staff members at Woodside.
Our goal going forward is to continue to push ourselves to deliver the best possible service. The management team is very focused on upskilling all our staff across different departments to create a strong culture within our store. As the store manager it is a pleasure to work with this great group of people! I look forward to our continued success!
Let’s introduce and find out a little more about some of the wonderful team members at Woodside!
Introducing Klose’s longest serving employee
– JASON HARRIS – Start date : 18th May, 1989
Name: Jason Harris
How did you come about working for Klose’s? As a tenager I was living in Lobethal at the time and went in and applied for a shop assistant job. I was 17 and was also milking cows part time in Lobethal on weekends. I was looking to work after school in my local area as I was keen to find a job to buy myself a car and motorbike.
What was your starting position within Klose’s? My first role was at Lobethal as a shop assistant, at this time there was only the one store and I was undertaking duties in grocery, checkout, cleaning the meat cases, meat packing, fruit and veg and customer service.
What is your current position within Klose’s? General Merchandise Coordinator across the 6 stores. This involves all aspects of store products that are not food related.
Any other positions held within the 33yrs? Grocery Assistant, Lobethal Assistant Manager, Store Manager at the old Woodside store and the first Store Manager at the Balhannah store.
Which Klose’s store did you commence your employment at? Lobethal. This was the only store owned by the company at this time.
Is there anyone from your early working days that you still work with now here at Klose’s? Tammy Colmer (Nairne store) would be the longest Klose current employee that I have worked with. So many more staff over the years have come and gone with fond friendships and memories.
An early memory of working at Klose’s? Providing customer deliveries in the old Ford cream coloured transit van – What a vehicle!
Your funniest memory while working at Klose’s? I used to enjoy the floats we entered into the Lobethal and Woodside pageants years ago. Lots of fun and laughs we all had.
What are some of the big changes within the Klose’s group that you’ve witnessed in your time? The expansion of the business with the opening of the now 6 stores and 340 staff, online shopping and the growth and progression of the company to what it is now. The back office system has completely changed over this time along with 7 days a week trading, and customers are shopping differently these days.
Five words that sum up your feelings regarding working at Klose’s for 33yrs? Loyalty, Family, Growth, Challenges, Friendships.
What made you want to forge a career within Klose’s that has spanned over 33yrs? I have enjoyed the challenge of watching and being a part of the growth. Having Barry as a mentor when I was young taught me a lot and inspired me to develop within myself, challenge my beliefs and give me the opportunities to grow and develop personally and professionally.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us from your 33yrs working for the Klose Family/Klose’s? I have really enjoyed being involved in just about all the store renovations going right back to when Lobethal expanded to the back fence where it is now. I was the first Store Manager at Balhannah when Klose’s took that over, which I think was a Foodtown years ago. I think the sponsorship that Klose’s donate to the community including sporting groups in the hills these days is so good and as they say, Our Home Is In The Hills.
Cheers for the past years and memories. Thank you everyone.
Some photos from Jason’s 33yrs with Klose’s Supermarkets.
– What’s been happening in our team members lives –
Did you see this article in the Mount Barker Courier on Wednesday 15th June, 2022? Dave Benke, our Fresh Foods Manager will again be donning his dog suit and participating in this year’s Variety Bash in the MBF Team (Man’s Best Friend). Last year he and his team raised in excess of $35,000 directly helping sick & disadvantaged children. Great work Dave and Team MBF, we can’t wait to see what you raise this year and look forward to hearing all about this year’s trip.
Congratulations to Paige Wauchope (who works in our Woodside store) and her fiance Shea Black on their recent engagement. We can’t wait until we get to see the wedding photos and if your engagement ones are anything to go by there is no doubt that you will be a beautiful bride Paige! Their special day is on 15th October, 2022 ♥♥♥ We wish you both every happiness together.
BEST DRESSED! Alivia Weaver and Jayden Clarke who both work in the Service Deli at our Birdwood store were awarded ‘Best Dressed’ at the recent Birdwood High School Formal! We agree, you both look wonderful. Congratulations!
Klose’s Footy Tipping competition is well and truly over the half way mark with everyone involved enjoying the friendly competition. It’s a fun interactive way to be involved with your fellow workmates AND those that are sitting at the top of the table have the opportunity to win $$$$ come the end of the season.
Deb Starick is still out in front on our leader board with Gordon Duncan following closely behind. The big curve ball may be those tippers sitting just below them that still have a wildcard up their sleeve to use, giving them the opportunity to double their points for that round and thus, leapfrog over some tippers above them. Then there’s a few of us that are listed in the ‘Bottom 10’ who are now just aiming to try and win one of the weekly margin game prizes of $30 😂. Keep up the good work everyone and good luck for the remaining rounds. Congratulations to all margin game winners who have collected a $30 weekly prize thus far.
As you know, participants of the footy tipping competition have a chance to use the Foodland AFL tickets for Crows & Port home games at Adelaide Oval. Sam Weston of our Woodside store was lucky enough to be able to attend a Port match recently with family & friends using these tickets. Sam who is an avid Port supporter watched the match with much enthusiasm, cheering for his team loud & proud but as the chance of a Port win diminished it seems so did Sam’s enthusiasm! We hope that next time they can get over the line for you Sam! Thanks to Sam & his sister, Georgia for sharing their photos with us and to the Klose family for the opportunity to be able to go and watch AFL games on those tickets.
SEE BELOW FOR RETSULTS AS AT COMPLETION OF ROUND 15
WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT US????
KLOSE’S FOODLAND BALHANNAH ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Elle Mallett – Great service and friendly staff well stocked not to busy.
KLOSE’S FOODLAND BIRDWOOD ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Garth Westell – Great for a country supermarket.
KLOSE’S FOODLAND LITTLEHAMPTON ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ wb_k : Easy parking. Good selection of food. Friendly place.
KLOSE’S FOODLAND LOBETHAL ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rona Roberts – Fabulous always.
KLOSE’S FOODLAND NAIRNE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ David Eaton – Everything’s shiny and new, fairly large with a good variety of produce. Good to have a local supermarket supporting the area rather than one of the major brands.
KLOSE’S FOODLAND WOODSIDE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reece Harrison – Plenty of easy access parking, good range supporting local produce and modern facility.
