merchandiser

van driver

delivery driver

warehouse lead

depot manager

Connect Group PLC

A typical day was often characterised by confusion, shifting priorities, and a reactive way of working. Direction could change quickly without clear rationale, creating a “chaos-driven” environment where long-term thinking was often overshadowed by short-term decision-making.

I developed resilience and learned how to operate under pressure in an unpredictable environment. It also reinforced the importance of strong, selfless leadership, clear communication, and alignment—areas where the business struggled at times.

Leadership was one of the most challenging aspects. Decision-making could feel overly influenced by personal agendas and short-term optics rather than what was right for the organisation as a whole. This created a disconnect between leadership and the wider workforce, and at times made it difficult to stay motivated or aligned with the company’s direction.

The culture became increasingly fragmented. While there were still good people across the business, collaboration and trust felt eroded over time. A noticeable number of experienced and talented individuals chose to leave, which contributed to a growing skills gap and loss of institutional knowledge at a critical point for the company.

The most difficult aspect was navigating the ongoing instability while seeing key talent exit the organisation. The resulting “brain drain” placed additional pressure on those who remained, making it harder to maintain performance and continuity during what should have been a pivotal period in the company’s history.

The strongest positive was the colleagues on the ground—dedicated, hardworking individuals who did their best despite the challenges. Those relationships helped maintain some sense of team spirit in an otherwise difficult environment


Receiving, moving, checking and storing incoming goods.
Checking and inspecting goods received and ensuring they are of accurate quantity, type, and also acceptable quality.
Packaging and labelling products before they are dispatched.
Helping to ship out to over 1200 customers 365 days a year.
Picking and packing products.
Selecting space for storage and arranging for good to be placed in the designated areas.
Making sure that all inventory processes are completed on the same day.
Loading and unloading lorries, vans and other vehicles.
Maintaining and servicing warehouse tool, machinery and trucks.
Labelling goods that have arrived at the warehouse.
Operating a forklift, manual and electric pump trucks
Welcoming and helping clients who visit the branch.
Contacting transport companies and coordinating dispatch and delivery with them.
Preparing deliveries for the van drivers.
Moving and organising stock.
Supervising the work of staff.
Ensuring a clean and safe workhouse for staff to work in.
Storing stock away safely.
Removing hazardous products from the warehouse.
Occasionally selling goods over the trade counter.
Signing off and replenishing stock.
Using Mechanical Handling Equipment i.e. fork lift trucks  to move goods around.
Monitoring stock levels.
Moving items through the warehouse from receipt to despatch to customers.
Occasionally delivering stock to shops and retail outlets.
Accurately updating all data into computer and manual recording systems.

My typical day at work involved a lot of pre-shift planning and overseeing the production, output and accuracy of a large team whilst working to defined KPIs.


The day also involved minor to serious disciplinary procedures and sickness and absence management which was managed through the Appraisal and Personal Performance Reviews.


An important part of the role was to monitor, record and react to output/quality issues and communicating results the Board of Directors on request.

I had an excellent working relationship with Senior Management and as a whole, there was a pleasant and motivated attitude within my Team


The most rewarding part of my role was the Teams success, and the worst part was laying off Agency and Zero hours at short notice due to budget restraints. 

Whilst still under ownership of Smiths News Group plc, training both in-house and at various educational facilities was vert good, and was free to all as deemed appropriate.


Promotion prospects within the company were initially good, but became fewer as the organisation was under almost constant restructuring.

I worked at Smiths News for nearly 2 years in the head office HR team. The business were super flexible on work life balance, and I had the freedom to choose where I worked throughout the week with only the odd set day required to be in the office for team meetings - my split would average out to be 1 day in the office 4 at home - but members of the team worked it best to them, i.e. some team members preferred being in the office and were in 3 / 4 days.

The company have a great culture, it retains the small feel for a business with FTSE status and is a very supportive culture, even when things aren't going well in certain projects etc. there is no hostility and a collaborative environment.

The company have a lot of long tenure within the business which is fab but also does limit progression, but the company are constantly looking at new opportunities to diversify the business offering so new opportunities are available.

Overall I couldn't fault Smiths News, I loved the culture, the freedom, the focus on delivery and the support from my manager, and executive teams.

Smiths News tries hard to do well for it's staff and management but times are tough and difficult and often unpopular decisions need to be made.
The contractor model they operate for the deliveries is a tough one to implement and manage but I personally loved working at Smiths News - I liked the pace, the challenges - the staff were in the main dedicated and the contractors although sometimes difficult on the whole were approachable and got on with their duties if left alone.
As a supervisor then a deputy manager I would say it's a great place to earn your management stripes. You will find yourself on your own and having to make decisions that please no-one.
Worth mentioning that they also like to promote their own staff to fill vacancies and will really work with you on your advancement should you want it.
To the beleagured retailers it really is life and death if they don't get their papers early enough but at the end of the day the newspapers and magazines have had their day and their core customer base is slowly and relentlessly dying off.

Arriving at 3am normally unless you have to do 2 runs because your van will be overweight in which case you have to come in around 1am. usually finishing around 8am ( paid a little extra for doing 2 runs)
Load vehicle with papers magazines tote boxes etc in run order then, deliver in a set sequence as the shops have set delivery times When you get back You will then have to scan each individual paper you have collected out on your run or, you can pay one of the lads in the warehouse to do this for you at £30 a week.
If you are a driver this is a 7 day a week contract , so after you have been there for a bit you will need to train a friend up to do a couple of days a week for you as you will get tired or poorly.

People there are quite good and pull together to get the job done.
I personally thought the management were ok as well.
All in all not a bad job just money isn't great it will work out to be minimum wage as you get a set price per day and once you have took your  fuel off and calculated how many hours you have worked its usually around £7ph.

I had worked in the newspaper wholesale industry for 20 years and had a happy career. I then worked in warehouse and transport for 10 years. I was looking for something new and saw a management job advertised at smiths news. I applied the interview went well and was offered the position. In a very short time I realised the newspaper industry was in decline and I think it won’t be long before there will no longer be newspapers and magazines available. This when your looking for a career or job security is not what you want or need. My time at smiths news was no way terrible or a bad experience. Everyone I worked with I liked and made some good friends and work colleagues.the work was physical and sometimes stressful but not terrible.smiths news as a company try hard to care for their staff, but in a business that I think has a very short life span and when every penny counts they are fighting a loosing battle. If your looking for a short term fix to fill your employment gap smiths news could be the place for you. Good luck 

The employee consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic and a positive attitude toward their responsibilities. They complete assigned tasks efficiently while maintaining a high level of accuracy and professionalism. Communication with team members and management is clear and respectful, contributing to a collaborative and productive work environment. The employee adapts well to new challenges, shows a willingness to learn, and responds constructively to feedback. They manage time effectively, meet deadlines, and handle multiple priorities with minimal supervision. Their problem-solving skills and attention to detail help support team and organizational goals. Additionally, the employee shows reliability by being dependable and accountable for their work. Overall, their performance meets expectations and adds value to the team. With continued development and experience, the employee has strong potential for further growth and increased responsibilities within the organization.

My day usually begins by dealing with customers on the phone. I supply the necessary magazines and newspapers that are needful.  I also investigate claims for non delivery and process them where necessary.
I also in charge of purchasing relevant items for the company, deal with credits for non delivery, and deal with customer complaints and resolve them.
I trained in handing administration and accounts work and have a good working knowledge of SAP and do stock transfer of goods to other branches.
My greatest challenge is handing difficult customers.  I do this by listening to them without interrupting them, see things from their point of view and assist them the best I can without causing loss to my company.  Only when it is our fault then I apologise and accommodate the customer request , making sure as much as possible the we get it right first time next time,

Worked here about a year managers are hardly here your pretty much left to do what ever with little guidance. 

You scan targets keep on going up even though by the time it takes to set up scanners and print useless paperwork (which you HAVE to do) you’ve lost hours to be able to get your target. And there’s also hardly no stock in the morning so it’s VERY still and boring but still expected to gains scans

Pay is £8.50 p/h but apparently not going up in April even tho location is far, working conditions are harsher than average job and a lot more pointless work than the average job. 

Supervisor is a bit snakey, will be nice to your face then slate you behind your back. Job is good for flexibility of work/life balance BUT they have no made a policy to not be flexible so the job is just rubbish now with no benefits whatsoever

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Merchandiser 193 salaries reported	£14.22 per hour
Van driver 81 salaries reported	£28,500 per year
Delivery driver 5 salaries reported	£1,000 per week
Warehouse lead 9 salaries reported	£23,596 per year
Depot manager 10 salaries reported	£36,069 per year

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