Giving People What They Want
Rob McLean is the Over The Counter (OTC) category manager for Zellers Pharmacy, which is under the Hudson’s Bay Company umbrella. With 23 years of experience, Rob definitely has his finger on the pulse of retail
By Ron Garant
Photography by James Merritt
Right after graduating from Humber College, Rob started to work with Shoppers Drug Mart as a stock boy, became a receiver, then assistant front-shop manager and finally front-shop manager. Not only was this position a great learning experience, it also laid the foundation for his career in retail. He then worked for approximately five years with Big V in a similar role before Shoppers Drug Mart acquired the company. While front-shop manager, an opportunity for advancement came up at Walmart as an assistant buyer; this was his move into a head-office environment.
The transition from front-shop manager to head office was somewhat of a culture shock for Rob: “I was used to being my own boss,” he says. “When I got to Walmart, I was petrified of public speaking. My very first day I had to face that fear head on by being called up to the front of an auditorium to do the Walmart cheer (‘Give me a W…W!; give me an A…A!’) and after being promoted to buyer (other retailers call this position category manager), had to present my offerings at meetings to managers from all across Canada, and they are not a reserved group of people – constantly yelling questions and comments at you.”
During this time Rob was involved with the design, set up, and assortment of Walmart’s Nutrition Centres. He worked closely with the various vendors in a hands-on role setting the counters, merchandising the sections and determining the product mix. “I learned more about the health category at Walmart in five years than I did in the previous ten,” he reflects. Rob also was able to travel across Canada to visit various Walmart stores, which gave him a better understanding of the regional differences in the retail environment, specifically in the health categories.
Rob then had an opportunity to take on the role of category manager at Shoppers Drug Mart. In this role, he further developed his understanding of the impact of the health categories as a drug retailer that focuses on pharmacy.
Rob feels that having come up through the store ranks has helped him be a better category manager: “I’ve always had an appreciation for the stores because if you’ve never worked in a store, you might not understand how your decisions impact them. Is the decision you’re making greater than the expense and the time that the store is going to have to take to do it?”
In 2005, Rob joined HBC as category manager for both The Bay and Zellers pharmacies with responsibility for the Vitamin, Diet, First Aid, Footcare, Family Planning, Medicinal and Feminine Hygiene categories.
At Zellers, Rob felt the greatest opportunity was to show senior management the importance of the pharmacy department and what it could bring to the overall business. “In the five years I’ve been at Zellers, the Pharmacy Department has come a long way in gaining support,” he states. “Senior management can see that it draws consumers into the store versus just a service that’s offered. I think large retailers struggle with having customers that shop in their stores regularly, yet still don’t know they have a pharmacy.” To create awareness for its pharmacy, Zellers utilizes marketing to educate their customers about their pharmacy benefits and enlists services such as patient records, patient counselling, drug information and interactions, as well as their WellAware program.
There have been other successful developments for the front shop of the pharmacy: “I think that through our team, we’ve taken it to a whole new level,” Rob says. “[When I came] to Zellers, the pharmacy had never had a front-page flyer feature; displays were minimal and stock was only on shelves. Now we have pharmacy products promoted with significant flyer ads, supported with in-store activity like vendor pre-packs and even, in some cases, large pallet displays. There is a new look in Zellers’ pharmacies that is quite contemporary. The pharmacy has been given much better focus. The pharmacy in the Scarborough Zellers was a paradigm shift – as soon as you walk in, (you see) the pharmacy. (Instead of) 10-foot high dark aisles, the counters are very low so you can see right across to the other end – it’s bright and clean. We’ve had really good results from that store, so we know it’s what the people want – they want to be comfortable and have a good shopping experience. That decision was made for the right reason and it’s paid off.
“I observe competitors closely by monitoring their promotional activity, visiting their stores and keeping up with industry news,” he says. “Keeping my ear to the ground is also important. To stay ahead of the curve, you have to be willing to take chances and have the support of management.”
Vendor Relationships
In these busy and challenging times, Rob is always looking for the next new thing and he appreciates it when vendor representatives are succinct and understand what he needs to see. He also wants them to be able to do what they say they’re going to do and likes them to have a plan B, in case things don’t go the way they had hoped. So what kind of products does he look for?
“You’re always looking for the diamond in the rough,” he says, “Or maybe something the other retailers haven’t picked up on yet; [even] a run-of-the-mill product that the vendor is going to spend a lot of money on to promote and [therefore help] you do your job. I also might go with someone that I’ve had a relationship with before or someone that has a good reputation. So many times, people come in and (tell you) it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, we’re going to spend 5 million dollars on it, it’s going to be a household thing – and you don’t know who these people are, you’ve never seen them before, no one’s heard of them. So you back away a little bit, [compared to] if it’s someone you’ve done business with over the years and they’ve never left you out in the cold.”
Buying Decisions
Today’s business environment has changed. “You [used to know] in your gut that something was going to sell or not,” Rob states. “Now it’s more, ‘Well, how do you know that?’ Now you have to be fiscally conscious when you make a decision and a lot more is done by committees.” He also finds that people move around in their jobs more: “It seems like everyday we have a new account person or something else. So often we think we just got that (person) trained, now they’ve been promoted and we’ve got someone new and (have to) start all over again. On both sides, a lot of it is understanding how Zellers works as an organization – when we need product and how we need it as well as with the vendors. You lose so much when you have to re-establish that instead of just [having to ask], ‘What do you have that’s new?’ or ‘When can we do something?’”
Personal Lifestyle
As a divorced father of three, Rob is devoted to his children. “When I have my kids, I don’t have time for anything else,” he states. “They’re 15, 13 and 10, so whatever they’re up to or involved in takes a lot of my time. Outside of the kids, I’m a big Toronto Maple Leafs fan, a Blue Jay fan, I love watching sports.” His personal goals are to continue to grow as a person, add value to Zellers, ensure a proper balance between work and his personal life and, as part of a Health Team, help improve the health of Canadians.
The Future
Rob plans to continue to help grow profitable sales for Zellers, gain market share and build the private label business, ensuring the success of the HBC Pharmacies. “As consumers expect more from life, do not want to age, are more active and more knowledgeable, the health segment will become even more important,” he offers. “The retailer will have to work harder to satisfy the wants of the consumers. All retailers dealing in heath will be chasing this business. Competition will be fierce!”
The Hudson’s Bay Company became sole owner of Zellers in 1978 and maintained its growth tradition, acquiring the Towers chain in 1991, Woodward’s in 1994 and the Canadian Kmart locations in 1998.
