How the manager of Sky store in Trinity Leeds has improved profitability, footfall and been shortlisted for a national award

Since then, he has been on a mission to improve the store’s performance and also Sky Retail as a whole – often initiating trials and insights. He has played a pivotal role in creating customer service frameworks and rolling out Sky’s VIP lounges at First Direct Arena in Leeds and other venues across the UK.

The measures he has implemented, he said, have led to improved profitability at the store and an 85 per cent increase in footfall at the store year-on-year. He was also recently shortlisted in the store hero category in the national Retail Week Awards.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post, Mr Sleight said: "As a leader I want to make sure we’re profitable, that our people are at the forefront of everything we do and that we are championing our customers every single day to give them an experience that they won’t get from other retailers.”

One of the first changes he called for was for store managers to be able to see their profit and loss figures. "We were given retail targets but we never saw any profit and loss figures for the retail stores,” he said.

"We can now see how profitable our businesses are. We’ve been given the keys to our own business and that has been rolled out across all our shops.”

Mr Sleight also focused on customer service and feedback from Google reviews and, more recently, rolled out video mystery shopping across stores. “I want to make sure we are giving first class service every time,” he said. "Video mystery shopping gives us a much more accurate customer journey.”

Mr Sleight plays an active role in helping identify and invest in leaders of the future. He has created a number of senior roles in the Trinity Leeds store, which employs eight people, that have been rolled out across other stores.

"We’ve never seen massive career progression from a retail standpoint so this was something I felt passionate about.”

Mr Sleight has made the Leeds store a hub in the community – hosting events and supporting elderly and vulnerable customers with digital adoption and tackling loneliness through tea parties and supporting Sky Cares – Sky’s giving back programme.

He also actively raise funds for multiple charities. This year his team completed Tough Mudder, the Great North Run and the Three Peaks challenge. He also appeared on Sky Sports for his efforts in supporting the Rob Burrows Foundation in tackling motor neurone disease.

“Sky is a big company but we’re trying to embed it more into the community,” Mr Sleight said. “I’m really lucky that I’m trusted by the business to do these initiatives by myself and then put forward a business case to role them out to other shops.”

He added: “Sky Retail has changed so much over the last three years. When I started we were a little kiosk in a shopping centre and now we have flagship stores in major cities and are a profitable route to market. “Making sure customers are getting a world class experience across our retail stores is a priority in 2024.”