Sphere No.45 (Sep 2018)

SPHERE #45 2018 09 RETAIL A big bear hug forWatsons – in Russia! Watsons opens in its 12th national market with a store in St Petersburg. The health and beauty expert has plans to expand rapidly to make Russians “look good, feel great”. UK POWER NETWORKS LAUNCHES ‘VIRTUAL POWER STATION’ IN LONDON Solar panels and domestic storage batteries will now not only store electricity for consumers, but will discharge spare electricity into the network at peak times to smooth flow and demand. Every home can now be amini – or ‘virtual’ – power station in its own right. ISTA A GREAT WAY TO SAVE THE PLANET! ista International GmbH and BildungsCent e.V. collaborated to let students design their own climate boxes, which will be distributed to 100 schools in Germany. These boxes address climate change by enabling students to identify energy leaks, encourage climate-friendly behaviour and develop climate protection concepts and projects for their schools. NORTHERN GAS NETWORKS TOPS IN CUSTOMER SERVICES An already incredibly high bar was moved further upwards as ServiceMark upped Northern Gas Networks’ (NGN’s) rating from 85.6% in January 2016 to 90.4% in a recent evaluation. The Institute of Customer Service awarded the ServiceMark accreditation in recognition of NGN’s “dedication and passion for great customer service shown by all members of staff”. INFRASTRUCTURE NORTHUMBRIANWATER GROUP DOMINATES AWARDS The BenHur of water companies continues its award-winning ways. Not only did it win “Utility of the Year” in December at the UtilityWeek Awards, it won the “UK Excellence Award” inMarch from the British Quality Foundation. And now, it has won “Water Company of the Year” at theWater Industry Achievement Awards inMay. LOVE YOUR STAFF, THEY’LL LOVE YOU BACK UKPower Networks is on the Sunday Times “Top 25 Best Big Companies toWork For” list, appearing in 11th place. As the only energy company in the top 25, that’s electrifying!