| Monday 21 September 2026 | Week 39 · price: 1 croissant |
THE GAZETTE Bobby & the Homies · GAIL's BH Area |
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Afternoon all
AUTUMN ARRIVED AND YOU ROSE
Area team · No words... | Thame · Team meeting & awards | Area team · Hardly working or working hard |
Morning all, last week threw a fair bit at us: a road-closing fair in Thame, a dishwasher going rogue in GX and autumn landing on us like it had been waiting behind the door. You still banked a solid week between you, and the photos coming in suggest morale is holding up better than the weather. Let's get after this one.
Availability 64.2% ▼ −13 | Coffee 64.8% ▼ −1.7 | Waste +1.7 ▲ +0.8 | Labour +1.4 vs budget | NPS 50.0 target 55 |
| SMASHING IT, JERICHO! 🔥 |
Coffee efficiency landed just shy of target across the patch, which is annoying in the way a wobbly table leg is annoying: fixable in about a minute if someone actually looks at it. Jericho, you are miles clear and clearly running the machine rather than the machine running you, with Henley, Banbury and Summertown all comfortably above. Marlow, worth us getting round you on this one, a couple of coached shifts on the grinder and dose routine would move it more than any grand plan. Thame, your flex from tills to coffee and the coaching with Alice is exactly the right instinct, keep going.
Area 64.8% | Target 68.0% | Above target 4/10 | Best Jericho 81.5 |
| Bakery | Coffee | Vs target |
|---|---|---|
| Jericho | 81.5% | +13.5 |
| Henley | 76.7% | +8.7 |
| Banbury | 75.6% | +7.6 |
| Summertown | 74.0% | +6.0 |
| Beaconsfield | 65.9% | -2.1 |
| Witney | 58.1% | -9.9 |
| Reading | 57.4% | -10.6 |
| Thame | 56.7% | -11.3 |
| Gerrards Cross | 56.3% | -11.7 |
| Marlow | 45.5% | -22.5 |
Streak watch ☕
Streak watch: Jericho, you are out in front at 81.5% against a 68% target and making it look routine, with Henley at 76.7% and Banbury at 75.6% right behind you.
| EASY ON THE TRAYS 🗑️ |
Only one site finished under budget, so the rest of us are collectively feeding the bin better than some of us feed ourselves. Summertown, under budget and unbothered, take the applause. GX, your note that you are over but better than last week and trimming orders is the kind of honest, boring progress that actually works. Witney, the increased range clearly bit at the start of the week, so let's look at the first two days of ordering together and take the sting out of it. Get the bake schedule tight and this is the fastest win on the whole sheet.
Area actual 7.5% | Budget 5.8% | Variance +1.7 | Under budget 1/10 |
| Bakery | Actual | Budget | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summertown | 5.2% | 5.4% | -0.2 |
| Gerrards Cross | 6.6% | 6.0% | +0.6 |
| Jericho | 6.1% | 5.4% | +0.7 |
| Henley | 6.9% | 5.6% | +1.3 |
| Reading | 6.9% | 5.3% | +1.6 |
| Beaconsfield | 7.2% | 5.5% | +1.7 |
| Marlow | 7.2% | 5.3% | +1.9 |
| Thame | 9.2% | 6.7% | +2.5 |
| Banbury | 8.9% | 5.6% | +3.3 |
| Witney | 10.9% | 7.4% | +3.5 |
“We had a team meeting on Tuesday 15th Sep, where we discussed how to make recommendations more natural and meaningful. This is an ongoing work on improvement. I want to mention Sara, a new team leader, who provides a bomb customer service.”
Thame · word-for-word from their weekly review
| ONE MORE PUSH 💷 |
Most of you landed within touching distance of forecast, which in a week of roadworks, fairs and a broken dishwasher is decent handling. Thame, up on last year and ahead of forecast with the town closed around you, that is genuinely impressive, and Marlow and Beaconsfield both beat their number too. Witney, the competitor noise is real, but your instinct of giving away the odd coffee to rescue an experience is the right kind of generous, let's make sure the forecast reflects the world as it is. Forecast honestly this week and the rest of the sheet gets easier.
Actual sales £250,560 | Area L4L -5.8% | This week forecast £254,839 | Sites reported 10/10 |
| Bakery | Actual | Vs forecast | L4L | Next week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlow | £31,187 | +1.2% | -2.4% | £30,968 |
| Jericho | £30,989 | -1.9% | -1.9% | £32,900 |
| Henley | £29,834 | -2.7% | -4.2% | £30,050 |
| Beaconsfield | £27,553 | +5.2% | -2.2% | £26,900 |
| Summertown | £27,506 | -3.1% | -13.1% | £27,450 |
| Reading | £24,600 | -0.4% | -15.2% | £24,500 |
| Gerrards Cross | £23,010 | -2.7% | -4.9% | £24,000 |
| Thame | £21,039 | +0.2% | +4.2% | £21,150 |
| Banbury | £20,614 | -9.6% | — | £22,600 |
| Witney | £14,229 | -1.5% | -12.7% | £14,321 |
Banked last week £250,560 | You banked around £250k between you last week, and Thame's +4.2% L4L with the road shut proves the forecast is not destiny.
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Labour across the patch is heavy, though several of you are basically on the money. Marlow and Thame both came in under budget, and Beaconsfield, Jericho, Henley and Summertown are all within a whisker, so the control is there. Thame, cracking down on early and late clock-ins is unglamorous and exactly where the money hides.
Actual 27.1% | Budget 25.6% | Variance +1.4% | Under budget 2/10 |
| Bakery | Actual | Budget | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thame | 28.0% | 28.8% | -0.8% |
| Marlow | 23.4% | 23.8% | -0.4% |
| Beaconsfield | 24.5% | 24.4% | +0.1% |
| Jericho | 24.8% | 24.5% | +0.2% |
| Henley | 24.8% | 24.2% | +0.6% |
| Summertown | 23.8% | 23.2% | +0.6% |
| Reading | 27.0% | 24.9% | +2.1% |
| Gerrards Cross | 27.8% | 24.7% | +3.1% |
| Witney | 35.5% | 32.1% | +3.3% |
| Banbury | 31.4% | 25.7% | +5.7% |
| EVERY CUSTOMER 💌 |
Area NPS sits below target, but the top end of the patch is genuinely excellent and worth stealing from. Summertown, Jericho and GX, you are well clear, and Thame and Witney are in good shape too, which tells us customers still love us when the basics land. Reading, your own read is fair, a run of surveys about cleanliness and service after two strong months, so let's rebuild the open and close checklists and get the momentum back rather than dwell on it. Beaconsfield flagged deep clean, coffee consistency and lunch availability, all of which are fixable with an hour and a mop rather than a miracle. Cleanliness, a properly made coffee and food on the shelf, that is the whole trick.
Area average 50.0 | Target 55 | Best Summertown · 72 | Responses 10/10 |
| Summertown | 72.0 | |||
| Jericho | 69.0 | |||
| Gerrards Cross | 65.0 | |||
| Thame | 63.0 | |||
| Witney | 62.0 | |||
| Henley | 57.0 | |||
| Marlow | 50.0 | |||
| Banbury | 47.0 | |||
| Beaconsfield | 28.0 | |||
| Reading | -13.0 |
The tick marks the 55% line.
Post-shift reviews are wildly inconsistent, which means some of us have a brilliant early warning system and others are flying on vibes. Henley, Summertown and Banbury are doing them properly and, funnily enough, raising the most flags, which is the whole point rather than a sign of trouble. GX, your line about building good habits is the right one, and Witney, you have said you will get the team engaged this week, so let's hold each other to it. Two minutes at the end of a shift beats two hours of detective work on a Monday.
Post-shift 60% | All flags 55 | Customer flags 5 |
| Bakery | Post-shift | Flags | Customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banbury | 93% | 17 | 3 |
| Jericho | 79% | 14 | 0 |
| Summertown | 100% | 12 | 2 |
| Henley | 129% | 6 | 0 |
| Gerrards Cross | 57% | 3 | 0 |
| Beaconsfield | 14% | 1 | 0 |
| Reading | 43% | 1 | 0 |
| Thame | 36% | 1 | 0 |
| Marlow | 29% | 0 | 0 |
| Witney | 21% | 0 | 0 |
Customers’ choice · highest NPS
Summertown, an NPS of 72 is your customers telling the whole patch that whatever you are doing behind that counter, they would happily queue for it again.
| Calm under pressure
Witney, despite ongoing pressure from a new local competitor, weathering the storm well and keeping NPS and Availability high!
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Standout can be anything, a number, a save, a moment. Nominate someone at submit.gailshub.uk.
Here are 4 crackers from your teams. Keep them coming.
ONE OF US 🤝 For Leandro “Can-do attitude and always keeping upbeat, even in the face of challenges.” 📣 Bobby · Area team | TEAM PLAYER ⭐ For Emily - Banbury “Thank you helping the region with a positive attitude 🙂” 📣 Helder Pinheiro · Banbury |
LEGEND 🏆 For Sam @ Jericho “Being consistently everything that embodies GAIL's - Its always a pleasure to watch his SHINE and customer engagement!” 📣 Bobby · Area team | NAILING IT 🔥 For Cláudia - Banbury “Thank you for caring to make things better and hard work every day 🙂” 📣 Helder Pinheiro · Banbury |
| Got someone to shout out? Takes 30 seconds. | → submit.gailshub.uk |
Three favourites from your teams. Best one next week gets the front page.
 Beetroot soup! · Area team |  Ready for busy Saturday 🥖🥐🥖 · Beaconsfield |  Sonic · Area team |
Send yours → submit.gailshub.uk · best one makes photo of the week
| 🎂 | Sam Hayward Henley · 27th Sam, happy birthday for Sunday, hope Henley lets you out of the building long enough to enjoy it properly. |
| 🎂 | Neha Jadhav Jericho · 26th Neha, happy birthday, hope Jericho save you the best pastry on the tray and someone else does the washing up. |
| 🎂 | Jake Lacey Marlow · 21st Jake, happy birthday, sharing the date with Uen Kiu means double the cake at Marlow, enjoy the day. |
| 🏅 |
Beaconsfield Igor, a year at Beaconsfield already, thanks for everything you have put in, here's to the next one. |
| 🏅 |
Witney Tara, three years at Witney and still setting the standard behind the coffee machine, thank you genuinely. |
🎂 Add birthday
🏅 Add anniversary
Make sure they hear it in person too, cake is not optional.
GQA tomorrow at The Mermaid (2 Puddle Dock, London, England, EC4V 3DB, United Kingdom) - Arrive from 1.30pm, starts at 2pm! Production Recommender training on Thursday 24th at Hawley Wharf, 8AM start prompt please - Arrive early for coffee if you want it - I'll do an order! | Quote of the week Time isn't the main thing. It's the only thing." Miles Davis. Lunch is the one part of our day that will not wait for us, so what is built by eleven decides what we sell at one.
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This week’s mission
Let's make this the week the training plans get real: named cover on every section, every day, so nobody is learning a station at nine on a Saturday.
Almost every wobble last week, sandwiches, coffee, the bin, traced back to someone brilliant covering a station they had never properly been shown, and that is the cheapest thing on the patch to fix.
Have a great week everyone.
Bobby
Bobby
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