Meet the man who keeps Aldi in line with GSCOP
Jonathan Ward is the Code Compliance Officer for Aldi and is responsible for the retailer’s compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP). Jonathan has been working for Aldi in a multitude of different roles for the past 15 years, initially starting out as an Area Manager, next becoming Finance and Administration Director in 2002 as well as helping to open Aldi’s Scottish office in 2004, however then returning to Corporate in 2005 working in Controlling and Project Management, before enrolling as CCO.
The Grocery Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) or “the code” is a detailed code of practice for how the UK top 10 retailers are expected to fairly and lawfully manage direct supplier relationships.
It essentially stops malpractice from buyer power and only regulates the link between the retailer and their direct supplier.
Aldi, Asda, Co-Op, Iceland, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose all legally have to comply with GSCOP rules. CLICK HERE TO VIEW GSCOP.
Each retailer, by law, must appoint a suitably qualified employee as their Code Compliance Office (CCO) who must be independent and not managed by any member of the Buying team. The CCO is a point of contact for suppliers to discuss any GSCOP related matters as well as the GCA.
GSCOP is adjudicated by the Grocery Code Adjudicator (GCA), Christine Tacon, an independent office ensuring all 10 retailers are code complaint. The GCA holds meetings with each individual CCO on a quarterly basis and will meet all CCOs as a group in six month intervals to update them on the work of the Adjudicator.
Click here to view the GCA website for news and guidance on GSCOP
What are the most challenging aspects of your CCO role?
The growth of Aldi over the last 5 years has made it harder to keep in touch with everything that is going on within the business. Having said that our culture and the simplicity of our business model means that my job as CCO is relatively straightforward. The credit for this must be given to the Buying Department who work hard with Suppliers to create mutually beneficial collaborative relationships.
If you could change one thing about the groceries market, what would it be?
Aldi is an international business so I don’t just look after GSCOP. I am involved in the Supply Chain Initiative and am looking at the Competition and Consumer Protection Bill for the Irish Republic too. It would be great if all of these initiatives could be united under one common code.
Is there anything else you would like to share with readers of News from the Adjudicator?
Even though Aldi has done very well in the first two GCA surveys there are still areas that I want to improve on. I would also like to encourage our Suppliers to contact me if they have any Code related concerns.
What 3 things do you want to achieve in the next 12 months?
I want to continue to raise awareness of the Code with our supply chain and to improve the training that we offer to our Buyers, whether they are new starters or experienced members of the team. These two combined will assist in maintaining our strong culture of compliance with the Code.
What achievement as CCO are you most proud of?
That’s an easy one. Aldi has been chosen by our suppliers as the retailer most compliant with the Code for the first two years that the GCA survey has been run. This is a huge result for Aldi and proves that being a successful business and looking after your suppliers are not mutually exclusive.
The NFU see GSCOP and the GCA role as a huge success in changing the culture and behaviour of the top 10 retailers. Our members frequently tell us that since the GCA’s first establishment in 2013, retailers are now more open and transparent in their day to day dealings with direct suppliers.
It is law, within GSCOP that all retail buyers must be GSCOP trained. The NFU strongly feel that for GSCOP to work best, direct retail suppliers must too be trained. That’s why we offer DISCOUNTED TRAINING sessions to ensure our members have the right negotiation tools to ensure code compliance agreements with retailers.