Dunstable warehouse workers' help for Ukranians recognised in prestigious awards

Two warehouse workers at The Perfume Shop in Dunstable have been recognised for their hard work to help others in need in the year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Wojciech Czech, retail and transport team leader, and Jaroslaw Kawski, inbound and stock control team leader at The Perfume Shop, are in the running for the distribution/delivery heroes award in the prestigious Retail Awards Week later this month,

Following the invasion in February last year Wojciech and Jaroslaw provided financial and practical support in their home country of Poland to some of the thousands of refugees flooding into the country.

In the UK they organised the supply of pallets to a local Ukrainian association to enable charity contributions from the UK to be delivered to refugees in Ukraine. They then turned their attention to raising funds to support the work of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

A number of activities were organised within the warehouse, from children’s colouring competitions, cake and samosa sales to blue and yellow dress up days. In their own time they produced Ukraine flag ribbons to sell within the warehouse and at the company’s Wycombe Head Office. A huge raffle was organised that took in not only the Perfume Shop but also sister companies Superdrug and Savers warehouse teams.

Their biggest achievement came with organising and participating in the ‘Dunstable to Kiev ‘triathlon’. They and a small group of volunteers for the warehouse team formed ‘The Warehouse Wanderers’ to jog, run, cycle, swim or walk the equivalent distance of Dunstable in the UK to Kiev in the Ukraine, some 2,476km.

The award looks at how the duo served customers and their business throughout the last year, their passion for retail and their customers, the ability to deliver the brand’s customer values, and why they stand out amongst their colleagues and peers.

Wojciech and Jaroslaw jointly said: “To be considered among other industry leaders and heroes/heroines is truly humbling and we will continue to work tirelessly to make a positive impact.”

A spokesman for The Perfume Shop said: “As individuals they have demonstrated a drive and passion to deliver life changing help to where it’s needed most and the initiative to drive fundraising and engagement within the team and wider business. All this and their day job too!"