Kate McCrae

Inquirer
DISC Type : cd

Retail Director UK at Co-op

United Kingdom

Overview

As Retail Director at Co-op, Kate McCrae provides strategic leadership for a 2, 400-store network and a team of 42, 000. People who have worked with her describe her as a proactive, authentic, and natural leader. She is an alumna of the University of Strathclyde, where she studied personnel and development.

Kate is passionate about supporting local communities and positive futures for young people, demonstrated through her engagement with local causes and Co-ops partnership with Barnardos. She believes in creating stores that serve as community hubs, contributing directly to local life and meeting the needs of the community.

She provides strategic leadership for an operation with an annual turnover of £7. 8 billion.

Personality Overview

Judgemental

ROI Conscious

Demanding

They can be nudged to make faster decisions by offering what they value.  They respond well to confident salespeople. They focus on objectivity in a pitch and pay little attention to bells and whistles.

Topics They Care About

Retail Operations
Oversees a network of 2, 400 stores and is focused on driving efficiency, transformation, and developing the retail operating model for Co-op.
Community Engagement
Actively supports local causes and advocates for stores to be more than shops, serving as hubs that contribute to local life and community needs.
Leadership Development
Employs a "people-first" approach, focusing on developing leaders and building high-performing teams within her organization of 42, 000 colleagues.

Media Appearances

Kate has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2025
Retail Director UK at Co-op
9-2022 - 1-2025
Operations Director at Co-op
9-2021 - 9-2022
Divisional Managing Director at Co-op
2-2002 - 5-2010
Multi-site Store Manager at Somerfield
4-2000 - 4-2002
Deputy store manager at Somerfield

Education

2001 - 2002
Chartered institute of Personnel & Development from University of Strathclyde
1991 - 1997
Education details unavailable from Holyrood Secondary School

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 17 Location : United Kingdom Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Retail Director UK at Co-op
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Insights For Selling To Kate

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Make sure that they have the necessary authority, they could present false stature sometimes
  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending too much time on pleasantries
  • Highlight the competitive differentiation of your product

DONT's

  • Don’t try to be an alpha salesperson, give them equal space
  • Refrain from asking too many questions
  • Do not give up if they are not convinced, try again with a different approach

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Kate is

  • Conviction in the product matters to them, followed by proof points and strong testimonials.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Kate

  • They may not be very forthcoming, but they will say no if needed.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Kate move?

  • They are neither the fastest decision makers nor the slowest.
  • Can Kate take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks but after weighing up the pros and cons.

You And Kate

Personality Compatibility


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