It was a sense of trepidation that a shy 15-year-old felt when he first entered a Boots warehouse 50 years ago, in 1974. And Les Morris, from Beeston, had no idea that that moment was going to lead him towards a life-long career at the UK's leading health and beauty retailer. Now 66, Mr Morris is just weeks away from his retirement and having had all kinds of warehouse jobs within the company, has shared the secret for success.
"When I joined, nobody really wanted to be in this industry, but now you get lots of people. "There are so many opportunities out there now within logistics so this is a career for a lot of people, whereas previously it was looked down on. We are getting a lot of people wanting to come in because there’s so many opportunities and it’s probably one of the very few places where you can start at the bottom.
"As long as you work hard and take your opportunities, you can get as far as you want. Grab what you can when it’s offered and never underestimate what you can do. "I’ve always been a believer of ‘you can’t get anywhere without the people around you', whether that’s below or above you.
You have to treat everybody with respect," he says. Currently working as an inventory controller, Mr Morris says he doesn't feel like he's worked for the same company for the past half a century because of the multitude of roles he has had, as well as the size of the company. The great memories and people he met along the way also add to his gratitude and n.
