Conversation with… Matthew Bourne, retail director at COOK
Here we chat with Matthew Bourne, retail director at COOK, as he returns as a judge for this year’s People in Retail Awards. From standout product launches to people-first initiatives and major investment across the business, he reflects on a very busy year at COOK and why celebrating retail talent matters more than ever.
We last interviewed you over a year ago for our Desert Island Stores feature. Can you bring us up to speed on what’s been happening at COOK since then?
Subscribe to TRBWe never seem to stand still at COOK, and the last 12 months have been particularly busy for us. One of the highlights has been launching our largest ever new category in shops: Pan-Asian. It’s been extremely successful, with dishes like Naked Chicken Katsu, Beef Rendang, and Chicken Cashew which have all been incredibly popular.
We’ve always had strong Indian and Thai ranges, but this really completed that takeaway offering for us. We got the marketing right, brought our teams fully behind it, and even ran a competition giving away a holiday to Asia, which went down brilliantly with customers.
Alongside that, we’ve been thinking deeply about the impact food has on the world. That led us to introduce something completely new: our Recipe for Change Lasagne.
It was a real experiment for us. We wanted to prove that food can be delicious, affordable, and better for the planet. On the surface, it’s a classic lasagne; slow-cooked beef and pork ragù, Italian pasta, and a rich cheese sauce but with some important changes.
We used regenerative beef, meaning the farming practices are genuinely better for the land and the animals. We also reduced the amount of meat and replaced some of it with mushrooms and lentils to see whether customers would miss it. Crucially, we priced it the same as our standard lasagne.
Customers absolutely loved it and it sold out. That response has been hugely encouraging and shows customers are willing to embrace change when it’s done properly.
Is this something you plan to build on?
Yes, the lasagne will return in March, and while these things take time as recipe development is no small task, we fully intend to apply this approach to other dishes over time. It’s a big statement for us as a business about taking responsibility seriously.
What’s been happening across COOK’s retail operations?
We introduced some new retail KPIs last year, particularly to help grow like-for-like performance. Any time you roll out new KPIs to over 1,000 people, there’s nervousness, but we were very thoughtful about it.
The key was to ensure that the KPIs were firmly within people’s control. We concentrated on three core areas: improving hosting, particularly through offering tasters, which we know directly drives purchase; sharpening selling focus by being clear about priority products; and increasing Friends & Family sign-ups at the till. When those three things work, everything else follows. What’s been amazing is the response as there’s been no pushback. Teams understand the why, and they’re fully behind it.
We also introduced mystery shopping in our support shops and continued working with strong external partners, which has really helped.
We’ve been working on a new shop format, which is exciting. On top of that, we’ve taken on our biggest infrastructure project ever: building a new £30 million logistics centre in Sittingbourne, right next to one of our kitchens.
It touches every part of the business and sets us up for the future. Work started about five weeks ago and will run through next year. It’s a huge undertaking, but an incredibly important one.
You’re returning as a People in Retail Awards judge this year. What excites you most about that?
I’m genuinely thrilled to be asked again. Judging last year was a privilege as it gave real insight into what other retailers are proud of and working towards. Seeing initiatives like B&Q’s work with Shelter or Specsavers partnering with The Big Issue just made total sense. It’s inspiring to see businesses align purpose with action.
Why do people focused awards matter so much in retail?
Because retail people are incredibly talented and often underestimated. Retail demands everything: customer focus, people leadership, commercial thinking, logistics, data, and creativity. It’s hard, complex work.
Celebrating people builds confidence. When someone feels recognised, they go back to their role, whether on the shop floor or at a desk, with renewed energy and belief. That’s how the next great ideas happen.
COOK won Retail Employer of the Year in 2024. What impact did that have?
Winning an award is always a buzz, but this one really mattered. Being recognised by peers is powerful. We shared the win with the whole business by sending chocolates to every shop. That sense of pride filtered everywhere.
More recently, we were ranked 12th Best Company to Work for in the UK and number one food and drink retailer. It all comes back to making sure people feel they’re playing their part in something meaningful.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of entering this year?
Entering forces you to stop and reflect as we rarely get time to do that in retail. You move from Christmas straight into budgets and planning without pause. Writing an entry makes you step back and recognise what you’ve achieved and who helped make it happen. That’s valuable, regardless of the outcome. And let’s be honest, it’s also a brilliant night out. Great people, great food, great energy. What’s not to love?
