A Paisley woman who is part of a century-long family tradition is celebrating 40 years in her career.
Elaine Gibson is the team manager at Marks & Spencer in Paisley, and first joined the high-street retailer in 1982 as a customer assistant.
And she is not the only one in her family to don the M&S uniform, with a family tradition of joining the company spanning 108 years.
Elaine was inspired to work for M&S by her mum, who had worked for the retail giant in the town for 50 years.
The company veteran’s brother also joined the ranks 11 years ago, while her son has been with the company for seven years.
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And now Elaine’s daughter is joining the family team as M&S Paisley’s newest recruit.
Elaine - who had the honour of cutting the ribbon on the new store in the Renfrew Road retail park earlier this year - said: “M&S has been very good to me and my family, giving me the chance to explore my passions in the different departments within the Paisley store – whether it’s helping with window displays at Christmas or product display for the likes of Burns night.
“I started as a customer assistant and to this day customer interaction is my favourite part of the job.
“I’ve seen the store go through a lot of changes in my days and I was honoured when I was asked to cut the ribbon on the re-opening day when we moved locations last year – a career highlight!”
Building a strong career in her years with M&S, Elaine progressed from customer assistant to team manager, and has worked across both food and clothing and home departments.
Her transition in roles across the store has enabled her to advance her skills from on-the-ground assistance, to directing a whole team. Now, with the highly competitive environment of online shopping, Elaine’s role as team manager is integral to the success of the local branch, with her stellar customer service driving locals to the store.
To celebrate her anniversary, Elaine’s colleagues organised a surprise celebration to congratulate and thank her for all her hard work over the years, complete with a visit from Percy.
Kirk Russel, store manager at M&S Paisley added: “Elaine and her family have become such an integral part of M&S Paisley that I can’t imagine the place without them.
“Elaine is attentive and caring towards her customers and always comes in with a smile on her face – we can’t wait to celebrate her next big anniversary!”
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