TV role gives Karen a taste for quality chocs

The mum-of-two landed a management job with quality confectioners Beech’s in Preston after appearing this week on the BBC2 documentary Who’s The Boss.

And already the company’s new business development manager has gone upmarket in her choice of sweets.

“I’ve always been a big chocolate fan,” said Karen. “But the quality of our products here has certainly changed my taste.

“Working here has refined my choice an awful lot. It has taken me away from everyday confectionery, towards the quality end of the market, which is where Beech’s is.”

Viewers saw Karen and two other candidates put through a series of gruelling interviews and tasks over the course of a week before the entire workforce at Beech’s in Fletcher Road voted for who should get the job. The programme was filmed weeks ago and already Karen, from Chorley, is up and running in the role.

“It’s going well,” she said. “It has been a bit of a whirlwind really, but it’s great to know I was the one the staff voted for. I feel very honoured that they picked me and that has helped me settle in. They have all been incredibly supportive.

“It might only have been on TV for an hour, but the whole interview process took six days. That’s pretty tough, especially with the cameras pointing at you all the time. But the longer it went on the more passionate I became about getting the job.

“The company ticked every box for me. I’ve grown up with Beech’s. I remember coffee creams were my dad’s favourites.”

Who’s The Boss follows three companies as they each attempt to fill a management vacancy using a new hiring technique which gives staff the power to decide.

“When we started filming they told us to just ignore the cameras and it was surprising how quickly all three of us learned to be ourselves,” said Karen, who was head-hunted from a recruitment job by the BBC to take part. “The crew became part of the team I was working with.

“When the programme went out this week our website just blew through the roof. There has been an incredible amount of interest in Beech’s chocolates, which is tremendous.”