Respected sales assistant Nicky Rickman retires after over 40 years at New Milton builders merchants Jewson

COLLEAGUES and customers at Jewson in New Milton bid a fond farewell to sales assistant Nicky Rickman as she retired after more than 40 years.

Nicky (65) stepped down on Wednesday, having worked at the builders merchants branch, off Gore Road, since 1st April 1981.

After being secretary for the first couple of years, she found her niche in sales, crediting “a lot of help from customers and colleagues”.

Paying tribute, assistant manager Owen Roberts said Nicky was respected at New Milton and other branches, including Lymington, Wimborne and Poole.

“She’s excellent with people and has a loyal customer base,” he told the A&T.

“As a person, she’s extremely kind, knowledgeable and always ready to get her hands dirty.

“She’s energetic, always happy with a smile on her face and rarely gets upset.

“She’ll be missed deeply within the branch.”

Reflecting on her near-43 years at Jewson, Nicky said: “I’ve just so enjoyed it. No day’s the same and there have been many lovely customers.”

The pandemic was a particular challenge during her career, when she was one of the first to return to work after a five-week hiatus.

“The phoned-in orders just kept coming in,” she recalled.

“There’s been some ups and downs, obviously, but overall I’ve loved it all.”

Nicky, who lives in Walkford with her husband Tim, now looks forward to spending more time with family, including two daughters and three small grandchildren.