BRAINTREE Village is celebrating long-standing workers who have been there for all 25 years ahead of its milestone birthday next month. With some surprise events in store for the 25th birthday, the shopping village has also been celebrating the three workers who have been there since it first opened in 1999. Samantha McKenzie-Carter, 44, began as the store manager for Boxfresh 25 years ago.
She is now the store and training manager for Radley, which offers designer handbags, purses and accessories. Samantha said: “Although Braintree Village has always been a lovely place to work, it wasn’t as fabulous as it is now. Fabulous - Samantha says Braintree Village has changed dramatically as the years have gone on (Image: Public) “The shopping village and the local area has changed dramatically—in a good way of course.
"There is more premium and quality feel to the centre and guests want to stay at the village for longer now. “It’s not just a ‘pop in and out’ place anymore, as there are more brands and experiences to fill their day.” At Radley, Samantha leads an "incredible team” of customer service experts and ensures every customer finds their perfect handbag, as well as trains other retail management teams across the business.
Tina Breslin, 45, started as a sales assistant at Regatta in 1999, and in 2024 she is an area support manager for Craghoppers and The Regatta Group, an eco-friendly outdoor gear store. Tina said: “In 1999, there wasn’t much to talk a.