A section of the car-park is closed off, various products are not in their usual places and there are construction workers in the aisles. Despite undergoing a major refurbishment, the Asda store in Taunton, Somerset, wins our Top Store of the week award for providing fantastic customer service and maintaining perfect availability. The expansion of the 24-hour store from 50,000 to 70,000 sq ft started in January and will be completed by the middle of June. The extra space will accommodate an electronic goods centre, Asda's new George concept clothing range E5, and an optician to complement the in-store pharmacy. But at least one person will miss the diggers and brick dust. Acting store manager John McGregor has found the refit rather fun to manage. "It's been very enjoyable!" he says. "Managing the store with so much activity going on all around us has been an effective test of our organisation skills. "This award proves that we've been doing OK." With newly refurbished toilets and in-store cafe, the Taunton Asda has received heavy investment, but the development was not before time. "We had to expand as the store was being over-shopped before," said McGregor. An accolade itself as our CACI data rates Asda as only the fourth most suited store in the area.



Q&A with John McGregor Acting store manager of the week


 


What have you done to ensure the refurbishment has gone smoothly? We have increased the number of go-getters on the shop floor. Their job is to direct customers to the locations of new products. The refit will see the employment of about 100 extra staff. It's important to maintain a high staff morale - especially during a time like this. By keeping colleagues informed of the building developments and changes, morale stays high. How is the new layout affecting sales? We have moved our entire rotisserie, fresh meat and fish areas from the end of the piazzas to a large central island section in the middle of the store. Since this move, our fish sales in particular have gone through the roof. The central island location is much more noticeable to the customer. People are also appreciating our larger toilets, which used to be a pinched area. Our shopper mentioned that the trolleys outside the café looked untidy Our in-store Asda café only opened two weeks ago. We were surprised by the number of customers coming up and asking when it would reopen and what it would look like. We will have a proper trolley bay area in front of the café where customers can keep an eye on their shopping. The café is a very popular feature in the store. Who are your competitors in the Taunton area? We have got a Tesco, two Sainsbury's and a newly refitted Morrisons all within a couple of miles of our store. At the end of the day, competition is all around and we have to keep our eye on the ball, but with our own refurbishment, I hope they are feeling nervous. We're going to look great! How has store management changed since you began working in the industry? Technology is incredible, especially with the new Smart systems we've taken from the US. You used to do your figures on paper and a fag packet! Having 24-hour trading is also positive - it gives customers what they want.


 


Asda Taunton, Somerset


0 - Although this Asda store was undergoing a major refit, the staff had been briefed to help shoppers navigate the shop. A full basket was provided and the till receipt was free of mistakes. A greeter was handing out shopping baskets and the copious special offers were well-signposted. Of the 24 checkouts, 17 were open. We visited on 25 May at 9.40am. Our shop lasted one hour and 37 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was two minutes 50 seconds.


 


Morrisons Coventry, West Midlands


1 - Our Morrisons shopper was impressed with the speed at which his checkout assistant opened as well as packed his bags, and 22 out of 28 tills were operating. However, our shopper was mistakenly charged for a more expensive variety of potatoes. The Kleenex for Men tissues were out of stock. We visited on 25 May at 10.25am. Our shop lasted 38 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was four minutes.


 


Sainsbury's Gateshead, Tyne and Wear


0 - The Gateshead Sainsbury's was found to be well-merchandised, clean and welcoming but made the same mistake as Morrisons by charging for the wrong potatoes. Our shopper described the fruit and vegetable display as looking tempting and, aside from the receipt error, was really impressed by the store. Of the 23 tills, 16 were open. We visited on 25 May at 9.02am. Our shop lasted one hour and nine minutes. Time spent at the checkout was six minutes.


 


Somerfield Chapel Allerton, Leeds


3 - This small Somerfield suffered from three out of stock items. There was no pre-packed Brie, Birds Eye chicken curry with rice or 400g to 500g lean beef steak mince. However, the store was well laid out, free of shelf stackers and also boasted some great special offers. We visited on 25 May at 10.25am. Our shop lasted 52 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was two minutes.


 


Tesco Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire


0 - Our shopper appreciated the spacious design of the Extra store, which she said still looked sparkling two years after having opened. The aisles can sometimes be busy with staff picking for internet shoppers, but this was not the case on this occasion. Only 25 of the 45 checkouts were operating, which led to queues, but the assistant was charming. We visited on 25 May at 4.34pm. Our shop lasted 47 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was seven minutes.


 


Waitrose Horley, Surrey


2 - Our Waitrose shopper had a long and eventful time at the checkout. The Colman's mustard was scanned twice by accident, a mistake that was rectified, and he was charged £1.06 for £1.07 Hula Hoops. The 500g sized Tetley tea bags were out of stock, as were the custard/vanilla slices. We visited on 25 May at 4.00pm. Our shop lasted 50 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was 10 minutes.


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