This week's winner of The Grocer 33's Top Store Award is Morrisons in Lancashire, which delivered excellent performance, particularly in terms of staff service and keeping the aisles free of clutter
To claim The Grocer 33's Top Store Award, stores must meet a strict set of criteria that are assessed by our team of eagle eyed mystery shoppers. This week's winning store, Morrisons in Chorley, Lancashire, did just that and plenty more besides.
The store provided all 33 items, and textbook customer service. It was clean and tidy and all aisles were free of packing trolleys. Staff were helpful and polite and our mystery shopper spent no time queuing at the checkout where she also had her bags packed.
The only other contender for the Top Store Award this week was Waitrose. Availability was 100%, the store was tidy and staff were helpful and polite. However, at the checkout our shopper spent five minutes queuing and was not offered help packing her goods.
Asda's Bridgwater store also provided high levels of service.
A meeter and greeter welcomed the customers as they passed through the doors, and all staff whom she approached were helpful and polite. A new checkout opened just as she reached the area, and she spent no time queuing. She was also offered help packing her goods.
Meanwhile our Sainsbury mystery shopper was disappointed by her trip to the chain's East Filton Store. Aisles were congested with packing trolleys and staff on the shop floor were reluctant to offer help when approached.
Gaelle Walker
News Reporter
Q&A with Simon Reading Manager of the Week
this week a year ago The winner was...
Service Champs
What first attracted you to the retail sector? The promise of a fast-paced and inspiring working environment. I do like being on the cutting edge of things. In this job no one hour is the same as the previous one, you are making decisions all the time and you are thinking on your feet. It's hard work but it's great fun and I have no plans to stop for a very long time. How long have you managed the Chorley store? I have been at Chorley for three months. I moved over from Morrisons' Southport store, which I had managed when it was a Safeway for five years. Southport was the first-ever Morrisons store to undergo conversion from a Safeway in April 2004, which was a really fantastic thing in which to be involved. How did it feel to become a Morrisons manager after all those years at Safeway? I thoroughly enjoyed the conversion process. Morrisons places a real emphasis on key shopping skills such as availability and having the right products on the shelves at the right time, and we are incredibly good at it. What is the best bit about your job? The people with whom I work and the public. We have 300 members of staff at Chorley and we have a fantastic time. So, how have your first three months been? Chorley is a superb store. It's 13 years old, so it is well established in the area. We also have an very loyal customer base. The team have made me feel really welcome. Your store attracts a higher percentage of wealthy achievers than a typical Morrisons. How do you cater for them? The Chorley store is in the Morrisons heartland and we are firmly rooted in the Morrisons culture. We try to be all things to all people, we certainly do not want to alienate anybody. Availability and customer service are incredibly important factors for all shoppers and we continue to deliver exceptionally high standards in both these areas, as is demonstrated in The Grocer 33's report this week.
One year ago this week, Andrew Capstick, manager of Morrisons Boroughbridge, was celebrating his win of The Grocer 33's prestigious Top Store Award. It's been a busy 12 months for Capstick, who left Boroughbridge soon after winning the award, to help colleagues at Morrisons' Bude store which was undergoing a conversion from a Safeway. Capstick is now back at Boroughbridge and says that the store is going great guns. "It's been an incredibly busy year. We have put in a new café, which has been a huge sucess with our customers, as is the dry cleaning service that started last year." The store has also opened a photo processing facility, all of which is helping to drive sales and keep Capstick on his toes.
Weekly winners since June 12, 2005 Morrisons 1 1 Sainsbury10 Waitrose10 Asda7 Tesco5 Somerfield3
To claim The Grocer 33's Top Store Award, stores must meet a strict set of criteria that are assessed by our team of eagle eyed mystery shoppers. This week's winning store, Morrisons in Chorley, Lancashire, did just that and plenty more besides.
The store provided all 33 items, and textbook customer service. It was clean and tidy and all aisles were free of packing trolleys. Staff were helpful and polite and our mystery shopper spent no time queuing at the checkout where she also had her bags packed.
The only other contender for the Top Store Award this week was Waitrose. Availability was 100%, the store was tidy and staff were helpful and polite. However, at the checkout our shopper spent five minutes queuing and was not offered help packing her goods.
Asda's Bridgwater store also provided high levels of service.
A meeter and greeter welcomed the customers as they passed through the doors, and all staff whom she approached were helpful and polite. A new checkout opened just as she reached the area, and she spent no time queuing. She was also offered help packing her goods.
Meanwhile our Sainsbury mystery shopper was disappointed by her trip to the chain's East Filton Store. Aisles were congested with packing trolleys and staff on the shop floor were reluctant to offer help when approached.
Gaelle Walker
News Reporter
Q&A with Simon Reading Manager of the Week
this week a year ago The winner was...
Service Champs
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