The Grocer’s reigning Store Manager of the Year has presided over the first-ever perfect score in The Grocer 33 mystery shopping survey.

Sainsbury’s Livingston store - run by George Paton - scored 100% for availability, store standards, shop floor and checkout service when our mystery shopper visited last Saturday.

The marks are even more impressive because they trump Sainsbury’s previous high score of 96%, which was set by Paton at the same store 18 months ago.

“I am so proud of George and his team at Livingston and I’m delighted that The Grocer has rewarded their hard work hard and commitment in this way,” said Sainsbury’s retail director Helen Buck.

Sainsbury’s has taken an early lead in The Grocer 33 for customer service. It has won seven times since the start of the new The Grocer 33 year in June. Its nearest competitors are Tesco and Waitrose, which have three wins each.