Vandalism and the nearby opening of a Lidl store are just two of the challenges this Somerfield outlet in Plymstock, Devon, has faced on the road to winning this week's Top Store award. Our mystery shopper commended the 14,000 sq ft store for its high availability of products and the sociable, pleasant atmosphere - enhanced by a recent makeover. But things have not always been so cheerful outside the outlet. Acting manager Paul Sinclair has been at the store for 27 years and has noticed an increase in disorderly behaviour. "It's been a nightmare," said Sinclair. "They have chipped bricks from our walls and thrown them through our windows. They congregate outside the store after dark and our night-crew manager has to escort staff past them. But things have improved lately." The other threat to this store was the opening of a Lidl outlet opposite Somerfield but ironically Sinclair believes it has increased trade for Somerfield. "One-and-a-half miles down the road is a 64,000 sq ft out-of-town Morrisons on the road to Plymouth, a former Safeway, and we were losing trade to them. Lidl opened and drew customers back to our location. If Lidl hadn't opened we would probably still be losing trade to Morrisons," he added. "A discount store and our premium offering seems to be an attractive combination to shoppers."



Q&A with Paul Sinclair Acting store manager of the week


How have you coped with the yobs? We hired a security guard to stop them running riot round the store, and a police dispersal order also helped. Which products are selling well at the moment? With the great weather we're having, our barbecue food range has been selling fantastically. This year, our products are better packaged and better value. We are also one of the Somerfield stores that sell Tchibo products, so people come to us for clothes, kitchen-ware, satellite navigation systems - everything really! Tchibo ranges change regularly, are good sellers and provide us with customer draw. Do you have an online service? No, but we have a door-to-door delivery service. Because we have an ageing population in this area, many customers rely on our delivery service for their weekly shop. Because we are in a pedestrianised zone, we don't have an adjoining car park, which also makes the delivery service popular. How energy efficient is your store? Funnily enough, I have just had a conference call about saving energy. There is a Somerfield website that has been re-focused to measure how much energy each store is using. We used to have light switches that turned on when somebody walked in the room, but they stayed on too long when the person left and wasted energy. Now, each Somerfield has a handful of staff who encourage the rest of the store to monitor the amount of electricity they are using. How do you keep customers happy? We are happy ourselves! A customer told me our store was like a big corner shop. We've got a lad who works here part-time and shoppers absolutely love him. He has the gift of the gab, and is very good with the older shoppers and disabled customers, carrying their bags and charming them. During the World Cup we had him at the entrance selling England memorabilia. Old ladies were walking in with car flags and hats saying, "I don't want this and I can't drive, but he was so nice I couldn't say no!"


 


Availability


ASDA Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire

0 - Our Asda shopper described the staff as knowledgeable and cheerful. The checkout assistant greeted our shopper and also offered to pack his bags. There were numerous special offers across the store and promotion girls were giving out free Müller Vitality samples at the store's exit. Twelve of the 20 checkouts were operating. We visited on 20 April at 9.45pm. Our shop lasted one hour and five minutes. Time spent at the checkout was four minutes.



MorrisonS Solihull, West Midlands

1 - This Morrisons store was clean although the vegetable and bread aisles were cluttered with packing trolleys. It was well-merchandised but had sold out of the white Hovis bread. Our shopper reported that staff were not especially friendly and only pointed to an item's location rather than take her there. Only 12 of the 20 tills were open. We visited on 20 April at 9.20am. Our shop lasted one hour. Time spent at the checkout was seven minutes.



Sainsbury's Belfast

0 - Our shopper spotted unattended packing trolleys in many aisles of the store. The staff were the friendliest our shopper had met in a long time and went out of their way to help him. The Scotch eggs and Bernard Matthews turkey ham were not stocked. We visited on 20 April at 12.40am. Our shop lasted one hour and five minutes. Time spent at the checkout was two minutes and 55 seconds.



Somerfield Plymstock, Devon

1 - This busy Somerfield branch had an attractive entrance with a well-presented Food To Go section. Only twin-packs of Soreen malted loaf were available, although the store was well-signed and free of packing trolleys. The staff were chatty and helpful and the assistant offered to help pack our shopper's bags. We visited on 20 April at 9.55am. Our shop lasted 40 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was five minutes and 20 seconds.



Tesco Sandhurst, Surrey

0 - Our shopper found this large Tesco Extra to be crowded and the aisles were busy with staff buying for internet customers. The packing trolleys were large and blocked large parts of some displays. However, the customer service was great and the checkout assistant was helpful. Out of 49 checkouts, a sufficient 43 were open. We visited on 20 April at 11.22pm. Our shop lasted 54 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was eight minutes.



Waitrose Hall Green, Birmingham

0 - This Waitrose outlet was well-merchandised and fairly tidy. It only stocked an own-label version of After Eight mint chocolates. Our shopper said the staff were ready to provide assistance and he did not have to queue at the checkout. We visited on 20 April at 4.16pm. Our shop lasted 43 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was three minutes.

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