Grocer 33 - Store of the week: Asda Trafford Park, Manchester

Winner: Asda Trafford Park, Manchester
Store Manager: Jason Teens
Opened: 1995
Size: 82,000 sq ft
Market share: 16.7%
Nearest rivals: Morrisons - 1.0 miles; Sainsbury’s - 1.4 miles; Tesco - 3.2 miles

_{Store data source: Analysis by CACI. Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000}

How does it feel to win and to what do you attribute it? I’m really delighted I have only been at the store for seven weeks. We have worked tirelessly as a team to encourage great service and focus on great availability. At whatever time of day, our customers can get an equally good offer.

With strong competition nearby, how have you encouraged customers to come to your store? Following the opening of two Tesco stores nearby we had a refit that included a Disney shop and an events space.

Our mystery shopper was particularly impressed with your customer service. How have you encouraged this? It’s really important to offer good customer service in today’s market. We have internal audits but also do our own observations and give feedback.

How do you reward staff? We reward our staff verbally or in writing, and issue Star Points that can be exchanged for Asda products.

Asda recorded an underwhelming 0.1% sales rise for the 14 weeks to 5 January. Did that surprise you - and will you change anything? I was surprised as I thought we ran a good campaign during that period. There’s nothing from a strategy point of view that I will be changing.

Have you had feedback from customers worried about the horsemeat scandal and your products? No, although we saw a slight decline in sales and a switch from frozen to fresh products, particularly from the meat counter.

What would you like to change about your store?Access and entry to the car park is a challenge. Being next to the Trafford Centre means we get affected, particularly on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Mother’s Day is coming up. How are you preparing?It is hugely important for our customers. Flowers and chocolates are traditionally good sellers, as is our George clothing range.