Matthew Kershaw, Sainsbury's Salford: Grocer 33 store of the week

Congratulations. Why do you think you won?

It is about standards and service. We have done a lot of work in-store on service and training with our scheme called ‘In our customers’ shoes’. We want our staff to be customer-focused. We have had loads of feedback on our service and we have some staff that are praised all the time.

Availability wasn’t great this week - are you surprised by that?

We smashed our sales budget on the day as it was the first sun we have had in weeks. There were a lot of customers in the store and that had a slight impact. We have a central team that look at our forecasts and if any events are coming up we have a regional team that will review anything.

What are you doing to make use of space in store?

We have done a lot of work on giving space back to the customer so they can get down the aisles a lot easier. We also looked at what we are selling in store and we had a lot of customer feedback about the Freefrom range. We have moved our store around to put in a bigger section and that is driving sales. A real growth area is our general merchandise and clothing and we are getting better at it. Also, I would like to get one of the Argos shops.

How often do you visit your closest rivals?

I will visit them once a week or once a fortnight. I worry more about what we are doing in our branch.

How have shopping patterns changed in this store?

It has changed from big shops to more frequent visits. I think people are savvier and think about food waste now. They want things fresh and it is easy because the store is open to 11pm in the week.

How is Sainsbury’s dealing with promotions?

We have moved away from promotions that offer three items for £10 and are now pricing them at £3.30, which is cheaper. This is making everyday low prices easier for our customers and they don’t have to buy three items.