Winner: Morrisons Huddersfield
Store manager: Wayne Smith
Opened: 1995
Size: 38,000 sq
Market share: 20.2%
Nearest rivals:
Tesco: 0.9 miles
Sainsbury’s: 1.9 miles
Asda: 2.8 miles
Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000

Why do you think you have won? Two reasons: the HOT customer service initiative, but also because we became a store of the future three weeks ago. Customers have been saying the store is amazing, unbelievable and innovative.

What changes have been made? We have a new fresh produce area, new wine and spirits, new deli, new kids clothing, a garden centre, new improved bakery, new cake shop and a new improved fresh meat department.

What are the big changes from a customer’s point of view? Service has improved, for example we can now make pizzas to order. We have really opened everything up as well, so customers at the bakery can see us kneading dough on a preparation counter.

Was there a lot of disruption to trade while the store was revamped? What would normally take two weeks we did in 36 hours. That was unbelievable. I saw some great teamwork. Everyone had a can-do attitude. Our colleagues and customers have embraced the change and it has given us a new lease of life. It’s a £2m investment that I am sure will pay off. Sales are very positive compared with an average week beforehand. Our shopper mentioned the petrol station was very popular.

How did you cope during the recent fuel scare?The petrol panic coincided with the new store opening. We had lots of curious customers and record sales for fuel, so we had to ensure that people could access both the petrol station and the store. But we managed the queues extremely well .

It’s very tight in this year’s G33 between Morrisons and Asda on service. Who is going to win? We’ll win it overall. I’m pretty confident. There should be several more wins before the end of the year and we will come out on top. We have got Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s all nearby and I am sure they would be very envious of what we are offering now. I am sure they think ‘wow’ when they come in. 

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