Winner: Sainsbury’s Cheadle
Store manager: David Gaffin
Opened: 1995
Size: 60,000 sq ft
Market share: 11.3%
Nearest rivals: Waitrose - 1.1 miles, Asda - 1.9 miles, Morrisons - 2.1 miles
Store data source: Analysis by CACI. Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000

How do you feel about the win? I feel like we’ve won the Oscars! It really has been a year like no other at our store, so this really tops it off. I want to say a massive thank you to all my colleagues because the store wouldn’t have achieved the win without them.

Your store was extended six months ago - what work was involved? The work started in March last year and finished in September. We had 20,000 sq ft added, as well as a revamp of the whole store, a new café, and new food counters. We continued trading throughout.

And what has the extra space allowed you to do that you couldn’t before? We have been able to extend our general merchandise and non-food ranges considerably. Before, the offer was around 2,000 sq ft.

Our mystery shopper described the extension as a “super job”. What reaction have you had from customers? It’s honestly been amazing. They tell me it’s what they’ve been waiting for all these years. They’ve got everything they want all under one roof - well-presented, easy access and great car parking.

Your store scored highly on store standards. What do you do to encourage this? We make it a great place to work. We took on a lot of new colleagues when the store was extended, but we’ve also got a very strong track record of promoting from within. In the past 18 months, 25 colleagues have been promoted through Sainsbury’s You Can programme. The key is to make sure everyone is fully engaged and happy.

Nominations closed this week for the public to nominate local charities for individual stores to support - did your store get a lot of nominations? The response was incredible! We’ve been supporting St Ann’s Hospice and have raised several thousand pounds over the past year. It’s a great scheme to be a part of and to be able to support the local community. I think that’s what makes Sainsbury’s such a special place to work.

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