Winner: Sainsbury’s Cockermouth
Store manager: Lee Chilton
Opened: 2002
Size: 16,500 sq
Market share: 80.8%
Nearest rivals:
The Co-operative Group - 0.06 miles
Morrisons - 8.07 miles
Tesco - 10.06 miles
Store data source: Analysis by CACI.
Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000

Your store is right on the edge of the Lake District. How do you cater for tourists? We’re very much a food store. People come here for camping or in their caravans and they come to us for food. So we make sure we’re fully stocked right through the day.

Has the recent bad weather a ected trade? It has a ected the tourist trade a bit, but not the store. The locals are very loyal to this store and we’re very community based, right in the centre of the town. Cockermouth had terrible ooding in 2009, which is still very fresh in people’s memories, so when the forecast says bad weather is on the way, we get a lot of people doing bulk buys.

What has been selling well? Fresh goods have been doing particularly well. We have lots of fresh promotions across the store, from fruit and vegetables to sliced meats.

Does the store get involved with the local community? Very much so. We have recently elected our local charity of the year and it’s the Rising Sun Trust, which supports young people with drug and alcohol problems across Cumbria.

How is your store getting involved with Sainsbury’s Paralympics sponsorship? We’re planning to really go for it! We want to have a few parties, put up bunting and get involved as much as we can. I think Sainsbury’s sponsorship has really helped raise awareness of the Paralympic Games in this country.

If Justin King said you could do anything to your store, what would be top of your wishlist? To add a GM and clothing o er. This would really support the community because the options to buy clothing in the town are limited.

This is the fourth G33 win for Sainsbury’s in a row. Why do you think it is enjoying such a good run? Sainsbury’s invests in its people. So this means that service is up there with the very best. Availability is also key. 

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