Winner: Sainsbury’s Pound Lane, Norwich
Store manager: Andy Stewardson
Opened: 1987
Size: 66,000 sq ft
Market share: 25.4%
Nearest rivals: Tesco - 2.3 miles, Morrisons - 3.5 miles, Asda - 4.4 miles
Store data source: Analysis by CACI. Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000

 

How was trading over Easter? Great. The kids broke up on the Wednesday or the Thursday, so it was pretty busy and pretty much as we expected. We ran out of Easter eggs at the end of the weekend, but had a great selection right through.

Our mystery shopper gave you top marks for shop floor service and an almost perfect score for store standards. Why do you think that was? I am very lucky to have a diverse and dedicated team. I’ve got many staff who have worked at Sainsbury’s for more than 20 years, but also others who have joined to make the company their new career path. They know what good customer service is and learn from each other.

What training is available for your staff? We keep up with the customer needs with regular training. We’ve also just launched a Tell Sainsbury’s scheme where customers can email the company directly.

Was your store affected by the recent bad weather?We had our fair share. We have a good contract with a local gritting company so the car park was safe, and we also had all our deliveries through. Our online team also got out 99% of their orders.

Did you notice a change in shopper habits? People stocked up on soups, bread, long-life milk and tinned vegetables.

What changes are you planning for your store this year? I want to continue the great growth we’ve experienced. Just like the company as a whole, online is growing really well for us as a store, as well as clothing and non-food. Roughly 20,000 sq ft of the store is non-food. Fresh food has also performed well.

Sainsbury’s recent trading performance has been impressive. Why do you think this is? Sainsbury’s has an all-round great offer. Brand Match has gone down really well and Active Kids continues to strike a chord. Some 128 local organisations are signed up to it from my store. There is a real buzz from both customers and colleagues.

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