Store of the week: Waitrose Boughton, Chester

It was customer service that made the difference for you this week. What’s the secret? I think it is about setting the right tone and looking to lead by example. It’s important to talk to partners in terms of how they would like to be treated if they were the customer and reminding them that when the store does well it’s good for everyone.

Your store is just two years old - how has trading been? We are continuing to see double digit growth and I think one of the keys is that we have so many touchpoints for customers. We were the first Waitrose store to get a wine bar and this is proving very popular, along with other hospitality areas such as the bakery and juice bar. We have regulars who come at the same time every week or even make bookings. We have cheese and wine evenings that get booked up rapidly. All this helps expand customers’ range of tastes; it’s good to get them trying new things.

You’ve just released your Coming Home Christmas campaign - how is that going down? We’ve had a fabulous reaction. It’s so much more than just a TV advert as it brings together the book written by Michael Morpurgo. We are also launching an in-store campaign including hunts throughout the store for kids. It really fuels the message of spending time together and enjoying food.

Speaking of which - what are you expecting to be the big sellers this Christmas? I’m certainly expecting the revamped Heston from Waitrose range to perform strongly. The new design is very distinctive and idiosyncratic. The spiced shortcrust mince pies with a lemon twist will do very well. This is our third Christmas and it has started well. People are starting to know they can find some really great things here.

And will you be having a Christmas party? Yes, it will be in early December and we will be having a special element to celebrate this award.