Winner: Tesco Harlow
Store manager: Lee Coveney
Opened: 1992
Size: 40,000 sq ft
Market share: 15.3%
Nearest rivals: Sainsbury’s - 1.6 miles, Asda - 1.8 miles, Waitrose - 6.2 miles
Store data source: Analysis by CACI. Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000
You’ve ended Sainsbury’s two-month run of Grocer 33 wins. How does it feel? We’re absolutely delighted. It’s an honour. I joined 16 months ago. In that time we’ve refreshed the store and really concentrated on quality, freshness, cleanliness and customer service.
What changes have you made? We have new bakery, deli and produce counters. We’ve also refreshed the car park, introduced 800 new lines and lots of new ranges in health & beauty.
What are your thoughts on the new Tesco Extra in Watford? Fantastic. It looks like we’ve brought Tesco into the 21st century. It’s such a different concept - great-looking departments and well-trained staff. Our customers have had conversations about it too, there’s been a lot of interest.
Can we expect to see a nail bar and a Giraffe restaurant springing up in your store? We’re probably too small for that.
Tesco Harlow was praised for its high level of customer service. How do you reward staff? A few months ago we created a Twitter account for staff which we use to celebrate great customer service. We’ve got 400 people who work here and it’s a great, immediate way of thanking people for their efforts. We also award bottles of Champagne for great customer service.
What are the best aspects of your store? We have great people who take great pride and care of customers, we’ve got some great ranges and a fantastic bakery counter.
What gives you a buzz? Training and developing our people. Quite a few get promoted out of the store to go on and do bigger roles. It’s great when people get promoted - it’s the most satisfying feeling.
What are your plans for the next year? We want to keep working on our quality and freshness, and although we’re top of our region for customer service, we want to keep going with our training in this area and improve further.
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