Winner: Waitrose Buxton
Store manager: Lindsay Cli ord
Size: 18,000 sq
Market share: 31.3%
Nearest rivals:
Aldi 0.3 miles
Morrisons 0.56 miles
Tesco 6.5 miles
Store data source: Analysis by CACI.
Call the market planning group on 020 7602 6000

 

Since becoming store manager six months ago, what have you been focusing on? I’ve got stuck into trading, pushing hard on availability and customer service. The team has worked really, really hard and are all really excited to have won.

How has the changeable weather affected the store? Buxton has its own micro-climate -I experienced snow at Easter for the fist time here. So weather is always at the forefront of our minds. We keep a close eye on forecasts to ensure that we have the right stock.

What has been selling well in store? Convenience food has been doing well and now that there has been some sunshine, salads and barbecue foods are selling well. Also being Buxton, we do sell a lot of Buxton water.

How does being a tourist town affect trading? It does make things busy over the summer months. The tourists that come to the town tend to shop little and often, especially among the ‘food to go’ ranges, so we trade well there.

Has being open two hours longer on Sunday for the Olympics worked well? Yes, although it is not all down to the sport. Trading is brisk anyway at the moment because as a traditional spa town Buxton has a full calendar of festivals and events at this time of year. We therefore get a lot of day visitors and tourists.

Have you been getting into the Olympic spirit? I’ve just come back from London. I didn’t have any tickets but did get involved in the Olympic fever. I watched the road race, saw the boats at Tower Bridge and even got to touch the Olympic torch in Selfridges.

How have you got involved in the ‘partner volunteering’ scheme Waitrose has been running? We worked with the local volunteering centre to find out what we could do. Over the past couple of months, we’ve helped out at the local donkey sanctuary pulling out weeds that can be dangerous for the donkeys, and at a summer club for children. 

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