A chatty checkout assistant, no out-of-stock items and plenty of tills open helped Morrisons' Banbury branch net our top store award this week. It was a close call, however, as four of the five retailers boasted no out of stocks.
Our shopper was particularly impressed with the Morrisons staff, who were happy to escort her to several items around the immaculate and well-stocked store.
Although Tesco in Maldon also provided a full basket and the checkout assistant who served our shopper was polite, a crushed biscuit on the floor gave it an untidy appearance. Several staff were busy stacking shelves, but they moved out of the way when necessary.
Sainsbury's in Denton was quiet when our shopper visited and also provided every item on the list. However, staff preparing online deliveries made the aisles difficult to navigate. Plenty of checkouts were open, though, and the checkout assistant was polite, and offered to pack our shopper's bags.
Asda's Aberdeen store also boasted strong availability. The checkout assistant was friendly and polite and offered to pack our shopper's bags. However, she made a mistake when scanning the items and charged our shopper twice for the white grapefruit.
Waitrose in Beaconsfield was the only retailer with poor availability. However, a member of staff helped our shopper locate the naan bread and there were no queues.
Our shopper was particularly impressed with the Morrisons staff, who were happy to escort her to several items around the immaculate and well-stocked store.
Although Tesco in Maldon also provided a full basket and the checkout assistant who served our shopper was polite, a crushed biscuit on the floor gave it an untidy appearance. Several staff were busy stacking shelves, but they moved out of the way when necessary.
Sainsbury's in Denton was quiet when our shopper visited and also provided every item on the list. However, staff preparing online deliveries made the aisles difficult to navigate. Plenty of checkouts were open, though, and the checkout assistant was polite, and offered to pack our shopper's bags.
Asda's Aberdeen store also boasted strong availability. The checkout assistant was friendly and polite and offered to pack our shopper's bags. However, she made a mistake when scanning the items and charged our shopper twice for the white grapefruit.
Waitrose in Beaconsfield was the only retailer with poor availability. However, a member of staff helped our shopper locate the naan bread and there were no queues.
Winner: Satnam Leihal, store manager, Morrisons, Banbury
Why was your store last in the papers?
A customer fell ill in our store recently and we were in the papers because she thanked us for taking care of her. We were also featured for taking part in Remembrance Day and our Let's Grow scheme, which helps teach local schoolchildren to grow their own fruit and veg.
How do you compete against local supermarkets, given that CACI data states you are the fourth most-suited retailer to the Banbury market?
Tesco is the nearest supermarket. It's larger than us and about a mile away. But we compete really well, especially with fresh food and prepared products. Although it has a larger non-food offer than us, we have a pretty impressive offer of our own.
How has your non-food done since you expanded your offer?
In November we refreshed the store and introduced a techno bar, which includes TVs, DVDs and iPods, which are all going down really well. Non-food now accounts for 8% of sales.
Do you have any more refurbishment plans?
We are planning to refit our café. The menu will stay the same, but we will have new furniture and décor.
How do you motivate your staff?
By making sure they understand that the customer is very important and also by helping them develop their careers. It's crucial to keep the team enthusiastic and keep driving them forward. It is important that they all understand and share the company's vision, so to make sure we stay focused we have daily briefings where we discuss sales targets, prices, offers and customer service.
What products are selling particularly well at the moment? Our fresh produce and hot cross buns are doing well. Customers also love our Fresh Ideas prepared meals, especially the chicken varieties, because they are so easy to cook - you just put them straight in the oven. We now offer more Value items, which go also go down really well. There is a now a Value option for every single area, including stationery, frozen food and home & leisure.
What would you change about your store?
I would like a larger shop floor space for the products we already have.
Why was your store last in the papers?
A customer fell ill in our store recently and we were in the papers because she thanked us for taking care of her. We were also featured for taking part in Remembrance Day and our Let's Grow scheme, which helps teach local schoolchildren to grow their own fruit and veg.
How do you compete against local supermarkets, given that CACI data states you are the fourth most-suited retailer to the Banbury market?
Tesco is the nearest supermarket. It's larger than us and about a mile away. But we compete really well, especially with fresh food and prepared products. Although it has a larger non-food offer than us, we have a pretty impressive offer of our own.
How has your non-food done since you expanded your offer?
In November we refreshed the store and introduced a techno bar, which includes TVs, DVDs and iPods, which are all going down really well. Non-food now accounts for 8% of sales.
Do you have any more refurbishment plans?
We are planning to refit our café. The menu will stay the same, but we will have new furniture and décor.
How do you motivate your staff?
By making sure they understand that the customer is very important and also by helping them develop their careers. It's crucial to keep the team enthusiastic and keep driving them forward. It is important that they all understand and share the company's vision, so to make sure we stay focused we have daily briefings where we discuss sales targets, prices, offers and customer service.
What products are selling particularly well at the moment? Our fresh produce and hot cross buns are doing well. Customers also love our Fresh Ideas prepared meals, especially the chicken varieties, because they are so easy to cook - you just put them straight in the oven. We now offer more Value items, which go also go down really well. There is a now a Value option for every single area, including stationery, frozen food and home & leisure.
What would you change about your store?
I would like a larger shop floor space for the products we already have.
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