What does winning The Grocer 33's Top Store Award mean to you? I am so chuffed to have won this award, particularly as the mystery shop took place on one of our most difficult days of the year. We had closed the store for three days during the Yorkshire Show, so that our car park could be used for disabled parking. We had to run down stock levels in the run-up to the closure and then open with a big bang on the Friday. It was hard work, but we were thrilled with the results, as was your mystery shopper!

What do you enjoy most about your job? I simply love dealing with the customers and my colleagues. Bringing people on and promoting them - helping them to move up the ranks and progress their careers - is intensely rewarding and more important to me than any financial reward.

What do you see as your biggest challenge? Maintaining the balance between availability, customer service and profitability in this tough and ever-changing retail climate.

What are you most proud of at the Harrogate store?

I know that every manager says this, but I really mean it when I say that it's my team of staff. The colleagues here really are fantastic. The store's success really is down to them. I am so proud of the way that we interact as a team, and they are quick to rise to any challenge that comes along. They are definitely the best thing about this store.

Is there anything exciting on the cards for 2006? Yes. We are in the middle of an extensive refurbishment. We are adding an extra 23,000 sq ft of space to the store and it is all due to be finished at the end of November. After the refurb, we will be selling a full range of TU clothing. At the moment all we sell in the way of clothes is socks!

How are you coping with all the disruption? Communication is the key. The whole team meets for a quick huddle every day at 11am and we thrash out any problems or issues that have arisen. We are lucky to have a great site manager and construction company.