Retailer Excellence Awards
PRESS RELEASE
Issued 10 December 2010 – for immediate release
CSC’s the Glades rewards retailer excellence
The Glades, Capital Shopping Centre’s town-centre site in Bromley, has run a highly successful campaign to promote customer service.
Culminating in a champagne reception and sumptuous awards dinner at the Grade 1 listed Sundridge Park Manor in Bromley, the Glades’ Retail Excellence Awards 2010 rewarded stores for exceptional service in a variety of categories.
“We wanted to emphasise to our retailers the important role of customer service in the overall retail experience at the Glades,” explained Howard Oldstein, the centre’s General Manager. “We’ve been running a similar campaign, called ‘Store Wars’, for the last couple of years but we changed the format this year in order to reward retailers in a wider range of categories and thereby motivate more stores to participate.”
As well as three awards decided by customer voting – Best Customer Service, Favourite Shop and Favourite Restaurant or Café – there were nine other categories, including Greenest Store, judged by a panel of independent specialists and Glades managers. “What has been really pleasing about our new Retail Excellence Awards,” said Maria Cooper, the Glades’ Marketing Manager, “is that the awards have been won by a good mix of stores – from the big, High Street names to small, independent stores. Everyone had a chance to shine and the best efforts of our retail staff and store managers have been publicly recognised.” Voting by shoppers was incentivised by a prize draw to win a £50 Glades Gift Card and members of the public could vote either in centre or on line.
Awards hat-trick for independent store
The limelight at the awards dinner was stolen by homeware specialist, Flutterbyes, which scooped no fewer than three awards. An independent store selling chic home accessories and garden products, Flutterbyes won the prizes for Favourite Shop, Best Customer Service and Best Store Manager for stores up to 230m2. The store’s manager, Charmain Botton, said, “We were delighted to win these awards, especially to be voted Favourite Shop by the public. It reflects the comments that we hear from our customers at the counter every day and is really pleasing.”
Other winners in the Glades’ Retail Excellence Awards 2010 included jeweller Ernest Jones for Best Operational Retailer; photographic studio Viva La Foto for Best Use of Marketing Initiatives; gourmet store Oil & Vinegar for Best Newcomer and fashion retailer Massimo Dutti for Best Merchandised Store. Scooping the award for Greenest Store was Disney Store, while jeweller Swag picked up the prize for Best Window Display. The award for Best Restaurant or Café, as voted by the public, went to Café Giardino, while toy store Fun Learning was judged to have the Best Customer Service Team. Peter Grocott, Manager of Boots at the Glades, was crowned Best Store Manager for stores over 230m2, and Boots also won the accolade of Retailer Of The Year.
