Tarbolton shop holds key to good service

Dec 26 2008 by Lisa Boyle

AN Ayrshire convenience store is officially one of the best in the UK.

The Keystore in Tarbolton has been crowned one of the best neighbourhood shops in the UK.

Mandy and Raj Kaur, who own the shop, reached the final 25 of the prestigious awards run by Robert Wiseman dairies.

And the popular couple attended a glittering ceremony at Cameron House in Loch Lomond earlier this month to collect the accolade.

Sandy Wilkie, sales and marketing director at Robert Wiseman dairies, said: “The stores in the national finals represent the cream of convenience retailing, and Keystore Tarbolton is very deserving of its place amongst the top 25 convenience stores in the country.

“It comes as no surprise to me that the national champions are finding a way through these tough times. Consumers are adjusting their spending habits, but reluctance to travel and increasing enthusiasm to support local businesses provides convenience stores with huge opportunities.”

After being nominated by their customers, each of the finalists underwent a rigorous judging process. This included being visited by mystery shoppers, who judged the stores against a strict criteria including friendliness of staff, merchandising and product range.

Finally the stores were visited by the team of national judges made up from The Three Wisemen – Stanley Morrice, Tom Fender and Mike Greene – plus Sandy Wilkie, to experience what makes the store so special.

Having made it to the finals of the awards, Keystore Tarbolton and the other 24 finalists were asked to share their experiences of the credit crunch and how they are tackling the issues it has created.