Competition hots up in Town Centre Business Awards

Rochdale Town Centre Management Business Awards 2008

The process for the deciding the Rochdale Town Centre Business Award winners 2009 is now well underway.

The awards, which are now in their third year, will acknowledge Rochdale businesses that provide a friendly, personal service and aim to restore the pride and faith of the community in the town.

‘Mystery Shoppers’ have visited more than a hundred businesses in the town centre over the last few months, assessing them for their overall performance.

There are 11 awards in total, which will be presented at the Awards ceremony in September, sponsored by Rochdale Borough Council.

This week Rochdale Online brings you some of the best comments from the mystery shoppins in the Best National Retailer, Best Independent Retailer, Best Service Provider and Best Food Retailer categories.

Suzy Woods at Rochdale Town Centre Management, which is running the awards, said: "Since judging is yet to take place, the names of the businesses have been omitted from the examples, but from the comments provided it is clear that our town centre traders are offering the best in customer service."

BEST NATIONAL RETAILER - sponsored by Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre

Lorenzo O’Reilly, Centre Manager, said: “The Rochdale Exchange is at the very heart of Rochdale’s retail sector and the majority of our stores are occupied by national retailers. By sponsoring the Best National Retailer Award, we are pleased to be able to offer not only our encouragement and support to our retailers, but also to show our commitment to the future of Rochdale Town Centre.”

Mystery shopper comments

"She was extremely helpful and got things out of the window for me to have a closer look. There were no other customers in the shop so I got her full attention. I asked about the quality of the …………, and she was very knowledgeable. She also told me that new stock came in frequently if I did not see what I wanted today. She was very chatty and spoke of her preference to …………."

"I was greeted with a smile and a cheery 'Hi' as soon as I entered the store. She was bright and enthusiastic. I had the full attention of the member of staff and she showed me the ……… options. When I said I had seen something else, she showed me a brochure with individualised items that could make ……….more special. She was knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the products. I was given excellent advice and a good choice of options by a pleasant and enthusiastic member of staff."


BEST INDEPENDENT RETAILER - sponsored by Rochdale Development Agency

Peter Hill, Deputy Chief Executive at RDA, said: “Rochdale Development Agency recognises the importance of supporting our local independent retailers, especially at this time, and that is why we are proud to sponsor this award.”

Mystery shopper comments

"She was lovely and very welcoming. She commented on the nice weather. She gave me her full attention and was very interested. She suggested some suitable items. She seemed to know all about the features and benefits. She also kept going upstairs to get the right ……… if it was not already on the shop floor."

"The assistant was well informed about her product, she had attractive examples of her work on display. There was a wide range of ……… available and they appeared to be of a high quality. The assistant seemed very friendly and eager to please. She also added that the information office in the exchange centre may also have some information. She then went on to tell me about the activities at the lake and in the parks which she told me she had enjoyed with her children in the past. She was enthusiastic about events in Rochdale."

BEST SERVICE PROVIDER - sponsored by Storecheckers Ltd

Jeff Caplan, Managing Director at Storecheckers, said: “Storecheckers is a Manchester based Market Research organisation that has since 1989 helped retailers grow by developing their customer service skills and is, again, carrying out the Mystery Shopping visits that will identify the winners of this year’s prestigious Rochdale Town Centre Business Awards. The first two awards programmes showed the great strengths of Rochdale’s retail offer and Storecheckers is proud to be sponsoring the Best Service award. I am delighted that we will again be involved in finding out who are the retail stars in Rochdale.”

Mystery shopper comments

"She made full eye contact during our conversation and was very understanding when I explained my problem. She made suggestions about …… and special offers. She answered all my questions about the service fully and clearly."

£The assistant was friendly, pleasant, helpful and knowledgeable about Rochdale. He was proud of his town and keen to help me, his friendly enthusiasm made me confident in his assessments."

BEST FOOD RETAILER - sponsored by Chantilly

Marjorie Thompson, owner of Chantilly, said: “We strongly believe that a diverse, vibrant and quality food retailing sector can enrich the town centre and give Rochdale an individuality and character which will encourage people to visit and this will bring an energy to the town centre. Chantilly is therefore pleased to sponsor this year’s award for Best Food Retailer.”

Mystery shopper comments

"The Staff Member was most attentive, knowledgeable and informative, as well as being polite and professional. All the produce was well presented and looked most appetising. All the items were clearly priced, and seemed to be good value for money."

"She was great, a lovely bubbly person, who gave her full attention to me, in a friendly, helpful manner. She interacted well with me and engaged in unprompted general conversation, when asked about her food. The assistant was on her own, looking after six customers, yet all empty tables were clean and tidy, food was great, service was great, (with a smile!) would definitely call again next time in Rochdale."

There will be a separate award for the Rochdale Employee of the Year, sponsored by Rochdale Online.

To nominate a member of staff that has given excellent customer service then send a photograph, reason why you think that person should be nominated, plus your contact details to Suzy Woods at Rochdale Town Centre Management, 5 South Parade, Rochdale, OL16 1LR. Please note that they must be a town centre employee.