Girvans Scoops Double Award Honors!
Outstanding double victory from an initial 2,100 UK stores.
Girvans of Aberfeldy has clinched two highly acclaimed retail industry awards, winning the Londis Best Forecourt Shop, and the top accolade Londis Store of the Year. The Perthshire family business includes a Gulf forecourt, hardware shop, extensive outdoor sports store and motor workshop.
“We’re absolutely elated to have won, it’s a complete turnaround from where we were this time last year!” enthuses Blair Girvan, Owner/Manager. “We were told we’d been successful in the Forecourt category which in itself was fantastic, and then we competed against six other category winners for the best overall shop.” "The process involved three knock-out stages; a mystery shopper visit, a personal interview with me and a filmed interview whereby the competition judge came to the shop and spoke to staff and customers. Our victory certainly proves that a shift of business strategy and shop makeover can be worth the hassle and hard work!”
Winning the two honours in the second year of the Londis awards programme, Girvans of Aberfeldy was nowhere to be seen on the short list in 2007. In January last year, Blair set about a major shop refurbishment, doubling its original size and installing an extensive chilled and frozen foods section. “The new products have been really successful, particularly with our move towards local goods which has pleased the regulars,” explains Blair. “We regularly assess stock movement and if a product isn’t selling we’ll try a different range. Being disciplined with paperwork and management procedures makes the entire operation more efficient because it not only enables me to monitor profit margins but also allows me to spend more time on the shop floor serving my customers.”
“Blair and his team offer a fantastic service, which customers told us about when we visited the store," explains competition judge Mike Green, Harris International Marketing. "Not only does he offer a fantastic range with locallysourced specialities but he sponsors the local football team, golf club and Christmas lights.” “Girvans of Aberfeldy is a shining example to all petrol retailers and Gulf is proud to be associated with a business that is at the pinnacle of its
trade,” says Keith Jewers, Director of Gulf Retail. “In today’s world, rural forecourts need to have a number of strings to their bow in order to offer motorists a one-stop service.” “Blair and his team work tirelessly to provide a personal service to the local community and through-trade and I’m delighted that this has been officially recognised. It’s clear that all aspects of the business are managed in a highly professional manner.”
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