Top of the shops named by Which?

Waitrose has been recognised as the number-one high street retailer for customer service in an annual survey by consumer magazine Which?

The supermarket achieved impressive scores from a 10,000-strong panel of shoppers for the quality of products, customer service, in-store experience and the convenience of its shops - opening up clear distance on other food retailers.

From September to November last year, Which? asked 10,963 members of its online panel to rate their satisfaction with and likelihood to recommend the retailers they use from a list of 77 well-known stores and independent retailers. Shops were given scores for their service, in store experience, product, price and convenience. Waitrose finished top of the Which? survey in 2006, and was second behind John Lewis in 2007.

Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose, said: “Although we have grown rapidly as a business in recent years, great customer service and quality products remain the cornerstones of what we do. The co-owned structure of our business - with employees sharing in the profits - means that the service ethos is deeply ingrained in how we work. Our partners know that by delighting customers time after time, they are contributing to the success of the business and will reap the rewards.”