RETAILER of the Year 2007, St Ives department store Eaden Lilley, believes its success attracted a raft of new customers eager to see what attracted the judges. Winning the award has been a great morale booster for the staff at St Ives, giving them recog

RETAILER of the Year 2007, St Ives department store Eaden Lilley, believes its success attracted a raft of new customers eager to see what attracted the judges.

"Winning the award has been a great morale booster for the staff at St Ives, giving them recognition for all their hard work in making the store a success," said store manager Steve Broughton. "The staff take great pride in their store, and the award wouldn't have been possible without their help and support.

"We have had many loyal customers congratulate us on winning the award and we have seen many new customers over the past 10 months come through our doors.

"The award has helped us to inform the local people about Eaden Lilley in St Ives and the quality merchandise and excellent customer service we pride ourselves on. Our customers have high expectations of Eaden Lilley, and the award has helped meet that expectation."

Quality of merchandise, service and product knowledge are key ingredients in a retails market that has started to contract as consumer confidence has declined in recent months, the company believes.

"We have seen a shift in our customers wanting to buy more quality products and seem to be moving away from the throwaway society we have become so used to," Steve explained. "At Eaden Lilley we are building on this trend, so we may offer a range of products that our customers have come to expect from their local department store.

"At St Ives, we are always looking at our store layout and ensuring our merchandise is professionally displayed and the shopping experience kept easy. Keeping the store looking fresh is vitally important to the success. Our customers like to see new products and departments.

"We are looking to introduce Hobbs in the autumn and are currently working on several new ranges for the store. With menswear being an ever growing business and a need for the town, our department continues to grow, offering our customers a wider range of men's casual clothing."

Steve added that training was a fundamental part of the company's success. "We continue to offer training on how to display products, customer service and product knowledge, ensuring that any questions raised by customers can be answered swiftly and efficiently.

"Staff retention is vitally important, and we continue to retain an excellent staff team.