Top of the shops: who's hot on high street

SHOPPERS across the UK have named electrical equipment dealer Richer Sounds as their favourite High Street store, according to a new consumer survey.

Great customer service and experienced, knowledgable staff who project a real buzz about their products were what impressed customers about the top three retailers of a league table featuring 100 well-known shops.

A shops survey, conducted by Which?, placed toiletries retailer Lush in second spot and homeware supplier Lakeland in third.

The top shops were praised for "standout" qualities that grab customers' attention - from Lakeland's quirky products, Richer Sounds' quality or Lush's ethical products.

The top three were found to use innovative methods to train their staff, with Lush and Lakeland sales staff taking home a range of bathbombs, shampoo bars and tagine starter kits for cooking Moroccan foods to "test drive" so they could be confident while advising customers.

Hi-fi retailer Richer Sounds ensures all trainees have a mentor to shadow and all staff sit weekly online training tests in product knowledge and customer service procedures, which includes testing new kit.

Staff also sit exams twice a year to identify potential gaps in knowledge to identify training needs.

The Disney Store took fourth place, while John Lewis came fifth.

The department store was still a firm favourite with many but attracted criticism from the consumer watchdog for changing its "Never Knowingly Undersold" policy so that it now matches competitors' prices only when extras such as the warranty are exactly the same as those it offers. This has led to shoppers being turned away when trying to use the policy.

WH Smith and Focus, the DIY shop which recently went into administration, were at the bottom of the table. While some customers praised WH Smith's customer service, others felt its high prices and cramped stores let it down.

Customers liked Lush's "excellent and innovative" products but criticised "unhelpful" staff at PC World (98th place).

More than 11,000 members of the public were interviewed by the consumer watchdog between February and March about the shops they had visited in the last six months.

Asda was top of the "big four" supermarkets for non-food products - coming in at joint 35th place - the only supermarket to make it to the top 50.

Martyn Hocking, editor, Which?, said: "The nation's top shops know exactly what their customers want and they respond - with quality products, good customer service and store environments that make shopping a pleasure. Shops at the bottom of the table would be well advised to follow that lead."

Richard Dodd, spokesman for the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: "Customers make choices about where they shop under a wide range of influences.

"Service is an important factor and good retailers strive to give excellent service. But value for money is also a very important factor.Retailers need to balance that aspect with others.

"Also, in these difficult times retailers need to be even more focused on what their customers want, need and can afford.

"Those most successful are those who have adapted what they are doing to the changing needs of customers."

For the first time the survey dropped the category for shops selling books and music because so many people now buy these products online.