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John Lewis tops customer satisfaction list

23/01/2006

Department store chain John Lewis has topped a poll of companies that shoppers receive most satisfaction from.

The Verdict Research consumer satisfaction index 2006 found that some retailers leapt dramatically up the ratings over the past year, with five new entries to the top ten.

John Lewis moved one place up the chart, after three years at number two, and the company scored particularly highly in terms of customer service, with lower staff turnover than most of its rivals because of its partnership structure.

The survey of 6,000 customers about where they shopped most frequently produced an initial list of 67 retailers. Respondents rated stores on range, price, convenience, quality, service, ambience, facilities and layout, and a score was allocated to each based on their responses.

Retail analyst Verdict concluded: "With a clear price commitment and extended product guarantees, the department store operator commands a level of trust unique among UK retailers."

Grocery store chain Waitrose, owned by the John Lewis Partnership, was in second place, up from number 20 the previous year. The upmarket supermarket group witnessed widespread expansion over the year, but still managed to score higher than any other retailer on quality and achieve top marks for store layout.

Designer fashion retailer TK Maxx rose one place over the year to number three, with strong marks for its low prices and well edited range,

Also in the top ten were clothing store chain Matalan, last year's number one, furniture giant Ikea, online bookstore Amazon and budget health and beauty shop Savers. Footwear group Schuh, high street shop Wilkinson and DIY chain B&Q completed the customer satisfaction top ten.

Both John Lewis and Waitrose announced this month that trading over the Christmas period were robust, with sales well above the market average. John Lewis reported a 7.1 per cent rise in sales over the seven weeks to January 7th, while Waitrose declared that sales excluding petrol were up by 6.2 per cent over the same period.

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