March 2009
Bridgwater electronics specialist Aclands Radio & Television has been voted first in the UK for customer service. The North Street store was named winner at the prestigious 2008 Retailer of the Year Awards, administered by appliance plan specialists Domestic & General. Impressively this is the second time the company have picked up this award, voted for by customers, after gaining the title in 2003.
Derek Hollingdale (Sales Director D&G), Venetia & Martyn Acland and Jeff Griffiths (Business Development Manager D&G)
Aclands has been located on North Street since 1896, trading in various areas including bookbinding and as a cycle shop, before moving into the electronics market. The company has been in its present location since 1932, serving the TA postcode area. Aclands are experts in both kitchen appliances and consumer electronics items including LCD and plasma TVs. The company also offer servicing on big name brands such as Toshiba, Phillips and Samsung.
The company has a single Euronics store and has made a deliberate choice not to move into the online retail area, instead concentrating on offering exceptional face to face customer service. Proprietor Martyn Acland, the great-grandson of the founder of Aclands, puts the firm’s success down to meeting the needs of customers. “We do very little advertising and most new business comes from word of mouth” comments Martyn. “Many customers have been coming to us for a long time and are happy to recommend us to friends and family because they know we will go the extra mile for them’.
There are 10 full time and two part time members of staff at Aclands, many of whom have been at the firm for a number of years. ‘Our longest serving member of staff has been with us for over 40 years and another for over 25’ adds Martyn. The high level of staff retention ensures customers benefit from employees who have experience and knowledge of the appliances they are selling.
The Retailer of the Year Awards are based on the findings of over 250,000 questionnaires sent to customers post purchase, one of the largest independent surveys of its kind in Britain. Martyn and wife Venetia were presented with their Retailer of the Year award at a top London restaurant event hosted by Domestic & General’s Sales Director Derek Hollingdale on Friday 23 January 2009. The company are currently planning how to celebrate this outstanding achievement with store staff.