Top accolade for store

A Shropshire supermarket has been crowned one of the best neighbourhood shops in Britain.

Stans Superstore at St Martins near Oswestry won the award at the Robert Wiseman Dairies Neighbourhood Shop of the Year Awards.

The family-owned store saw off competition from hundreds of shops across the UK to win the accolade.

The store also received a special award for its excellence in fresh produce. The judges said they were impressed with the variety of produce available, including a wide range of locally sourced fruit and vegetables.

Sandy Wilkie, sales and marketing director at Robert Wiseman Dairies, said: "The stores in the national finals represent the cream of convenience retailing and Stans Superstore is very deserving of its place at the top.

"In the current economic climate convenience stores are a key factor in maintaining the local economy as well playing a major part in their community."

After being nominated by their customers, each of the national finalists underwent a rigorous judging process.

This included being visited by mystery shoppers who judged the stores against a strict criteria including friendliness of staff, merchandising and product range.