The five sector winners of Convenience Store’s Sales Assistant of the Year Awards have been announced.

Independent sector winner Martina Casey of Springisland Supermarket (Nisa) in Coalisland, N Ireland, wowed the judges with her dedication to customer service and her ability to handle sensitive issues with care. Martina is studying for a level two NVQ in retail and has used her new found skills to design a customer service programme. She has also compiled a customer questionnaire to ensure that the store truly meets the needs of its shoppers.

Kingsley Elliff of AW & D Hammond’s Mace store and Jet Forecourt in Halesworth, Suffolk came top of the forecourt category. Formerly a European sales manager, Kingsley knows a thing or two about charming customers. He recently introduced We Serve You Wednesdays where he personally fuels customers’ cars, checks their oil and polishes their lights. The initiative has been a huge success, and even made front page news in a local paper.

Independent Symbol sector winner Angus Pidgley of Knight’s Budgens of Hassocks, West Sussex, impressed with his product knowledge and passion for the role. In just four years, Angus has gone from general sales assistant to chilled food section head where he manages over 15 local fresh food suppliers. Business know-how and  ahead for figures has enabled him to take the category from strength to strength. 

Supervisor at Chelmsford Star Co-op in Hutton, Simon Sims ticked all the boxes as Co-operative and Multiple sector winner. A strong command of the convenience business has seen Simon offer invaluable support to manager Ben, who claims that other branches would ‘give their right arm’ to have Simon on their teams. At the firm’s in-house awards, Simon beat 800 of his colleagues to take home Best Society Employee of the Year.

Multiple Symbol sector winner Daniel Hill of Spar Lambeg in Lisburn, N Ireland caught the judges attention with his commitment to health & safety and his flair for customer care. By designing a script for cashiers, Daniel ensured that the shop offered top notch customer service. Every member of staff was encouraged to upsell products, and Daniel even took time to coach them on the best sales techniques. 

The overall winner will be crowned Sales Assistant of the Year 2012 at The Dorchester Hotel in London on November 13. The awards are supported by JTI, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Mars Chocolate and Procter & Gamble.