The Midcounties Co-operative has received pleasing news after scoring highly on the recently announced HIM! (Harris International Marketing).

The Midcounties Co-operative ranked above Tesco Metro, Morrisons and Budgens for the friendliness of their staff, a fantastic accolade to receive and a true reflection of all the Midcounties employees. Speed of service was another area of strength, again where they out-scored the bigger players in the marketplace.

HIM!'s small supermarkets study has just entered its second year and is going from strength to strength. It monitors activity in stores between 3,000 and 25,000 sq ft in size, to produce comprehensive findings up to 6400 shoppers in total are interviewed.

Ben Reid, Chief Executive at The Midcounties Co-operative, said: "We are delighted to receive this level of recognition, we pride ourselves on delivering the highest calibre of customer service and our investment in training has shone through in these recent survey findings.

Ben added: "As a business we always strive to be fair, open and honest with everyone we come into contact with, something which is lived and breathed throughout the Society."

Jonathon Rons of HIM! explained: "Staff friendliness is of the key importance for shoppers in both convenience and small supermarkets and delivered well in community focused stores can influence shopper perception and behaviour in store for the better"

Since 2008 the Society has invested heavily in their colleagues to help strengthen the overall service offering and has paid for more than 700 employees to undertake National Vocational Qualification training. Managers are offered a number of opportunities to develop their careers, with graduate vacancies are also available throughout all aspects of the business.