Debenhams Swansea are the best lookers in the company

Staff at Swansea’s flagship Debenhams store are celebrating after winning a top accolade – and a £2,000 prize – in the company’s prestigious awards.

The department store, based in city’s Quadrant Shopping Centre, beat off strong competition to win the UK’s Best Large Store and Best Overall Store in the Debenhams Autumn Winter 2015 Visual Standards Competition.

The twice-yearly contest is held at the start of each season and measures the way individual stores launch their new season fashion collections across all divisions as well as focusing on store standards, customer service and results performance.

The judges not only consider the quality of instore displays and window dressing but also how inviting the store is to customers.

Debenhams Swansea beat Bath in the South West Regional Final round having fought off all other large stores within its region including Cardiff, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Gloucester and Belfast.

Their success continued in the National Final Round which saw Swansea clinch the title from stores in Trafford Park in Manchester and Nottingham to be announced as Best Overall Store by the company at the Retail Conference in London earlier this month.

It’s a real feather in the cap of Visual Manager Rachel Griffiths whose job is to oversee the look of the store including the window displays and instore visuals.

The 24-year-old, from Port Talbot, was only promoted to the post five months ago and has already scooped the company’s highest prize.

“It’s just amazing,” said Rachel, who moved to London when she was 17 to study at the Fashion Retail Academy.

“I’m ecstatic – for the store to win this is an absolute honour.

“It’s very much a store win. The staff work tremendously hard and the morale is really strong, everyone really wants to do well.

“We’re very competitive as a store and we want to win. I think this must’ve shone through to the judges.”

It is the first time Debenhams Swansea has made it through to the final of the national competition – let alone won overall store although they have won the Best Regional Store title for three out of the past four years.

Rachel and her team began work on the instore Autumn/Winter displays in August while Christmas-themed visuals were designed in mid-September, using the same graphics and visual aids as all the other Debenhams stores and although they are given guidelines on the overall look there is room for creative interpretation.

“Every store is given the same kit effectively but we can be creative with that to a degree and play around with the Christmas decorations,” said Rachel, who has worked for the store for the past five years, firstly as visual assistant and later as supervisor.

“Everything has to be done to perfection and it’s all down to the finer details.

“It’s about getting the right visual message across the whole store so that customers can easily see and shop the key seasonal fashions and products.

“The store has also done very well across a wide range of measures and that contributes to our success.”

The title comes with £2,000 which will be invested in the store’s staff social fund and help cover the cost of a large celebration party in January.

Store manager James Loxdale said: “I was extremely proud to receive this award on behalf of all my store team who have worked so hard and thoroughly deserve the recognition.

“It has been a very successful year for Debenhams Swansea and to win the Best Store in the Company for the Autumn/Winter 2015 Visual Standards is the icing on the cake.

“Through sheer hard work, outstanding visual merchandising skill and the passion to be the best as a whole Store Team we made it happen.”

Ian Kirkpatrick, Manager of the Quadrant Shopping Centre, said: “Debenhams in Swansea are consistently a top performing store whether it’s in their efforts for charity where they have raised more money than any other Debenhams store or in their commercial performance.

“This latest success only confirms what a great team they have there and we’re delighted for them.”

The seven-strong visual merchandising team will have little time to bask in glory. Shortly after Christmas, work will start on building and designing the Spring/Summer campaign, ready for the next regional competition.

Despite relishing the Autumn/Winter success, Rachel said she was looking forward to competing again: “After Christmas the hard work will start all over again,” she said.

Caption: Swansea Quadrant Debenhams Manager James Loxdale and his Visual Team, (from left) Rachel Griffiths, Katherine Arrowsmith and Janine Thomas.