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Sheffield company wins Internet Retailer of the Year Award
Crampton & Moore of High Street, Ecclesfield near Sheffield has beaten off stiff competition to win the prestigious Internet Retailer of the Year (ROTY) award for 2007.
 The award is sponsored and administered by leading specialist warranty provider, Domestic & General for Combined Independent Holdings CI(H), a buying group for more than 700 independent traders UK-wide. C & M sell mainly the latest plasma, LCD flat screen TVs and home cinema & DVD products – plus a growing selection of kitchen appliances.
Crampton & Moore is a family company, originally set up by John Moore and his business partner Roy Crampton in 1966. It has been trading successfully for over 42 years. John Moore bought out his partner twenty years ago when his son Robert joined the company and he then retired in 2005. Robert Moore now runs the company and has rapidly expanded it, now employing sixteen members of staff. He first set up the internet operation about 6 years ago, which is now thriving alongside the retail arm. Crampton & Moore seems to have hit upon a winning formula of a well-established and trusted family business with a long pedigree, combined with a fast expanding, national up-to-the-minute high tech web business.
Robert is delighted to receive the award. He comments 'the business is an interesting hybrid of a shop plus internet operation. We find that many of our customers look on the internet first, then come into the shop for a demonstration and to see the choices first hand. We try to give customers the best deal and then a great back-up service, because we feel they deserve it. We can often match or beat the larger chains on price and exceed their customer service standards because of the quality of our staff and our attention to detail. People buy from us on-line because our lower overheads mean our prices are often lower than the big chains. People also want their purchases quickly, and our large stock holding means we can fulfil orders quickly usually in 48 hours or a collection service for people to collect goods the same day'.
This approach must work as the company's turnover has quadrupled over the past five years, making Crampton and Moore the largest independent retailer of plasma/LCD products based in South Yorkshire.Winning this award is a fitting tribute to their philosophy that the customer always comes first.
Now in their ninth year, the ROTY Awards are unique. They look at which independent electrical retailers offer the best shopping experience. The customers themselves are the judges. The results of the ROTY survey give a fascinating, independent insight into what customers really think about the retailers and their staff.
Domestic & General administers and sponsors the competition and, last year, mailed out over 250,000 questionnaires to CI(H) customers following a sale. The questionnaires asked customers to grade, up to a maximum of 5 points, the CI(H) member for warmth of welcome, staff's product knowledge and demonstration.
The customers of Crampton & Moore have responded well to their offering of combining internet sales with a retail outlet. Showing that if you put the customer first, the customer will do the same for you.
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