A Swansea City Centre gift shop, which has provided goods for her Majesty the Queen and has been waving the flag for Welsh-made products for more than ten years, has received a gift of its own – a Swansea BID (Business Improvement District) Extra Mile Award for outstanding customer care.
[aoa id=”1″]The quarterly awards recognise businesses of all kinds throughout the Swansea BID area whose staff go the extra mile to keep their customers and clients happy. They are also designed to give local businesses a boost for the hard work they carry out day in, day out, to help keep the City Centre vibrant and unique amid challenging conditions for UK retail.[/aoa]
Kim Richards, Manager of Valley Mill, which is based on Union Street, says:
“I’m very pleased that the work of Valley Mill’s close-knit team has been recognised by our customers with the Extra Mile Award. Valley Mill is a truly local brand and we try to be unique, memorable and driven by quality in everything we do. We have always been champions of great Welsh products – from the handcrafted Welsh slate goods we are well-known for, to traditional Welsh blankets, jewellery and homeware. Of course, the quality of your product is just one aspect of running a successful business. Giving consistently good customer service is something you cannot put a price on and it is the thing that keeps customers coming back – so we work hard to keep those standards high.”
Amelia Rudman, Projects Manager at Swansea BID, said: “We are delighted to present our Extra Mile Award to Valley Mill. Swansea is very well-served for unique retailers who offer something special and something out of the ordinary, with Valley Mill being one of these. Their commitment to consistently good customer service is noticeable and commendable. I would urge everyone who is getting their Christmas shopping done over the next few weeks to head to Swansea City Centre and to take advantage of the quality goods that places like Valley Mill – and so many other stores – have to offer. Let’s all go the extra mile as shoppers to support our high streets.”
Valley Mill was started by former engineer Kevin Thomas, in his bedroom workshop. Ten years later, it has supplied products to Red Bull, NATO, NFU Mutual, Bafta Cymric, RBS, The Welsh FA and The Queen.
Anyone who has enjoyed a great customer care experience, or who routinely gets great service with a smile from a City Centre business, can let Swansea BID know by emailing: [email protected] so they can be considered for an Extra Mile award. The winning businesses will receive a winner’s rosette, window sticker and website artwork so they can shout about their great customer service, and they will be profiled on the Swansea BID’s website.
