SUPERSPAR Debi Lee crowned EC store of the year

SUPERSPAR Debi Lee in Greenfields, East London was recently awarded the prestigious SUPERSPAR store of the year in the Eastern Cape.

Owner Debi Morgan said: “It ’s been the most difficult year in our 20-year career at SPAR and if we didn’t have the team we do, I doubt we would have achieved this. 

“With Covid, every day has been a challenge and I just thank God for all the people who have supported us through the years. Without them you really are a l one.”

The store officially received news of the award on Monday, November 23. Debi believes their success is attributed to every person who is involved in the business.

“No matter how small they may feel their role is, they are all the face of the business. Take our cashiers for example – they are the last person the customer sees in the shop and we always tell them that they can uplift the customers or break their day. We also tell them to treat each customer with the utmost respect – it doesn’t matter if they are buying a quarter loaf of bread or a full trolley of groceries.”

The cashier desks have been ergonomically designed so the cash i e r ’s tills are directly in front of them as they scan goods and face the customers, not to the side as is the case in many supermarket s.

Debi cares very deeply for all her staff and customers. “I feel that we are merely custodians of keeping so many families safe and employed. As an owner, I feel that if you have a good idea, you must get advice first from your team as you are deciding on behalf of all your staff. You hold their lives in your hands.”

This is the first time SUPERSPAR Debi Lee has won top store of the year in the Eastern Cape. Last year their Tops store shared store of the year with Queenstown’s SUPERSPAR Protea.

SUPERSPAR Debi Lee Butchery department has also won a silver award. Debi said there were quite a few criteria looked at for the award.

“Mostly we believe customer care and the range in the shop is very important, which can be attributed to my son. His input and dedication is so valuable. Ultimately, I feel it’s a combined effort from the cleaner through to management and even our delivery people who drive through the night to ensure we receive stock.

Debi and her husband Rodney started their retail careers from humble beginnings with a small fruit shop called Glen’s Fruit Market in Greenfields in 1995. After that they ran SPAR Fleet Street, but later sold it and took a year and a half off to rest. Then the current SPAR came up for sale, 20 years ago and they jumped at the opportunity to own and run it.

Rodney said when they initially took over the SPAR, the trading area was 850m². “Approximately 18 years later we extended the building to just over 2000m². That is just the supermarket itself and doesn’t include the Tops. Debi said: “When we started, we had a dream that we would be a big store, but it seemed very far away. It’s quite surreal.”

Rodney added: “This award is monumental and very well appreciated. It’s been a team effort with Debi as the main conductor of the shop and the team who puts it all together with a lot of dedication and effort which culminated into what it is now. I want to congratulate Debi and staff for working long hours in difficult circumstances especially during the Covid pandemic. They’ve all done a tremendous job.”

With the renovations the store underwent two years ago, Debi is sure it also resulted in them being crowned store of the year. “We are looking at doing some more renovations early next year. We get great support from our Eastern Cape divisional office and distribution centre in Port Elizabeth. They have designers and people who are excellent with store layout. You need to correct and improve the flow of the store every two years to give customers a better shopping experience."

The Bean Tree coffee shop has also been a successful addition to the shop which also opened two years ago after the major renovations .

“It ’s been a new concept from SPAR and we’ve been so thrilled with it. We’ve seen various businesspeople and especially some from the Industrial Development Zone come here and put tables together and conduct their meetings. It’s been really great.”

With the award came a cash prize and Debi said they decided to divide the prize amongst all their staff through SPAR food shopping vouchers to give them some extra support during the festive season.

“Any retailer is about the people. You hold their hearts and lives in your hands. It’s been so rewarding for me to upskill my staff over the years and see them grow and develop. It’s a huge blessing to be involved in their careers. I am grateful to belong to the SPAR family.

“I must also thank our development partner Götz von Westernhagen who gave us the opportunity to become a SUPERSPAR. Without his knowledge and support we wouldn’t have been able to achieve all of this. I would also like to thank the EC SPAR managing director, Angelo Swartz for all his guidance. It’s all the individual hands that bring it all together.