The WH Smith in Ross-on-Wye has been crowned the number one small store of excellence in the UK. Despite operating with only half the usual staff, the local team’s hard work paid off at a ceremony in Birmingham on 20th September.

Megan Howells, who works at the store with colleagues Nicola Preece and Grace Poole, said, “We have worked tirelessly to get our small store up to exceptionally high standards.” Their efforts led to being shortlisted among the top eight small stores in the UK. Further assessments elevated them to the top two, where they competed against Southwold WH Smith.

Last night’s win in Birmingham has left the team delighted. Megan shared, “We are absolutely delighted to announce that we won first place! We are now the number one small store of excellence in the entire company across the UK.”

The team is looking forward to featuring their achievement in the Ross Gazette and displaying the award in their store. Megan added, “We really hope we make the cut into the Ross Gazette next week and can’t wait to put it on our shelf in pride of place next Wednesday.”

This award brings a significant boost to the Ross WH Smith store, which had been facing challenges due to being short-staffed. The recognition serves as a testament to the dedicated work of its local employees.