COUNTRYWIDE Farmers, the Worcestershire-based supplier of products, advice and services to the rural community, has won a series of major industry awards.

In the Over The Counter Awards at the Cafe Royale in London, the company with its headquarters in Evesham, was recognised for its excellence in training, customer service and staff knowledge, taking four category wins and being highly commended in a another two.

Michelle O’Connor, HR director at Countrywide, said: “We are delighted to have won so many awards, notably the training initiative of the year, multiple store of the year and agri-store manager of the year. Our commitment to delivering both excellent customer service and providing our employees with the knowledge and skills to grow their careers is core to our success and demonstrating value to our customers.

"Our training programme has been highly successful, and that has enabled us gain category wins for both in-store adviser of the year and equine in-store adviser of the year. Without our employees’ dedication to customer service and their ability to pass on their knowledge to our customers, we would not have been able to achieve so much.”

Competition judges said that Countrywide had shown a clear strategy for training, with defined goals and outcomes. These includes a bespoke training and reward programme for those members embarking on the in-store adviser and specialist courses. Countrywide has more than 200 in-store advisers across all stores, who are able to provide expert advice to pet, farming and equine customers on animal health as well as highly trained and dedicated equestrian, pet and agricultural specialists who cover a variety of issues.