GREEN-FINGERED staff at Aylett Nurseries in St Albans were jumping for joy when they were commended for their customer service in Gardening Which? Magazine.

The family business on North Orbital Road was voted one of the best garden centres in Britain in a comprehensive survey featured in the national magazine.

The detailed questionnaire was sent out to 12,000 Gardening Which? readers who were asked to rate the quality of customer service they received garden shopping.

The survey found that most independent garden centres and nurseries were streets ahead of the big DIY chains when it came to customer care.

Staff at Aylett Nurseries, founded nearly 50 years ago, excelled in overall product knowledge and the number of helpers available.

A high percentage of customers said they would definitely recommend the St Albans outlet to a friend.

Mr Roger Aylett, managing director, said the staff were delighted when they opened a copy of Gardening Which? and read the article.

He said: "We spend a lot of time focusing on customer service so it's nice for our efforts to be recognised.

"To find ourselves up there with the big firms, and even doing better than some of them in the survey, is great for staff morale."

July 4, 2002 13:30