The Number Seven team at Boots in Swansea’s busy Quadrant Centre are Number One in the UK.

The five women who work at the city’s flagship store have scooped one of the top prizes at Britain’s biggest chemist’s own national awards night.

A delighted Natalie Howell, who heads up the team responsible for Boot’s own Number Seven cosmetics range at the store, said: “It’s not only Swansea City who are playing in the Premier
League, we’re there too.”

Natalie was joined by colleagues Sue Davies, Elina Jones, Carol Strawbridge and Fern Harrison at the glittering awards event in Telford.

They already knew they had won the Wales and West Regional award but didn’t expect to come out on top against major stores from around the country with their huge teams.

Natalie, from Penclawdd, Swansea, who has been with Boot’s in the city for 27 years, added: “Between the football and everything in the city there’s a real buzz about the place and this is a big honour for us, it’s like winning the Premier League.

“We were so pleased when we knew we were going to the national awards for the UK and Ireland in Telford but we didn’t really expect to win when you’re up against the big stores from Manchester and Birmingham.

“I’m the business manager and there are five of us, aged from 24 to 59 and we just click and work well together and the Quadrant is a lovely place to work, very beautiful and convenient and really part of the community.

“At Boots there we’re really all part of a big team and as Number Seven is Boots own brand we’re really committed to it and to our customers and we get tremendous support from Karen Gallagher who is our Sales Manager in the Quadrant store.”

Karen added: “The whole store is so happy for them because it’s the first time we’ve won something like this. Natalie’s team have done brilliantly.

“Customer service is what we’re all about. It’s all to do with making our customers feel so very, very
special and that’s what they do.”

Ian Kirkpatrick, Manager of the Quadrant Shopping Centre, said: “Boots is such a big concern with stores in every town and city in the UK and Ireland so to come out on top at an awards event for the whole group is brilliant.

“It is a real feather in their caps and it helps put Swansea and the Quadrant Centre firmly on the map.”

The event at the Telford Conference Centre lasted the full day with over 3,000 attending and there was a champagne reception in  the evening ahead of the awards ceremony with the Number Seven category third up on the programme.

Natalie, a mum of two children, Tom, 14, and Nia, 12, said: “It was a bit nerve-racking but we really enjoyed the day and when they announced us it was one of the best experiences not just of my working life but of my whole life.

“When we came back to the store it was wonderful because there were banners outside and champagne and party poppers. It was an honour for us and the store.

“We’re not commission based so we just try and do the best we can for our customers and they are very loyal to us as well.

“One gentleman comes here from Cardiff every few months and stocks up here because he likes the service he gets and he feels comfortable.

“When people spend money they want to feel special and that’s what we try to do.”