About Mole Country Stores, Hexham

Stefanie Willey is the store manager of Mole Country Stores in Hexham, Northumberland. 

She said that the award proves the work of her team is valued, not just within the industry, but by customers and the Mole management team. 

Stefanie said: “As a team, we take great pride in what we do, and the benefit we bring to the community. COVID-19 has highlighted that because what we do and what we mean to people has changed, and people have found us that didn’t know we existed. 

“It’s been a challenging year, so for the store to be named Multiple Store of the Year acknowledges to the team that they’ve done a very good job and I’m so proud of them all.” 

Stefanie said that the role of an SQP has morphed over the years. 

“The job is now integral in farm to fork, with the aim being to add value to a customer’s business, through structured technical advice,” she said. 

“Within the store we have strong established relationships with our customers, this ensures that we can have a conversation as part of a prescription medicine sale. The team and I find the use of open questions helps to generate the best answers. This allows the customer to explain their needs and what is in the best interests of the animals in their care.” 

It is then the role of the SQP to discuss what the best treatment opinions are. 

Stefanie reports that the local abattoir offers post-mortems, which staff actively encourage customers to use as this may be an indicator as to what is happening with the livestock. 

“This service has aided in many disease/parasite diagnosis,” she said. “Abattoir reports on liver damage are also useful in a fluke treatment plan.” 

The store employs four R-SQPs, two E-SQPs and one G-SQP, dedicated farm sales staff, pet, equine and clothing specialists.

“This ensures that we can deal efficiently with the needs of our diverse customer base,” she added.