The credit crunch may well be changing people’s shopping habits, but a poll of over 6,000 consumers carried out by Verdict Research reveals that department store chain John Lewis remains the nation’s favorite retailer.
 
The survey – the Consumer Satisfaction Index 2009 – found that John Lewis was more highly regarded than any of its competitors, winning by a significant margin ahead of second-placed IKEA. Despite a more price-focused retail market with more demanding consumers, John Lewis managed to attain the same satisfaction score as last year.
 
For the survey Verdict quizzed customers about where they shopped most frequently, and then asked them to rate those stores in terms of range, price, convenience, quality, service, ambience, facilities and layout. The data were collated to give retailers a score for each of these criteria, as well as an overall consumer satisfaction rating.

The world’s leading direct beauty seller, Avon, took the fifth slot in the index. The retailer has built a strong reputation among shoppers for product quality and innovation and also scores well on convenience and service.